A former one-room schoolhouse in rural New Mexico is getting a boost from solar power.

The upgrade is helping a community center lower its electricity bills while keeping residents connected during outages.

Here's what to know

Last fall, the center gained a 10.6-kilowatt-hour battery system alongside a 7.5-kilowatt solar array, according to Solar Power World. Taos-based PPC Solar, also known as Paradise Power Co., carried out the installation.

Three years of applications preceded the center's selection for the company's annual nonprofit donation program, which provided the installation free of charge.

Ojo Sarco, an unincorporated community with 300 residents, is 43 miles northeast of Santa Fe, according to Solar Power World. Its community center occupies a former schoolhouse established in the early 1900s.

Children receive summer meals through the center, and residents can attend safety classes and outings, including an opera visit. Its twice-monthly food-bank distributions are another way it addresses gaps in local services.

For homeowners, residential solar can also lower electricity costs, and $0 upfront solar leases may offer savings of hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the household. EasyHome offers a free explorer tool to help people estimate potential savings and find vetted local installers.

More background

For Ojo Sarco residents, reaching basic amenities means a round trip of about 40 minutes, according to Carol Miller, a grant writer and community center board member. The community lost its post office, for example.

Library resources are available close to home now that the center has met the requirements for state library status.

"It's lowered our electric costs, which is really important for us, because we're such a shoestring operation. We've had some fun talks with the community because they all know we'll have the charging capacity," Miller said, according to Solar Power World. "We still have internet available, even with the power out. All the kids that come to our library programs, they're solar-oriented. The benefit of this company and its staff just has ripple effects throughout our greater community."

What's being done?

Installing the system required PPC Solar's team to adapt to the old building.

Preston Bastardo, who works in sales and design for the company, said the crew explored the attic to find suitable roof mounting points and placed the batteries in a mechanical closet, Solar Power World reported.

The team also installed a critical-loads panel beside the main electrical panel so the batteries could provide backup power to select parts of the facility.

The nonprofit donation program has operated for over a decade, extending a company tradition. CEO Daniel Weinman said PPC Solar began installing off-grid systems in the 1970s.

"We're a very old community and proud of it. And having worked with local businesses and our electrical co-op, we know it's really the exception and not the rule because we own our power," Weinman said. "Any technology that is shared equally in a low-income community has ripple effects beyond what I think some of us imagined a number of years ago. It's for everyone."

For households interested in similar resilience, EasyHome also helps people compare options for battery storage. Pairing solar with batteries can help manage electricity costs and provide backup power during outages. The Ojo Sarco center combines both benefits, trimming routine bills while keeping essential systems running when the grid goes down.

Where can I learn more?

Other communities are also pairing solar panels with batteries to keep essential services running during outages.

• A North Carolina food bank's first solar microgrid keeps freezers running when the grid fails.

• On a California reservation, solar and batteries keep tribal services running through blackouts.

• Virginia schools are adding solar-powered battery shelters to withstand heat waves, ice storms, and outages.

• Some homeowners say uninterrupted power during outages matters more to them than lower bills.

• One homeowner weathered a weeklong outage with battery backup, while others discussed grid charging.

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