Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization

In September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused most of the transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico to collapse, leading to one of the longest blackouts in U.S. history and leaving residents in some parts of the territory without electricity for almost a year. Puerto Rico's communications, water and wastewater, transportation, healthcare, and critical manufacturing sectors similarly experienced severe disruptions—in most cases caused by electricity infrastructure damage or existing issues being exacerbated by the underlying instability of the grid. In 2019, the Puerto Rico legislature passed the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act (Act 17), setting a goal for the commonwealth to meet 100% of its electricity needs with renewable energy by 2050, with interim targets of 40% by 2025, 60% by 2040, the phaseout of coal-fired generation by 2028, and a 30% improvement in energy efficiency by 2040.

Yet, energy system recovery, efforts to increase resilience, and progress toward these targets have been slow. In September 2022, Hurricane Fiona again knocked out 100% of the grid for as long as four weeks in parts of Puerto Rico, highlighting the continuing need for grid modernization on the island.

DOE Technical Assistance

Since the hurricanes in 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and six DOE national laboratories have provided Puerto Rico energy system stakeholders with tools, training, and modeling support to enable planning and operation of the electric system with greater resilience against further disruptions.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) role in Puerto Rico's energy recovery is to:

• Leverage its network of National Laboratories to supply advanced planning and modeling capabilities to stakeholders in Puerto Rico. 
• Serve as a trusted unbiased convener and coordinator among relevant federal and local decision makers. 
• Enable investment decisions to be driven by world-class data, modeling, and analysis. 
• Ensure that funded recovery actions adhere to industry best practices, are coordinated across sectors, and align with energy public policy. 
• Support the development of the next generation energy sector workforce in Puerto Rico. 

On February 2, 2022, DOE joined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to announce a new effort to accelerate work to strengthen the island’s grid resilience and advance new initiatives to enhance Puerto Rico’s energy future. The parties executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that enhances collaboration among Federal agencies and the Commonwealth.

Current Activities

Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transition to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100 Study): The PR100 Study is a two-year, comprehensive analysis based on extensive stakeholder input of possible pathways for Puerto Rico to achieve its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050, ensure energy system resilience against extreme weather events. This multi-phased, integrated analysis includes eleven distinct tasks across six national laboratories.

On February 7, 2024, DOE and FEMA published a summary of results from the PR100 Study, which concludes that Puerto Rico can successfully transition to and meet its projected electricity needs with 100% renewable energy, by 2050. The final report will be available in March 2024. Learn more at PR100.gov.

Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF): In December 2022, Congress approved $1 billion to improve the resilience of Puerto Rico’s electric grid, with a focus on the region’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged households and communities.

Programa Acceso Solar: On February 7, 2024, DOE announced the launch of the Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program), funded through the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund, which will connect up to 30,000 households with residential rooftop solar and battery storage systems. Puerto Rico residents can visit www.energy.gov/solarPR to check their eligibility, start collecting required documentation for their applications, and find their local Solar Ambassador.

Programa de Comunidades Resilientes: On August 28, 2024, DOE announced a $325 million funding opportunity for the new Programa de Comunidades Resilientes, which aims to fund solar and battery storage installations for community healthcare facilities as well as community centers and common areas within subsidized multi-family housing properties. Applicants for this funding may include individual entities or teams based in Puerto Rico that can coordinate the deployment of solar and battery storage systems across many individual sites.

Grid Resilience Formula Grant: On July 31, 2023, DOE announced that Puerto Rico will receive over $7.4 million through the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants. Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the Grid Deployment Office, this grant will help modernize Puerto Rico’s electric grid to reduce impacts of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters, improve power sector reliability, and enhance Puerto Rican communities’ access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity.

Technical Assistance in Developing FEMA Proposals: DOE provides technical assistance to the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3), the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), and LUMA Energy (LUMA) in developing project applications for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which is used to provide protection to undamaged parts of a facility or to prevent or reduce damages caused by future disasters. For example, DOE helped design a renewable microgrid for the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra with input from community leaders. DOE has also conducted reviews by technical experts of project applications relating to floating solar, hydropower modernization, and ocean thermal energy conversion. 

Technical Assistance to the Puerto Rico Department of Housing (PRDOH): DOE is providing technical assistance to PRDOH in the implementation of the Electrical Systems Enhancements Action Plan, consisting of $1.9 billion in funding from HUD for the Community Development Grant Program for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR). The Action Plan consists of two main programs: the Energy Grid Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (ER1) Cost Share Program, and the Electrical Power Reliability and Resilience Program (ER-2). DOE’s support consists of helping align guidelines and criteria with global best practices, ensuring the program is addressing unmet recovery needs for vulnerable populations, and enabling discussions with decision makers such as PREPA, LUMA, and the utility regulator.  

Supporting Transmission and Distribution Recovery Investment Decisions in Puerto Rico: The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) are working with local partners to evaluate candidate grid investments in transmission, distribution, and microgrids, with integrated analysis tailored to the problem of grid resilience planning across Puerto Rico. The objective is to reveal trade-offs between transmission-centric projects and distribution-centric projects.  

RAPID Toolkit: Led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Regulatory and Permitting Information Desktop (RAPID) Toolkit will offer a solution to navigating the complex system of Puerto Rico specific regulations necessary to secure project approval. The RAPID Toolkit will provide stakeholders with easy access to federal and Puerto Rico permitting information, best practices, and reference material for renewable energy and bulk transmission project development.  

Microgrid Design, Modeling, and Analysis: This task led by SNL supports PREPA, LUMA, and other stakeholders in better assessing the tradeoffs between microgrid cost, emissions, reliability, and duration of power delivery during an extended outage by leveraging SNL’s existing toolsets. The successful outcome of this project will be microgrid designs that enhance resiliency but also achieve blue-sky benefits and reduce renewable energy curtailment. 

Clean Energy Innovator Fellowships: The Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team is participating in the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowships, a unique workforce development program that matches recent graduates and new energy professionals to key energy organizations to support efforts to advance clean energy solutions.