The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced US$453.5 million from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund to install up to 40,000 rooftop solar PV and battery storage systems for low-income single-family households.
Eligible households include those who either live in areas that have a high percentage of very low-income households and experience frequent and prolonged power outages, or are with a family member with an energy-dependent disability.
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Energy cooperatives and state and local governmental entities could apply for the fund. This round of funding will provide consumer protection and education initiatives to support residents’ long-term use of solar systems.
“DOE is using every tool at our disposal to expand access to clean energy, especially for the communities most at risk, giving families the peace of mind knowing that their communities are resilient in the face of the climate crisis,” said US secretary of energy Jennifer Granholm.
The deadline for the application will be on 18 September 2023. Additionally, the second round of funding for the Puerto Rico energy resilience fund will be announced at a later date.
US president Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law in December 2022, which included US$1 billion to establish the Puerto Rico energy resilience fund to enhance energy resilience for Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable households and communities and help it meet its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050.
Separately, residential solar and storage provider Sunrun has begun enrolling customers in Puerto Rico into the island’s Battery Emergency Demand Response programme, which is expected to begin later this year. Sunrun is looking to enrol 7,000 customers this year, for a programme which will see energy dispatched to the grid for periods of up to two hours, for an anticipated 75 to 125 events per year. Fellow residential solar company Sunnova has followed suit in starting enrolments.