A summary report from the Dept. of energy and FEMA concludes that Puerto Rico can meet its electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050. The report, Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100), outlines paths to success, including grid stabilization measures and the deployment of distributed energy resources like solar.
To further assist Puerto Rico’s energy resilience and clean energy goals, DOE announced a Feb. 22 start date for Puerto Ricans to apply for DOE’s Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program) — a program designed to connect up to 30,000 low-income households with residential rooftop solar and battery storage systems with zero upfront costs. This program is a consumer-facing application phase of the first round of funding from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund, a $1 billion DOE program focused on improving the resilience of Puerto Rico’s electric grid with an emphasis on the region’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged households and communities.
“Over the last two years, we’ve been working with our partners at DOE across the Biden-Harris Administration alongside the Puerto Rico Government to prioritize the PR100 study and make it a reality,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Through our partnership, we will provide Puerto Rico communities, including those who are disproportionately affected by disasters, a generational opportunity to become more resilient. As these findings are being put into practice, we remain more committed than ever to the island’s recovery and to innovative solutions like this study to not only address disaster-related damage, but also ensure a sustainable way forward.”
PR100 Study Findings
Launched in February 2022 with funding from FEMA, PR100 engaged with diverse local stakeholders regarding their priorities for their energy future; gathered and generated valuable data sets; and created advanced models to project scenarios for achieving 100% renewable energy. PR100 includes an implementation roadmap, providing decision-makers in Puerto Rico with specific actions that can be taken to stabilize the grid, improve resilience and achieve local renewable energy goals. The two-year PR100 Study relied on extensive stakeholder input, including an advisory group of nearly 100 individuals from 60 organizations representing the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Notable findings of the PR100 study include:
Puerto Rico can transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050 and has more than enough renewable energy resource potential to meet its current and future electricity needs through 2050. Prioritizing stakeholder and community input as well as interagency coordination will be critical in ensuring an equitable transition.
Puerto Rico must increase new power generation infrastructure significantly — on the scale of hundreds of megawatts — to stabilize the grid and alleviate current generation shortfalls, including rapid deployment of utility-scale and distributed renewable resources and significant amounts of storage.
Renewable energy goals can be met by developing renewable energy projects on land that is not designated for agricultural purposes. While there is enough renewable energy potential on non-agricultural land to meet total annual electric load now and through 2050, these sites tend to have higher costs.
Under all scenarios of the study, Puerto Rico’s rooftop solar capacity and storage capacity will significantly increase by 2050. Even if rooftop solar and batteries are added to all suitable rooftops, utility-scale renewable energy and storage projects will still be needed to meet electric load reliably.
Investments in new generation to create a reliable grid could lead to rate increases. A strategic plan to control rate impacts while achieving better reliability over the near term is needed and could focus on maximizing use of distributed resources (like rooftop solar, energy efficiency, and storage) as well as cost-effective management of resources at the grid scale.
Programa Acceso Solar
DOE is launching the Programa Acceso Solar as part of the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund to connect up to 30,000 low-income households across Puerto Rico with subsidized residential solar panels and battery storage systems. Low-income families across Puerto Rico can go to energy.gov/solarPR to check their eligibility, prepare required documentation and identify their local Solar Ambassador. Solar Ambassadors consist of 16 local organizations selected by DOE to conduct outreach in targeted communities and to process applications to the Programa Acceso Solar. The application period will open on February 22 when eligible households can apply through their Solar Ambassadors. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and prioritized based on eligibility. DOE anticipates high demand for this program. Potential applicants are encouraged to review eligibility requirements and reach out to their Solar Ambassadors as soon as possible.
Residents may be eligible for the Programa Acceso Solar if they fit all three of the following criteria:
They are low-income, as demonstrated by enrollment in a government assistance program (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
They own the single-family home in which they currently reside
And EITHER: A resident of their household relies on an electricity or battery-dependent medical device due to a medical condition or disability OR their address is eligible for an installation. DOE has identified eligible regions across Puerto Rico based on if they have a high percentage of low-income residents AND experience long and frequent power outages. Instructions for confirming address eligibility are available on energy.gov/SolarPR.
News item from DOE