Southern B'klyn libraries gear up with storm-resilient solar power (construction, office)

[Aeran]

Cool.

https://www.brooklynpaper.com/coney-...backup-system/

The Coney Island Library launched a new solar-powered backup system on Tuesday, which comes as part of a multi-million dollar effort to retrofit southern Brooklyn’s book repositories into storm-resilient disaster hubs.

“We equipped Coney Island library to weather future storms and help the surrounding community weather them,” said Linda Johnson, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library system, at a press conference atop the roof of the library.

Along with the Coney Island branch, three others — Gerritsen Beach, Mill Basin, and the Kings Highway branch in Sheepshead Bay — will see upgrades to provide a community lifeline during future Superstorm Sandy-level weather events.

State officials joined BPL leadership to showcase the 60 solar panels and battery backup system, which will generate renewable energy for the city power system — but, more importantly, keep the library powered during power outages.

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery is funding the $4 million project to outfit the four southern Brooklyn library branches, which are all located in flood-prone areas that saw severe damage from Sandy.

The Coney Island branch suffered drastic flooding during the 2012 storm, as waters rose several feet above the building’s ground floor, and extreme rain brought plumes of sand and seawater gushing into the book house.

Subsequent renovations were completed last May after the first phase of the $1.7 million construction project commenced in April 2019.

“The library remains the most versatile and Democratic institution in our city and that’s why it also must be the most resilient,” Johnson said. “When Superstorm Sandy flooded this branch in 2012, we knew that we didn’t just have to build it back, but we had to actually build it back better.”