It’s becoming clearer how Puerto Rico might meet its goal of getting 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050.
Half-way through a two-year federal government study, called PR100, researchers concluded the island has significantly more renewable energy potential than it needs. The report was released Monday. Researchers found there’s a preference among many residents for “distributed energy,” which is generated near where it’s used. Rooftop solar panels are the most common example of that.
“We were able to prove that these systems are resilient to hurricane winds, and they can provide pretty fast power, within hours after a storm,” says Agustín Carbó, Director of the Department of Energy’s Puerto Rico Grid Modernization and Recovery Team. He says the current system of fewer, centralized and larger power plants takes…