Open the May 2024 Puerto Rico Energy Recovery and Resilience Newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy, Grid Deployment Office.
May 2, 2024
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports grid recovery and resiliency efforts in Puerto Rico through planning assistance, operational activities, and capacity building for both local public entities and federal agencies, ensuring investment decisions are driven by world-class data, modeling, and analysis. In this newsletter, the Grid Deployment Office (GDO) shares the latest milestones, updates, and highlights of this work.
Program Highlights and Announcements
100% Renewable Energy is 100% Possible for Puerto Rico: DOE Releases PR100 Final Study Results
In March, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released the final results of the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100). The two-year study concludes that Puerto Rico can successfully meet its projected electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050. PR100 outlines pathways to achieving clean energy success, including grid stabilization measures and the deployment of distributed energy resources. On February 7, Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm traveled to San Juan to present the study results at a public release event and celebrate the culmination of this two-year study.
Full study results and interactive data visualizations are now available in English and Spanish at pr100.gov.
DOE Launches Programa Acceso Solar to Connect Low-Income Residents with Solar Power
As part of its commitment to support Puerto Rico’s energy resilience and renewable energy goals, DOE launched 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.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and prioritized based on eligibility. Residents can visit energy.gov/solarPR or call 1 (833) 822-8628 to check their eligibility and apply for the Programa Acceso Solar through their local Solar Ambassador. Solar Ambassadors consist of 16 local organizations selected by DOE to conduct outreach in targeted communities and to process applications.
Six Communities in Puerto Rico Awarded Technical Assistance for Clean Energy and Economic Development
On March 22, DOE announced the second cohort of communities selected as part of the Communities Local Energy Action Program (Communities LEAP), a unique technical assistance initiative designed to help disadvantaged communities and those with historical ties to fossil fuel industries take direct control of their clean energy future. The 30 selected communities across the United States—including Adjuntas, Jayuya, Lares, Maricao, Utuado, and the Quebradas neighborhood of Yauco, Puerto Rico—will receive a total of $18 million worth of technical assistance to create tailored community-wide action plans that reduce local air pollution, increase energy resilience, lower utility costs, and create good-paying jobs.
Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team Conducts Site Visits to Critical Community Facilities
This month, DOE's Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team visited the Concilio de Salud Integral de Loíza, which is able to provide vital services even through power outages thanks to its solar and battery storage system from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's Solar Saves Lives initiative, in partnership with Hispanic Foundation, Direct Relief, and the Clinton Global Initiative. This visit was followed by a walkthrough of the Centro Isabelino de Medicina Avanzada, a tour of Puerto Rico public housing facilities, and a roundtable with energy nonprofits and healthcare stakeholders to better understand the energy needs of critical public infrastructure. These conversations and continued stakeholder feedback is vital to developing DOE's Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund and our efforts to rebuild Puerto Rico's electric system.
Apply Now: Clean Energy Innovators Fellows to Support Efforts to Advance Clean Energy Solutions Across the United States, Including Puerto Rico
Applications are now open for recent graduates and energy professionals to be considered for DOE’s Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship. Paid Fellows will spend up to 2 years at critical energy organizations supporting projects that will help decarbonize power systems and bolster energy resilience. Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in clean energy solutions, and those with diverse backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.
Host Institutions include electric cooperatives, grid operators, municipal utilities, public utility commissions, state energy offices and Tribal entities. This year, to support DOE’s Puerto Rico energy resilience work, the Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña in Puerto Rico will host an Innovator Fellow to support local microgrid development.
Applications are due on May 3, 2024. Learn more and apply today.
Other Announcements
Vice President Kamala Harris Visits Puerto Rico with Secretary Granholm
In mid-March, Secretary Granholm traveled to Puerto Rico with Vice President Kamala Harris to speak about the Biden-Harris Administration's investments to help Puerto Ricans repair their homes and build a more prosperous future.
Vice President Harris and the Secretary joined Puerto Rico’s Governor Pierluisi and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman, to visit a family whose home was rebuilt and made resilient with solar and battery storage thanks to efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration. Secretary Granholm highlighted how the DOE’s Programa Acceso Solar will connect up to 30,000 vulnerable households to solar energy.
Nonprofit Organizations Can Use Federal Tax Credits to Fund Clean Energy Projects
On Friday, April 19 in San Juan, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted information sessions on Elective Pay, a new important mechanism that will help territorial governments, municipalities, non-profits, and other eligible entities access clean energy tax credits. Elective Pay can help eligible entities, including Puerto Rican nonprofit organizations, reduce the cost of investments in clean energy by as much as 50 percent through tax credits.
Read the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service’s final rules on key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act and consult this fact sheet on Elective Pay.
Technical Assistance Opportunity for Island Communities
DOE is now accepting applications for the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), an initiative providing technical assistance and cash awards for coastal, remote, and island communities become more energy resilient.
The lead applicant is a local government, a Tribe or Tribal organization, a community-based organization, a special purpose district (e.g., school district, water district, sewer district), an academic institution, a municipal utility, or an electric co-op.
The deadline to apply is July 10, 2024. Visit the EITPP website to learn more.
