Department of Energy seeks to aid vulnerable Puerto Rico with up to $440M for rooftop solar, batteries
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will award funding of up to $440 million among eight Puerto Rican energy companies and nonprofits to deploy rooftop solar and battery systems for the island’s most vulnerable communities.
“With this announcement, we take a critical step forward in our efforts to ensure that all Puerto Rico residents have reliable electricity, especially the most vulnerable families and communities for whom a lack of power can be life or death,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “Plain and simple, this investment will save lives, all while providing local, good-paying jobs and advancing Puerto Rico’s clean energy transition.”
The money will be divided into two sections: the bulk $400 million will go to three companies – Generac Power Systems, Inc.; Sunnova Energy Corporation; Sunrun, Inc. From among the nonprofits and cooperatives in Puerto Rico, $40 million will be split among Barrio Eléctrico, Comunidad Solar Toro Negro, Inc., Environmental Defense Fund, Let’s Share the Sun Foundation and Solar United Neighbors, Inc.
Between them, funding will support adding panels enough for up to 40,000 low-income households and play into a larger, $1 billion effort to increase resilience for Puerto Rican households. The first installations should begin in spring 2024.
These were the first round selections from the 2023 PR Energy Resilience Fund Funding Opportunity Announcement. Deployments will either be located in areas with a high percentage of very low income households subject to frequent and prolonged power outages or which have residents with energy-dependent disabilities, such as being reliant on at-home dialysis machines.
In the days ahead, DOE will also select winners for a PR-ERF Solar Ambassador Prize amounting to $3.85 million, along with recipients of the remaining $10 million under the PR-ERF Funding Opportunity Announcement.
