The US government has introduced a new funding package to support residential solar and storage projects in Puerto Rico, followed by sustainability solutions such as microgrids, community solar and grid modernization.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office issued a request for information (RFI) this week to gather input from Puerto Rico stakeholders on how to manage $1 billion through the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF).
Following recent hurricanes and decades of investment in the island’s power grid, new funds are being developed to increase energy resilience and reduce the energy burden of the Caribbean island’s vulnerable residents. The investment is also in line with Puerto Rico’s public energy policy, which aims to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050, as well as the US government’s commitment to improve the island’s energy system.
After Hurricane Fiona in October 2022, President Joe Biden visited the island and pledged to leverage technical support from federal agencies to support improvements to Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. In December, Biden signed the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law, which includes $1 billion in PR-ERF funding for key investments in renewable and sustainable energy infrastructure in Puerto Rico.
The PR-ERF package is administered by the Grid Deployment Office in cooperation with the Federal Energy Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The agency is seeking input from Puerto Rican stakeholders on short- and long-term energy solutions, including residential rooftop solar solutions, community and critical services energy resilience, nonprofit partnerships, and workforce training to sustain the island’s clean energy economy.
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