Puerto Rico should set up rooftop photo voltaic panels at places similar to airports and industrial websites to satisfy nationwide renewable power targets, a federal workplace mentioned in a examine printed on Monday.
Puerto Rico handed laws in 2019 requiring the island to revamp its electrical grid after Hurricane Maria destroyed it, together with a requirement to change to 100% renewables by 2050.
Greater than $12 billion in catastrophe funding has been introduced by early 2022 for restoration and redesign. In December, Congress appropriated one other $1 billion for the grid, lower than the $3 billion requested by President Biden and the $5 billion for photo voltaic panels {that a} coalition of Home Democrats mentioned was wanted.
A two-year examine from the Nationwide Renewable Vitality Laboratory (NREL) estimated that there’s not sufficient land accessible on the island for ample wind-power infrastructure to satisfy the objective and that Puerto Rico ought to as a substitute set up the photo voltaic infrastructure on websites similar to brownfields, industrial areas. and airports.
The examine estimates that Puerto Rico’s transmission system can deal with the anticipated development in renewables over the following 5 to fifteen years, however that extra grid upgrades might be essential in the long term, particularly with the power of wind
The island at present depends closely on fossil fuels for electrical energy manufacturing, with petroleum merchandise particularly accounting for about 60 % of power consumption, in keeping with the Vitality Data Administration (EIA).
Puerto Rico has increased electrical energy prices than any US state besides Hawaii, which the EIA attributes to its reliance on fossil fuels. The preliminary report estimated that the set up of the brand new ones could be cheaper than sustaining the prevailing system, and by way of working prices it’s on monitor to be cheaper by 2025.
The researchers ran simulations of future storms and located that it is simpler to revive energy when infrastructure is unfold out extra extensively than a number of massive, centralized hubs.
The Federal Emergency Administration Company is scheduled to publish the ultimate model of the examine within the coming 12 months.
