The funds are part of a larger aid package of $1 billion aimed at increasing the resilience of Puerto Rican households.
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced this Thursday a list of companies and non-profit organizations that will receive a total of $440 million to install solar panels and battery storage in Puerto Rico .
This financing will help approximately 40,000 vulnerable and low-income households and create well-paying local jobs, according to a statement published by the DOE, in conjunction with the visit to the island by the Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm.
“With this announcement, we are taking a critical step in our efforts to ensure that all residents of Puerto Rico have reliable electricity, especially the most vulnerable families and communities where a lack of power can be a it’s a matter of life or death,” Granholm said. .
The funds are part of a larger aid package of $1 billion aimed at increasing the resilience of Puerto Rican households.
This first tranche of financing will help reduce the electricity bills of these vulnerable single-family homes, improve their energy resilience, and keep the lights on during extreme weather events such as hurricanes.
In addition, it will help achieve President Joe Biden’s goal of reducing energy costs for all Americans and Puerto Rico’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050.
The DOE announced that the first installations will begin in the spring of 2024.
Eligible beneficiaries will include households located in areas with a high percentage of very low-income families and experiencing frequent and prolonged power outages.
Also those who have a resident with a disability that depends on energy, such as a person who needs an electric wheelchair or a person who uses dialysis machines at home.
To do this, the DOE has selected three companies that qualify and have workers in Puerto Rico: Generac Power Systems, Sunnova Energy Corporation and Sunrun, which can receive a total of 400 million dollars.
The DOE also selected five regional nonprofits and cooperatives to receive $40 million in awards for residential solar installations.
The selected organizations are Barrio Eléctrico, Comunidad Solar Toro Negro, Environmental Defense Fund, Let’s Share the Sun Foundation and Solar United Neighbors.
This announcement comes nearly a year after Biden tasked Granholm with forming the DOE’s Puerto Rico Grid Modernization and Recovery Team.
During his visit to the island in July, Granholm already announced that millions of dollars in funding will be provided for solar energy and energy storage, as part of a commitment to rebuild a stronger and more resilient Puerto. Rican electrical network.
