Hello! I’m Alexander Boom.
It’s terrific that we’re connecting.
I’m driven to expand our energy independence with clean, reliable electricity. Here’s why…
I’ve felt electricity access impact on our quality of life, safety, and potential.
Growing up in Ohio, winter storms frequently knocked out the lines that energized our house.
Instructing snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains, the dangers of being unexpectedly stuck in the wilderness without power became apparent.
Working with the Peace Corps in Panamá, my host brothers and sister frequently studied late into the night by the flicker of a kerosene lamp.
I’ve witnessed us enter the clean energy era.
As a university student in Spain in the early 2000s, I first visited towns powered by solar energy.
Interning in the U.S. Senate, I attended sessions on the Chinese and U.S. governments competing to control the global clean energy market.
Working for a global solar panel manufacturer, I watched clean energy become cheaper to produce than burning fossil fuels.
I’ve experienced centralized grids’ inability to meet our needs.
Documenting health services in Uganda, I realized how many families burn charcoal, kerosene, or firewood for their cooking, heating, and light.
Visiting a friend living in the Darien rainforest, I met neighbors whose lives had transformed recently with the arrival of solar microgrids.
Living through recent wildfires and public safety power shutoffs in California, I have many friends seeking energy independence.
These lessons taught me that ‘how we power life’ is amid a paradigm shift.
We’re transitioning from relying on massive bureaucrat-managed centralized grids fueled by dirty energy to locally collecting and storing our clean energy with renewable microgrids. Renewable microgrids create electric islands that provide us with our own clean, reliable, and free electricity.
Advancements in battery and clean energy collection technologies mean it’s now possible for each of us to produce power cost-effectively. Yet most people still don’t realize it!
So I created Electric Islands to shine a light on how we’re using renewable microgrids around the globe to generate energy independence and improve life.
I’m excited to be on this journey together!
-Alexander Boom