Puerto Rico kicked off 2025 with a harsh reminder of its fragile energy grid. On New Yr’s Eve, practically all the island – 90% – misplaced electrical energy, leaving over 1.3 million clients in the dead of night throughout vacation celebrations. Energy was restored on January 1, however the blackout underscored an pressing want for dependable vitality options.
In a transfer to assist bolster Puerto Rico’s grid resilience, Convergent Power and Energy secured a conditional dedication from the US Division of Power (DOE) Mortgage Applications Workplace for an enormous photo voltaic and battery storage initiative in December. The DOE’s backing consists of as much as $559.4 million in mortgage ensures, paving the way in which for Convergent to put in each photo voltaic and standalone battery programs throughout the island.
New photo voltaic + storage for Puerto Rico’s grid
The flagship mission in Coamo will embody a 100-megawatt (MW) photo voltaic PV system paired with a 55.5-MW battery vitality storage system. Convergent will even deploy standalone battery programs in Caguas, Peñuelas, and Ponce with a collective capability of 225 MW. Collectively, these installations will pump roughly 200,000 megawatt-hours of unpolluted vitality into Puerto Rico’s grid yearly – sufficient to energy 19,000 properties.
Puerto Rico’s vitality prices are among the many highest within the US, and its grid continues to be notoriously unreliable, so these tasks will assist scale back dependence on fossil fuels and minimize electrical energy costs.
Cleaner, extra dependable grid
Convergent estimates the initiative will keep away from 2.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions yearly. That’s like taking the vitality use of 335,000 properties off the grid. The corporate’s CEO, Frank Genova, mentioned, “Enhancing grid reliability and sustainability in Puerto Rico is essential … We stay up for contributing to the modernization of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid and advancing its clear vitality objectives.”
The broader advantages are equally compelling. Photo voltaic and battery storage will assist stabilize Puerto Rico’s grid, which has been battered by hurricanes, mismanagement, and underfunding for years. The mission is anticipated to create round 540 development jobs and 20 everlasting positions whereas integrating neighborhood advantages like native engagement and labor requirements.
Why this issues now
The New Yr’s Eve blackout may need been one of many island’s worst in latest reminiscence, but it surely’s not an remoted incident. Puerto Rico’s energy grid has struggled to get better after Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated its infrastructure. Regardless of federal funding and guarantees of grid modernization, outages stay an everyday incidence, pushing residents and companies to put in their very own photo voltaic panels and mills.
Convergent’s mission goals to handle these points at a systemic degree. The DOE’s conditional mortgage assure is a powerful sign of federal assist, however the firm should move an environmental evaluation and meet authorized and monetary situations earlier than the mortgage is finalized. If all goes to plan, the programs are anticipated to return on-line by 2026.
Learn extra: This accordion-style modular photo voltaic array withstands 166 mph winds
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