SAN JUAN – The head of Energy of the United States, Jennifer Granholm, visited this Wednesday one of the 45 residences that have solar systems and storage batteries on the island municipality of Culebra in Puerto Rico.
The systems were installed by the Environmental Defense Fund and Fundación Colibrí project to support Puerto Rico in its energy transformation, including compliance with the Energy Public Policy Act that requires the island to obtain 100% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2050.
“Secretary Granholm’s leadership puts Puerto Rico on the path to a clean energy future with next steps for the disbursement of federal funds that support community solar projects that also reduce climate change,” said Daniel Whittle, director of the Caribbean for Environmental Defense Fund.
The visit of the Secretary of Energy to Culebra is part of the PR100 Community Participation Tour, which seeks to gather the reactions of residents on the need to modernize Puerto Rico’s electrical grid.
It also seeks to complete PR100, a 2-year study conducted by the DOE’s Office of Grid Deployment and six national laboratories to evaluate ways to bring clean energy to the island.
“Involving a vital element of community engagement, the Environmental Defense Fund’s residential solar project in Culebra serves as a model for other groups and populations interested in moving away from fossil fuel dependency and having clean, reliable, and affordable energy systems. Whittle added.
Granholm affirmed on Monday that Puerto Rico “is doing an incredible job” to achieve the goal of supplying itself with 100% renewable energy in the year 2050, as part of his visit to the island to “listen directly to the population.”
In October 2022, following the devastating Hurricane Fiona, US President Joe Biden announced the Puerto Rico Grid Modernization and Recovery Team to identify and address impediments to expediting infrastructure deployment.
Destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017, Puerto Rico’s power grid remains highly vulnerable, causing frequent blackouts and has led to a boom in solar panel installations, including in private homes.
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