Study: Puerto Rico should go solar to meet clean energy goal
Source: Associated Press
Study: Puerto Rico should go solar to meet clean energy goal
By DÁNICA COTO
January 23, 2023
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A U.S. government study has determined that with little room on the island for large-scale solar farms or wind generators, Puerto Rico should aim to reach its clean-energy goals by installing solar panels on all suitable rooftops, along with airports, brownfields and industrial areas.
The two-year study began last year after the U.S. pledged to help modernize Puerto Rico’s disintegrating power grid by looking at wind and solar resources on the island, land availability and power consumption. Government officials vowed to ramp up from 3% to 40% renewable energy by 2025, and 60% by 2040.
“This is so utterly important,” said Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Energy Secretary, during a webinar Monday to talk about the study’s preliminary results. “We have set out to cut through bureaucracy and get federal funding moving.”
Amid the threat of powerful hurricanes, Puerto Rico has suffered from chronic power outages blamed on a disintegrating power grid following decades of neglect and lack of maintenance. The island’s current power generation system is 97% based on fossil fuels.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/united-states-government-caribbean-puerto-rico-renewable-energy-78ecd745cfce682e65713bd7c1a639c7
