![]() The systems are typically connected to a central grid, but in the case of an outage they can run on “island mode,” relying solely on locally-generated power and battery storage capacity. Microgrids power small networks of buildings with energy that’s generated close to where it’s used, often wind or solar. “To use fuels and generate power at the point of consumption, where it’s needed.” “The microgrid is a major step in taking Puerto Rico from the vulnerability of the centralized fossil fuel system to the aspiration that I think we share in Puerto Rico,” said Arturo Massol Deyá, associate director of Casa Pueblo. Across the island, groups like Casa Pueblo, which first opened in Adjuntas more than 40 years ago, have relied on deep roots in the community to create local buy-in and make it an equitable transition. The microgrid project is the latest effort in a grassroots movement to build energy security in Puerto Rico in the form of solar power. “To have better, alternative power, to be able to live.” “After Maria, we saw the vulnerability and the necessity to have an electric system that truly works,” Irizarry said. ![]() He’s one of 14 merchants in downtown Adjuntas who have invested in the island’s first community-owned solar microgrids - expected to go live before this summer. Now, nearly six years later, Irizarry is poised to generate his own energy from the sun. He was often up in the middle of the night to restart the generator because of the risk of losing power to the refrigerators. The generator was loud, smelly and expensive to run - Irizarry spent $15,000 on diesel in the six months the grid was down. Using a diesel generator, Lucy’s was running at about 75% capacity. ![]() “The line,” he gestured down the block along the town’s central plaza, “endless.” “No one has power, you can’t get gas, it’s difficult to make food, so everyone came here to eat,” said owner Gustavo Irizarry. The town’s 18,000 residents, like those on the rest of the island, were entirely without electricity. The energy bureau ruled that microgrids must be a central part of grid planning.For two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, Lucy’s Pizza was the only restaurant open in the central mountain town of Adjuntas. Puerto Rico’s utility, PREPA, had been developing its IRP since March 2018. The mandate came from the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau, the island’s chief energy regulator. In the coming weeks, The Solar Foundation will announce a round of applications for a second microgrid project supported by the PRSBA.Ī combination of microgrids and renewable energy was mandated last summer in a utility integrated resource plan (IRP) for the island. Plans call for construction to take place this fall. The microgrid is expected to serve as an example for other communities wishing to develop similar projects. CHM was tapped by Castañer as the community representative in the microgrid pre-development and development stage. The community of Castañer was joined in the project by the Hydroelectric Cooperative of La Montaña (CHM), a nonprofit that seeks to reduce vulnerability to natural disasters. The Solar Foundation will also donate solar equipment valued at around $40,000 to help reduce the overall cost of the project. The Solar Foundation and UPR-M will provide direct support to Castañer in all phases of the project, including the presentation of sustainable financing options, drafting of the request for proposals, project design, and project management. Project development also will be supported by the Puerto Rican Solar Business Accelerator (PRSBA), which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Now, the community will develop the microgrid in collaboration with The Solar Foundation and the Microgrid Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez (UPR-M). More broadly, the storm destroyed virtually all of the island’s transmission infrastructure. After Hurricane Maria struck in 2017, the village was without electricity for six months. The project will include solar energy and battery storage for businesses that provide essential goods and services for residents of Castañer. A rural village in a mountainous part of Puerto Rico was selected to receive support for a solar energy microgrid project, part of an initiative led by The Solar Foundation and Pathstone Corp.
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