Puerto Rico work to update grid, make the territory more energy independent

Published on June 23, 2020 by Dave Kovaleski


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A new report from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) outlines how Puerto Rico is working to meet the challenges of updating its grid and becoming energy independent. Part of the solution could be microreactors.

The challenges of maintaining Puerto Rico’s electrical system were underscored in 2017 when Hurricane Maria knocked out power to the entire island. Three years later, the island is still recovering as it works to build a more resilient electrical grid. Prior to the hurricane, most of the territory’s power is generated by facilities dating from the 1960s. With the age of the energy infrastructure, and because it is mostly from imported fossil fuels, it faces unique challenges in maintaining a functional grid in the event of an emergency.

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has begun an effort to make the territory more energy independent with an Integrated Resources Plan. The plan calls for a steady increase in renewables as well as natural gas. While wind and solar power are part of the plan, PREPA also has a promising candidate in microreactors. Microreactors are designed to be portable and can differ from traditional nuclear reactors in several important ways. They are smaller and simpler to deploy, and they can be easily transported to remote locations in the event of a disaster or to support more permanent microgrids. Remote Alaskan communities, for example, have been proposed as potential use cases for microreactors.

“To match potential customers to microreactors, consideration should be given to the local types of energy demands, market conditions including energy price premiums, access to energy, resilience of industry to meet international standards, as well as to vulnerabilities from climate change and energy supply disruptions. These evaluations require careful consideration of the technical, political and social dynamics behind energy market transitions from fossil based-energy systems to cleaner and resilient energy alternatives such as nuclear energy,” David Shropshire of INL’s Emerging Energy Market Analysis (EMA) Initiative said. EMA is a collaboration between Idaho National Laboratory, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, University of Alaska and University of Wyoming.

The non-profit Nuclear Alternative Project (NAP) — a group of engineers from Puerto Rico working in the nuclear industry — formed in 2015 to address the issue and explore the use of microreactors in conjunction with renewable energy sources. NAP recently released a feasibility study on how advanced nuclear technology in the form of small modular reactors and microreactors could help provide reliable power and make Puerto Rico more energy independent. It could also improve resiliency and reduce costs for consumers.

“This is a critical time for Puerto Rico, and we have an opportunity to create a future that includes reliable power to meet everyday needs and resiliency in the case of disaster,” Eddie Guerra, co-Founder of NAP, said. “We’re grateful for the support from the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy in funding this study. It represents a great deal of collaborative efforts from many individuals, and we look forward to future work with national laboratories.”

INL is partnering with universities, private companies, and other institutions to facilitate the design, development, and demonstration of advanced nuclear technologies. Further, INL researchers are also developing and testing the fuels that will power these reactors.

“Microreactors are one of the most important developments happening in the energy industry right now,” Jess Gehin, national technical director of DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy microreactor program and chief scientist in the Nuclear Science and Technology directorate at INL, said. “As the nation’s leading center for nuclear energy research and development, INL’s unique research facilities and engineering capabilities make it the ideal partner for advanced research to develop and support demonstrations of the nation’s future nuclear energy systems.”