Puerto Rico – pv magazine USA

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week

pv magazine — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 22:00:30 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Dissecting a $600,000 tax credit transfer In the past, even the smallest projects that attracted tax equity investors required $1 to $2 million in tax benefits to offset the $75,000 in fees. That landscape is now evolving.

1.2 MW Gainesville, Florida solar farm.

Image: Basis Climate

Top solar panel brands in reliability, quality, and performance Solar modules are evaluated in the Renewable Energy Test Center annual PV Module Index. Overall top performers (in alphabetical order): Astronergy, ES Foundry, Gstar, JA Solar, Longi Solar, Runergy, SolarSpace, Trina Solar, and Yingli Solar.

Maine may design a distribution system operator to advance distributed energy resources The Pine Tree State has hired a consulting firm to evaluate whether forming a distribution system operator could speed deployment of distributed energy resources and support other state goals. Consultants are reviewing how the approach is used in five other countries.

City of Detroit to install solar in mostly vacant neighborhoods Three Detroit neighborhoods were chosen as sites for solar facilities. The City plans to build 33 MW of solar to power its municipal buildings.

See where solar manufacturing is planned in North America on Sinovoltaics’ Supply Chain map The up-to-date map provides details on 95 factories producing PV modules, cells, wafers, ingots, polysilicon, and metallurgical-grade silicon in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, up from 81 in the first quarter.

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week

pv magazine — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 22:00:25 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Final guidance is in on IRA’s prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements According to the Treasury Department, taxpayers developing clean energy projects may be able to claim an increased credit equal to five times the base incentive.

Another residential solar installer closes up shop Titan Solar Power, a residential solar installer founded in 2013 in Arizona, sent an email to its employees informing them it has failed to sell the company to prospective buyers and will close its doors permanently.

Nextracker has acquired foundation specialist Ojjo in an all-cash transaction for approximately $119 million Ojjo is a California-based renewable energy company specializing in unique truss systems that uses half the steel of a conventional foundation and a design that reportedly minimizes grading requirements in utility-scale projects.

Arizona’s largest energy storage project closes $513 million in financing The 1,200 MWh Papago Storage project will dispatch enough power to serve 244,000 homes for four hours a day with the e-Storage SolBank high-cycle lithium-ferro-phosphate battery energy storage solution.

Longi claims 34.6% efficiency for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell The European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) confirmed Longi’s achievement of a world record-breaking efficiency rating of 34.6% for a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell.

Longi solar module.

Image: Longi

Sunrise brief: Utility-scale solar far less costly than the cheapest fossil fuel source

pv magazine — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 12:00:59 +0000

Also on the rise: Five Puerto Rico reservoirs could host 596 MW of floating solar. Weather-related damage to solar assets exceed modeling expectations by 300%. And more.

Flexible interconnection with curtailed output can benefit everyone, analyst says Allowing flexible interconnection for large solar projects can reduce costs and speed deployment, benefiting developers, ratepayers and utility staff, said a presenter at a North Carolina conference of utility regulators.

Startup launches online platform for residential PV system purchase Two-year old Monalee developed an online platform for homeowners looking to buy solar PV and storage systems. Its software enables the process from quotes to financing, installation and after-sales support.

Concentrator photovoltaic module based on surface mount technology A research group in Canada has optimized the performance of concentrator photovoltaics by using the so-called surface-mount technology for thermal management. The CPV module prototype utilizes four non-interconnected III-V germanium cells, a Fresnel lens, and a transparent glass printed-circuit board.

Five Puerto Rico reservoirs could host 596 MW of floating solar Potential sites for solar in Puerto Rico include reservoirs, brownfields, closed landfills, fossil generating plants after closure, and transmission rights of way, determined analysis by the National Renewable Energy Lab.

Cheapest source of fossil fuel generation is double the cost of utility-scale solar Solar levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) has fallen to $29 to $92 per MWh, said a report from Lazard.

List of top solar module manufacturers led by JA Solar, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar Wood Mackenzie says that JA Solar has taken first place on its list of solar panel manufacturers. Nine of the first 12 positions are held by Chinese manufacturers, seven of them could surpass 100 GW of capacity by 2027, and eight are self-sufficient in cell capacity, according to the research firm.

Largest ground-mount solar project in downtown Washington D.C. now operational The community solar installation at The Catholic University of America was built through a collaborative effort between the university and 1,200 local residents.

Five Puerto Rico reservoirs could host 596 MW of floating solar

William Driscoll — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:58:19 +0000

Potential sites for solar in Puerto Rico include reservoirs, brownfields, closed landfills, fossil generating plants after closure, and transmission rights of way, determined analysis by the National Renewable Energy Lab.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has estimated that five reservoirs in Puerto Rico could host 596 MW of floating solar, although the costs would be about 25% higher than for ground-mounted solar. NREL published its analysis in a report and a technical annex.

The analysis grew out of a concern, NREL said, that “Puerto Rico’s commitment to achieving 100% clean energy by 2050 will require identification of suitable sites for new generation projects.”

An additional 190 MW of “economically viable” solar projects are possible across seven sites designated as “Superfund” sites by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the study found. For six of the sites, analysts assessed “how much grant money is needed” to meet economic targets for solar projects under municipality-owned and third-party owned models.

Image: Dennis Schroeder, NREL

In comparison to those estimates, both in the hundreds of megawatts, Puerto Rico has the potential for tens of gigawatts of both rooftop and large-scale ground-mounted solar, according to NREL’s “PR 100” summary report published early this year.

Across all residential buildings, Puerto Rico has the “technical potential” for 20.4 GW-dc of rooftop solar, that report estimated. A technical potential analysis does not consider the financial viability of projects. The U.S. territory reached 680 MW of rooftop solar last October.

Puerto Rico’s technical potential for utility-scale solar ranges from 14.2 GW under a “less land” scenario to 44.7 GW under a “more land” scenario, the PR 100 summary report said.

In both scenarios, modeled development of utility-scale solar was “restricted from” roadways, water bodies, protected habitats, flood risk areas, slopes greater than 10%, and agricultural reserves. But in the “less land” scenario, solar was also restricted from areas identified for agricultural use in the Puerto Rico Planning Board’s 2015 Land Use Plan.

NREL’s new analysis also estimated technical potential for 1–2.5 GW of solar across 160 contaminated sites, a total of 636 MW of floating solar on 55 water bodies, 213 MW of solar on 41 closed landfills, 78 MW of solar at two fossil generating plants once they are closed, and 21–50 MW of solar on transmission line rights-of-way.

The new NREL analysis adapted a methodology from an EPA decision tree tool titled “RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative.”

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week

pv magazine — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 22:30:50 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Utility-scale solar is half the cost of cheapest form of fossil fuel-based energy Solar levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) has fallen to $29 to $92 per MWh, said a report from Lazard.

Eight states now require smart inverters, enabling more distributed solar Pennsylvania and Minnesota have joined six other states in requiring smart inverters for distributed solar and storage. Certain utilities in 13 states and Puerto Rico also require smart inverters, while six states are considering the requirement. Smart inverters enable more solar on distribution circuits.

RECOM & Solar Optimum Car Port Installation at Six Flags Magic Mountain

What solar modules are the best? 2024 PV Module Reliability Scorecard from ndependent test lab Kiwa PVEL names 53 manufacturers and 388 models–a record number of Top Performers in the ten-year history of the Scorecard.

World’s largest solar plant tops out at 3.5 GW China Green Development Group switched on the massive Midong solar project in Urumqi, China’s Xinjiang region. The project required an investment of CNY 15.45 billion ($2.13 billion).

Fronius unveils residential string inverter for rooftop solar The Fronius Gen24 inverter comes to North America after success in Europe.

In case you missed it: Five big solar stories in the news this week

pv magazine — Fri, 31 May 2024 22:00:02 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Texas is uniquely suited to adopt virtual power plant technology A panel of experts at the RE+ Texas conference in Houston, spoke on VPP progress in the state, which already has 16 MW of energy resources and 7 MW of non-spin flexible demand enrolled in VPP programs.

California Public Utilities Commission ‘misguided’ vote may derail state’s community solar potential Coalition for Community Solar Access says the 3-1 vote ignored the will of the California Legislature and the broad coalition of ratepayer, equity, environmental, labor, agricultural, and business groups who have demanded a functional community solar program for more than a decade.

REC introduces 640 W commercial solar panel The new product contains heterojunction cell technology (HJT) with up to 22.5% efficiency.

Cowboy Solar, largest solar project in Wyoming moves forward The $1.2 billion project will be built by Enbridge, with 771 MW expected to be fully operational by 2027.

Battery energy storage tariffs tripled; domestic content rules updated Breaking down U.S. market impacts on energy storage from recent policy changes with insights from Clean Energy Associates.

U.S. solar industry week in review

pv magazine — Fri, 17 May 2024 21:00:48 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news stories of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Bifacial solar module tariffs reinstated Bifacial solar panels, predominantly used in commercial, industrial, and utility-scale solar power projects, were previously exempt from tariffs. With the removal of this exemption, the cost of imported bifacial solar panels, typically ranging from $0.10-0.25 per watt, is expected to increase by $0.015 to $0.0375 per watt.

U.S. government doubles tariff rates on PV cell imports from China to 50% The Biden Administration raised tariff rates on PV cell imports from China from 25% to 50%. It also increased the tariff rates for semiconductors, electric vehicles, and EV batteries from China, among other goods.

President Joe Biden

Image: Wikimedia Commons

More bark than bite: U.S. solar tariffs and the shadow of larger trade measures Intensified trade measures against China via increasing tariffs on imported solar and battery cells represents a significant policy step, however, the impact is clouded by global manufacturing shifts, price decreases and looming Commerce Department trade complaints.

FERC transmission rule to shore up the nation’s power grid Praised by industry groups, the ruling, is the first time in more than a decade that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has addressed regional transmission policy as well as the need for long-term transmission planning.

Opposition stymies solar – sometimes Strong growth in U.S. solar installations might suggest that solar has strong support but developers cite public opposition as a major challenge.

Sunrise brief: FERC transmission rule to shore up the nation’s power grid

pv magazine — Wed, 15 May 2024 12:00:49 +0000

Also on the rise: Two approaches to save net metering in Puerto Rico. Solar powered electric truck stop opens in California. And more.

FERC transmission rule to shore up the nation’s power grid The ruling, which is being praised by industry groups, is the first time in more than a decade that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has addressed regional transmission policy as well as the need for long-term transmission planning.

Solar powered electric truck stop opens in California WattEV’s 5.7 MW solar-powered truck stop, with demand charge management driven by solar-;plus-storage, has begun operations in Bakersfield, California.

Powering drones with ultra-thin, flexible perovskite PV cells An Austrian research team has demonstrated that lightweight, flexible and ultra-thin perovskite solar technology can power palm-sized autonomous drones.

Trina Solar records 65.21 GW of solar module shipments for 2023 Trina Solar says its solar panel shipments reached 65.21 GW in 2023. The Chinese module maker achieved a turnover of $15.75 billion and a net profit of $768.2 million in fiscal 2023, with an annual module production capacity of 95 GW by the end of December.

Two approaches to save net metering in Puerto Rico A solar trade group wants the White House to appoint new pro-solar members to the federal oversight board that has challenged Puerto Rico’s net metering law, while the former president of the Puerto Rico Senate advises considering amending the law.

Two approaches to save net metering in Puerto Rico

William Driscoll — Tue, 14 May 2024 16:21:37 +0000

A solar trade group wants the White House to appoint new pro-solar members to the federal oversight board that has challenged Puerto Rico’s net metering law, while the former president of the Puerto Rico Senate advises considering amending the law.

To protect Puerto Rico’s solar net metering law, the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico has called on the White House to replace six members on a federal oversight board that has challenged the law, including five whose terms have expired, said SESA-PR President PJ Wilson on a webinar.

Counseling another approach, former president of the Puerto Rico Senate Eduardo Bhatia said on the webinar that the federal oversight board, in its April letter to the Puerto Rico government challenging net metering, included one sentence saying that “we could amend the law.” Bhatia said “we have to sit down with the oversight board” to “see what could be amended in the law.” He expressed hope that “we can all work together.”

Bhatia noted that the board—formally the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for Puerto Rico—has the authority to challenge a Puerto Rico law in court and request that the law be repealed.

Wilson said “we are calling upon President Biden” to appoint six new members to the seven-member FOMB “who are supportive of Puerto Rico, supportive of solar power and supportive of dissolving the board as soon as possible.”

Wilson said that five FOMB members continue to serve after their terms expired last December, as shown below, while one seat is vacant and one member just began serving in January.

Benefits

Wilson recapped points he made in an April webinar on the value of net metering in Puerto Rico, noting an independent report projecting that Puerto Rico’s distributed generation would increase 18% per year with continued net metering, and a study finding that the value of net metering to Puerto Rico’s grid exceeds the retail rate paid for net metered energy of $0.24/kWh.

Wilson added that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s “PR 100” study shows that rooftop solar adoption would not start to drive rates up until after 2030, and said that under Puerto Rico’s net metering law, net metering may be “revisited” in 2030.

Bhatia said the FOMB “indeed has a responsibility to look at the finances of Puerto Rico.” But he said net metering is saving money for the people of Puerto Rico, and that the 800 MW of solar installed due to net metering is reducing the number of blackouts in Puerto Rico. As Puerto Rico’s coal units “constantly” break down, he added, rooftop solar is allowing for repairs to take place. “And finally, there is the dramatic reduction in the purchase of fossil fuels” for generation.

Missing 450 MW

Wilson said that the current FOMB “is not supportive of solar.” He said that in 2021, the FOMB “issued a letter very similar” to its letter last month, “announcing the cancellation of 450 MW of utility-scale solar,” after “years of negotiation” among multiple utility-scale developers, the Puerto Rico utility, and the territory’s energy regulator. The projects had received approval from the energy regulator “but the oversight board stepped in to squash it,” Wilson said. “We still don’t know why; there’s still no published analysis. They just said ‘that’s too expensive.’”

Had the FOMB not “killed” those solar projects, Wilson said “we probably would have that 450 MW of solar built today, and instead of being at 12% renewables we’d be at 17%.” Puerto Rico has a legislated goal of 40% renewables by 2025.

As a result of that FOMB action, Wilson said, “all those developers—some were local Puerto Rico developers, some were international developers—all of them deemed Puerto Rico to be a very high-risk market, and a lot of them left the market.”

Deadlines and responses

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi has asked the FOMB for more time to respond to both FOMB’s April 10 letter and a second letter that FOMB sent on May 2 calling for repeal of the net metering law, Wilson said. Both letters set deadlines for government action.

The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau has also responded to the FOMB’s April 10 letter, which said that the energy bureau had not yet determined whether to make changes to the net metering law, as required by the FOMB-certified fiscal plan for the Puerto Rico legacy utility PREPA. Wilson said the energy bureau responded that it is continuing to conduct that study, and that, in Wilson’s words, the energy bureau’s understanding was that Puerto Rico’s net metering law “doesn’t prevent them from doing the study, but only prevents them from having any consequences as a result of doing the study until 2030.”

U.S. solar industry week in review

pv magazine — Fri, 10 May 2024 21:00:51 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news stories of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

California approves uncapped fixed charges on electricity bills The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted to approve a controversial electricity rate rule called the Income-Graduated Fixed Charge, enabling utilities to assess an average $24 monthly fixed charge on residential bills.–roughly double the national average in the United States. It applies to all customers, regardless of how much electricity they consume.

Passive solar tracker wind stowing boosts energy production Array Technologies, provider of solar tracker systems, worked with independent engineering and design firm DNV to study an alternative method to active stowing called passive stowing. The analysis focused on evaluating the energy losses associated with various tracker wind stow methods and considered multiple variables.

Array Technologies single-axis tracker and bifacial PV modules.

Image: Array Technologies

DOE proposes ten “national interest” transmission corridors Eight of the ten transmission corridors proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy would facilitate transmission between grid regions; One would expand transmission within the Mid-Atlantic’s PJM grid region; and one would expand transmission in the Northern Plains.

DOE potential NIETC geographic areas.

Image: DOE

Solar to contribute over 60% of new U.S. electricity generation in 2024 Despite this growth, fossil fuels dominate U.S. electricity. A 3% increase in total electricity generation across the U.S. is expected to be served primarily with solar, said a report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Cypress Creek Renewables constructs 208 MW / 80 MWh solar-plus-storage facility in Texas The site reached commercial operation on May 2, adding enough capacity to the grid to serve the equivalent of 41,600 homes in the Brackettville, Texas area. Over $11.5 million in tax revenues are expected to be generated for the county by the project, along with $11.7 million earmarked for the Bracket Independent School District.

Virtual power plant preventing blackouts in Puerto Rico

Patrick Jowett — Tue, 07 May 2024 14:42:03 +0000

Sunrun, a U.S.-based residential solar installer, says nearly 1,800 customers have already signed up to its PowerOn Puerto Rico virtual power plant (VPP). The program deploys stored solar energy from customers’ batteries to the grid, preventing power supply shortfalls on the island.

Residential solar installer Sunrun has developed a VPP so Puerto Ricans can contribute energy from their solar-plus-storage systems and stabilize the island’s electrical grid.

Sunrun said that by the start of May, it had enrolled nearly 1,800 customers and more than 2,000 batteries onto its PowerOn Puerto Rico program, which launched in fall 2023.

The figure makes Sunrun the largest participant in Puerto Rico’s Battery Emergency Demand Response Program, which is administered by the island’s electric utility, LUMA, in response to ongoing power shortfalls. When LUMA foresees power supply shortfalls, Sunrun’s battery fleet dispatches stored solar energy from customers’ batteries to stabilize the grid and avoid blackouts and the use of fossil fuel power plants.

Sunrun said its current fleet of batteries on the island provides more than 15 MWh of energy to support LUMA’s grid. An average 40% of storage capacity is reserved for personal backup at each customer’s home.

Customers are compensated for their participation, with Sunrun predicting at least an average of $550 per customer. The final level will be dependent on the amount of power sharing events per year, with more compensation if there are more events.

Sunrun and LUMA expect that there will be between 50 and 125 events per year that will require Sunrun’s fleet of enrolled systems to provide on-demand energy. A Sunrun spokesperson told pv magazine the project had been activated several times in the last week alone.

“LUMA has already called upon Sunrun a dozen times since last fall to activate our virtual power plant, with several of those being emergency events – meaning outages were imminent,” said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. “The resilience of the people of Puerto Rico is truly remarkable. They consistently step up to help their community by sharing their stored solar energy and improving energy reliability for everyone.”

Puerto Rico moved to build a more distributed energy system following the dismantling of the island’s centralized energy grid in 2017, in the wake of Hurricane Maria. It currently boasts 1.6 GWh of residential-sited batteries.

The island has also tripled its distributed-generation solar capacity in two years, recording 680 MW towards the start of this year. It switched on its largest solar-plus-storage project to date in December 2023.

In February, pv magazine reported on Sunrun’s Peak Power Rewards, a program compensating California-based customers that dispatch power during peak grid demand.

U.S. solar industry week in review

pv magazine — Fri, 03 May 2024 21:00:58 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news stories of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Microsoft announces largest-ever corporate procurement of renewable energy The tech giant signed a power purchase agreement for 10.5 GW of renewable energy to help power its datacenters with clean energy. Cost to build is projected at more than $11.5 billion to build, according to Bloomberg NEF.

Briggs & Stratton releases SimpiPHI 6.6 Home Battery System This latest iteration of its lithium-ferro-phosphate (LFP) home battery can be scaled to six stacks of three with 119.7 kWh of capacity and maximum continuous power of 84 kW.

In a smart solar move, Virginia General Assembly passes pro-solar legislation Going into effect July 1, passage of House Bill 1062 and Senate Bill 271 will further incentivize solar and energy storage at the residential and commercial levels.

California hits energy storage milestone Batteries dominate the evening grid with 10 GW/40 GWh of capacity.

Governor Newsom joined state officials at a battery storage and solar facility in Winters to celebrate the milestone during Earth Week.

Image: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

New green bank to support distributed solar and storage in the Appalachian region The Green Bank for Rural America will support community lenders in Appalachian communities to finance climate-supporting projects including distributed solar and storage. The bank and four others received a total of $6 billion in federal awards.

Groups sue FEMA and HUD to focus energy funds on distributed solar and storage

William Driscoll — Fri, 03 May 2024 13:36:05 +0000

Two federal agencies that provide billions of dollars for energy-related projects should fund renewable energy, a number of groups have argued in two lawsuits and two rulemaking petitions.

The Center for Biological Diversity has filed lawsuits against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), alleging the agencies have withheld public records and failed to outline plans to use “resilient” renewable energy to “rebuild communities ravaged by the climate emergency.”

FEMA “focuses almost exclusively on restoring centralized fossil fuel-based energy systems as it spends billions of taxpayer dollars each year rebuilding communities after disasters,” the center said in a statement.

Last year the center filed a lawsuit aiming to redirect toward solar power FEMA’s $13 billion to rebuild Puerto Rico’s grid. That lawsuit cited a study that recommended equipping every home in Puerto Rico with 2.7 kW of PV and 12.6 kWh of battery storage. Last month the judge handling that FEMA lawsuit transferred the case, at the government’s request, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

The new lawsuit against FEMA says the agency has failed to comply with a 2018 congressional requirement to define the term “resiliency.” The center says FEMA’s definition of resiliency would show whether the agency is focused on ensuring that communities rebuild “to both withstand and address the climate emergency.”

Meanwhile, HUD “spends billions annually” on utilities in public and assisted housing, the center said, “further propping up the fossil-fuel economy, without significant effort to encourage the use of renewable energy.”

The center’s lawsuit against HUD says the agency violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by withholding public records detailing its spending on energy-related projects to help communities rebuild after disasters. Those public records “should show how much HUD spends on fossil-fuel related projects compared to sustainable renewable energy alternatives,” the center said. The lawsuit asks the court to compel HUD to disclose the records that the center requested in its FOIA request.

The Center for Biological Diversity also submitted formal rulemaking petitions to FEMA and HUD, each supported by 22 other organizations, to develop regulations that would redirect each agency’s resources toward distributed renewable energy, energy efficiency, and building electrification. The lawsuit against FEMA asks the court to require the agency to complete such a rulemaking, specifically to define the terms “resiliency” and “resilient.”

Speaking for a co-plaintiff in the FEMA lawsuit, Ruth Santiago, attorney for Comite Dialogo Ambiental, a community environmental group in Puerto Rico, said that both FEMA and HUD must direct public funds to “resilient energy alternatives” such as onsite solar and storage “that can provide energy security, justice, and equity, and promote community empowerment.”

“FEMA and HUD are stuck in the fossil fuel past,” said Roishetta Ozane, director of the nonprofit Vessel Project of Louisiana, another co-plaintiff in the FEMA lawsuit. “Hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, you name it, communities across the Gulf Coast are overwhelmed by the climate emergency,” she said, adding “it’s time for FEMA and HUD to center energy justice and build a renewable future.”

Speaking for FEMA co-plaintiff New York Communities for Change, the group’s Campaign Director Alicé Nascimento said “people in low-income communities living in flood zones like Southeast Queens have borne the brunt of climate change, facing high tides and flash flooding, and the destructive effects of Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Ida. Every dirty energy project FEMA funds brings us more destroyed livelihoods.”

U.S. solar industry week in review

pv magazine — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:00:56 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news stories of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Solar manufacturers want anti-dumping tariffs enforced The American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, which includes First Solar, Qcells, Meyer Burger, REC Silicon, and others said the current “manufacturing renaissance” in the United States is under threat from heavily subsidized Chinese cells and modules that are alleged to be in infraction with antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) law.

SunPower to close business units, cut about 26% of workforce SunPower’s struggles reflect a market-wide retraction in residential solar, which has been battered by worsened economics from high interest rates and unfavorable policy and ratemaking changes. We did have an inkling when revenues reported last December reflected a 28% year-over-year decline, while operating expenses increased, and net income resulted in a loss of $123.9 million.

President Biden announced the ambition to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program intends to fund upgrades and modernization of the transmission and distribution system to increase reliability and resilience to prepare the grid for extreme weather as well as to ensure delivery of affordable, clean electricity to all communities across the nation.

IRS issues final guidance for clean energy tax credit transferability Under a tax credit transfer transaction, renewable energy developers and owners are essentially able to sell tax credits for cash, making financing easier for new clean energy projects. The transferability option is generally open to the entities that are not covered by the direct pay option.

NREL updates interactive chart of solar cell efficiency The highest research cell efficiency recorded in the chart is 47.6%, for a four-junction cell developed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. Also included is the 33.9% world record efficiency achieved in November by Longi for a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell and the 27.09% efficiency achieved by the same company for a heterojunction back contact solar cell.

U.S. solar industry week in review

pv magazine — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:20:05 +0000

pv magazine USA spotlights news stories of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.

Qcells leads petition to revoke bifacial exemption The bifacial exemption may be revoked once again, this time by the Biden Administration following a petition by Qcells, which has a large manufacturing footprint in the United States. Reuters reported that, Qcells, the solar division of Korean conglomerate Hanwha, sent the formal petition to the U.S. Trade Representative on Feb. 23 requesting the exemption to be revoked.

Quoted solar prices decreased on the marketplace, falling 3.5% to $2.80 For the first time since 2021, quoted solar prices decreased on the marketplace, falling 3.5% to $2.80 per watt for quotes in the second half of 2023. The median system size over that period was 11.3 kW, leading to an average quoted system price of $31,640 (before any associated tax credits or incentives). These prices are the lowest since mid-2020.

DOE lays out roadmap to advance interconnections of renewables The report presents 35 interconnection improvement solutions developed through a DOE stakeholder engagement process, known as the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) program.

Puerto Rico net metering law at risk Central to Puerto Rico’s future success with residential solar is a law that extended the territory’s net metering policy for solar through 2031. Yet that law, known as Act 10-2024, has been challenged by the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for Puerto Rico, a body created by federal law.

Important Q1 solar policies across 50 states The Q1 2024 report by NC Clean Energy Technology Center finds that 43 states plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico took a total of 163 actions related to distributed solar policy and rate design. Read about what works for or against the advancement of solar energy.

Puerto Rico’s solar net metering law at risk from federal oversight board

William Driscoll — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 14:09:36 +0000

Puerto Rico led the nation in per-capita residential solar installations last year, but continued progress is threatened because a law extending solar net metering through 2031 has been challenged by a federal oversight board.

Puerto Rico added more rooftop solar per capita than any U.S. state last year, said PJ Wilson, president of the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA-PR), on a webinar.

The U.S. territory has increased its renewable generation to 12% from 4% three years ago, he said, and could reach 18-20% next year, in comparison to the 40% goal set by Puerto Rico law.

Given current trends, Ohm Analytics Founder Chris Collins said that Puerto Rico will account for 10% of the entire U.S. market for residential solar in 2028.

Central to Puerto Rico’s future success with residential solar is a law that extended the territory’s net metering policy for solar through 2031. Yet that law, known as Act 10-2024, has been challenged by the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for Puerto Rico, a body created by federal law.

The FOMB stated in a letter that the fiscal plan that it certified for Puerto Rico’s legacy utility known as PREPA requires the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau to determine whether to make changes to the net metering system. Because the energy bureau has not yet done so, FOMB said that Act 10 is “directly at odds” with the PREPA fiscal plan.

The FOMB included with the letter its resolution directing the Puerto Rico legislature and governor to repeal Act 10 or amend it “in a manner consistent with the fiscal plans.”

Positive impact

Wilson said that residential solar net metering “not only doesn’t have a negative impact on the finances of Puerto Rico, but it has a positive impact.”

Backing up that statement, SESA-PR released a report that assessed the financial value of net metered solar energy in Puerto Rico at $0.33 per kWh, substantially more than the net metering credit of $0.24 per kWh. The value of solar is mostly due to avoided energy costs of $0.27 per kWh, with additional value from avoided transmission and distribution costs and avoided reliability-related economic losses.

The energy consulting firm Gabel Associates prepared the report.

“Every net metering law in the nation,” Wilson said, was “created by local legislatures and local governors signing off to create a law. And the same thing happened in Puerto Rico in 2009. In 2019, there was a five-year extension to that law. That was legal. And in January, there was another seven-year extension to the law, which is being opposed by this unique federal agency, three months after the law was signed into effect.”

Noting that the FOMB was created to resolve debt issues of PREPA and other entities in Puerto Rico, Wilson expressed hope that once the Puerto Rico government submits its reply to the FOMB’s letter, FOMB will change its position and focus on PREPA, “the only agency for which debt is not settled.”

PREPA’s debt has been “negotiated down to less than $3 billion from over $11 billion,” Wilson said. “It seems within sight for the PREPA debt to be settled,” and “the oversight board needs to focus exclusively” on that “until it gets done.”

Wilson said the FOMB was established by federal law as a temporary entity “to help solve all the debt and then dissolve,” and that the oversight board has a federal mandate to support the economic growth of Puerto Rico. Estimating the annual revenues from Puerto Rico’s residential solar-plus-storage market at $1.5 billion, Wilson expressed hope that the oversight board “dissolves as quickly as possible while supporting the economic growth of Puerto Rico along the way.”

Roadmap to achieving Puerto Rico’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050

Anne Fischer — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:17:06 +0000

The report defines implementation actions, highly detailed in the PR 100 Final Report, but which are summarized into five actions from immediate to long-term to recurring.

in 2017, when back-to-back hurricanes destroyed around 80% of Puerto Rico’s electric grid and resulted in thousands of lives lost, Puerto Rico passed Act 17, a policy to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that Puerto Rico has 40GW of solar potential. NREL modeled pathways to the targets set by Puerto Rico’s Act 17: 20% renewable generation by 2022, 40% by 2025, 60% by 2040, and 100% by 2050.

NREL reported that Puerto Rico has 20 GW of utility-scale solar potential, mostly along the coasts, and 20 GW of distributed solar potential. Just 10 GW of solar could meet Puerto Rico’s needs, as estimated by Solar + Energy Storage Association (SESA) president PJ Wilson.

The potential pathways forward in the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study, or PR100, concluded that Puerto Rico can reach its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050, but there is much work to be done. The researchers created a roadmap outlining near- and long-term actions necessary to move forward toward a renewable and resilient future.

“Over the past year, I’ve visited communities across Puerto Rico, listening to residents’ vision for what a cleaner and more resilient energy future could look like. Now, PR100 is ready to help make them bring those visions to life,” said Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy.

The report identifies three scenarios.

Scenario 1 is defined as the economic adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) based primarily on bill savings and value of backup power for building owners and Scenario 3 as the maximum deployment of DERs on all suitable rooftops. Scenario 2 lies in between, extending DER adoption to very low-income households (0%–30% of area median income) and those in remote areas who otherwise would not have bought systems. There are also variations to these scenarios, especially when it comes to utility-scale land use, as agricultural land is highly valued in Puerto Rico. There are also variations around electrical load because it’s hard to project that out to 2050.

The report defines implementation actions, which are highly detailed in the PR 100 Final Report, but which are summarized into five actions, with more detail provided in the graphic below:

Immediate actions to build a more robust electricity system and lay the foundation for high levels of renewable energy
Near-term actions to achieve 40% renewable energy while moving toward industry accepted system performance and increasing resilience
Mid-term actions to achieve 60% renewable energy to gain operating experience and be adaptive in system design
Long–term actions on the road to 100% renewable energy where effective deployment and operation of the complex system is achieved
Recurring actions to continually maintain and improve the system and associated planning processes.

The immediate actions are expected to increase system capacity by about 40% (of renewables) by making urgent repairs to the grid. Part of this step is to also incentivize customers to use batteries in a grid-interactive fashion. The Battery Emergency Demand Response Program piloted by the power company, LUMA, is an example of the start of such an effort.

As resilience is the goal of shoring up the grid and adding renewables, the report emphasizes that best practices must be implemented to ensure that the renewables operate effectively. One suggestion is to operate rooftop PV systems as microgrids, to set up virtual power plants, and to add sensing equipment across the distribution and transmission system to help identify problem areas before outages occur.

The report further identifies ongoing, recurring actions that include involving stakeholders as well as building out a workforce to support the renewable energy systems. An estimated 25,000 jobs will be required for the transition to 100% renewables in Puerto Rico, so support for the development and expansion of job training is imperative.

In summary, the report notes that with the completion of the study, it is now in the hands of those who can implement the findings. The full report can be found here.

Puerto Rico program to bring low-cost solar and batteries to 30,000 households

Jerusha Kamoji — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 14:15:37 +0000

Applications open February 22 for the DOE’s Solar Access Program for eligible single family homeowners in Puerto Rico.

Residents of Puerto Rico can apply, starting February 22, for the Department of Energy (DOE) Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program).

The program intends to provide up to 30,000 low-income households with low cost solar and storage installations to residents who own and occupy a single-family home in an eligible neighborhood and qualify using Energy.gov’s eligibility map and questionnaire. The DOE determines neighborhood eligibility by assessing whether it has a high percentage of low-income residents and experiences long and frequent power cuts. While the systems that will be deployed under the Solar Access Program will reportedly have no up-front costs to the households that receive them, the households will have small contributions to the long-term maintenance of the systems, a cost that the Grid Deployment Office expects will be offset by energy bill reductions.

Qualified applicants must then collect all the required documentation and contact a local solar ambassador to guide them through the application process.

Energy.gov states that qualified applicants must demonstrate they are low-income through enrollment in a government assistance program, including the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Having a household resident dependent on an electricity or battery-powered medical device because of a medical condition or disability also may qualify a resident.

The Solar Access Program is funded by the Puerto Rican Energy Resilience Fund. The $1 billion grant is managed by the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO), the Federal Energy Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It was started after President Biden visited Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona in October 2022. He committed to allocating federal resources toward improving Puerto Rico’s electric grid through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was signed into law two months later and included $1 billion to establish the PR-ERF.

Energy.gov states that the fund has been developed in consultation with Puerto Rican entities and communities to reduce the energy burden of the territory’s most vulnerable residents as the region continues to increase its energy resilience. According to the DOE’s Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool, the average energy burden for low-income households across the U.S. is 8.6% (three times) higher than for non-low-income households, estimated to be 3%.

The Solar Access Program is the consumer-facing application phase of the first round of funding of the PR-ERF. Last summer, the GDO published a funding opportunity announcement for up to $450 million toward residential solar and storage installations and developing consumer protection and education resources. Eligible applicants included private industry, educational institutions, state and local government entities, nonprofits, and energy cooperatives. In November 2023, three solar businesses, seven nonprofits and five cooperatives began negotiations to receive up to $440 million toward solar and storage installations and developing education, training and consumer protection programs about them.

The PR-ERF is part of Puerto Rico’s effort to achieve 100% renewable electricity generation by 2050 and 40% by 2025. The region currently has 680 MW of distributed solar, according to a study by the DOE. Puerto Rico also has 1.6 GWh of residential-sited batteries and an additional 4,500 rooftop solar arrays being added every month. Each includes a 100% battery attachment rate.

Puerto Rico distributed solar climbs to 680 MW, residential storage to 1.6 GWh

William Driscoll — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:15:07 +0000

While distributed solar and storage are advancing quickly in Puerto Rico, utility-scale solar and storage procurements ordered by Puerto Rico regulators in 2020 have made little progress.

Puerto Rico’s 1.6 GWh of residential-sited batteries represents the “largest untapped virtual power plant” in the world, said Javier Rúa-Jovet, chief policy officer at the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA-PR).

Puerto Rico has also reached 680 MW of distributed solar, according to a U.S. Department of Energy study, triple the amount of two years ago.

Rúa-Jovet credits the progress with batteries to Puerto Rico’s “professional, well-informed” transmission and distribution utility Luma Energy, as well as the private sector and “a good regulator.”

The amount of storage keeps growing, Rúa-Jovet said, as 4,500 rooftop solar systems are being added each month with a battery attachment rate of 100% and an average of 1.2 batteries per system. Puerto Rico’s storage “is going to deal with hosting capacity concerns at the distribution level,” he said.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico’s newly launched battery emergency demand response program has created the first virtual power plant in Latin America and the Caribbean, he said. “Uptake is slow” for the pilot program, he noted, suggesting that the compensation offered to battery owners to participate in the program could be higher, or another program model could be tried.

Rúa-Jovet made his comments at a San Juan meeting headlined by U.S. government officials to announce the summary findings of a study led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to identify how Puerto Rico can reach 100% renewables.

It is “100% possible” for Puerto Rico to reach that goal by 2050, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, but “we’ve got to work harder” to reach 40% renewables by 2025.

Both goals were set by Puerto Rico’s Act 17, enacted in 2019.

SESA-PR President P.J. Wilson said that Puerto Rico hasn’t yet reached 10% renewables, and that reaching the law’s mandate of 40% renewables by year-end 2025, or coming as close as possible, is “what’s relevant.”

Six U.S. national laboratories said in a report last year that by rapidly deploying 3.75 GW of utility-scale solar and 1.5 GW of storage, as regulators had specified in 2020, Puerto Rico could reach 36% renewables by 2025, but that would require speedier procurement by PREPA, the utility that owns Puerto Rico’s generation units.

PREPA is managing the first of several utility-scale solar and storage procurements that were intended to fulfill the 40% renewables goal by 2025, while the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau is managing two more procurements, and Genera, which operates Puerto’s generation units, is managing a 400 MW procurement for large-scale storage.

The majority of the projects in the PREPA procurement “are looking favorable to succeed,” Wilson said, “primarily because most of the viable projects have secured or are securing project support from DOE’s Loan Programs Office, which assumes up to 80% of the risk for the projects.” The success or failure of the two energy bureau procurements “hinges on the outcome” of the PREPA procurement, he added.

Rooftop solar and storage could provide 75% of Puerto Rico’s power, a report by nonprofit groups Cambio and IEEFA found in 2021. The report said that distributed solar and storage should be the focus for $9.6 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds allocated for Puerto Rico’s grid reconstruction.

In line with that recommendation, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit last April aiming to require FEMA to allocate funds designated for PREPA to rebuild the grid to fund distributed renewable generation.

Speaking at the San Juan meeting, FEMA Regional Administrator David Warrington said FEMA has “obligated over $10 billion towards stabilizing the energy grid, to get to the point where renewables are possible.”

The final NREL-led study on how Puerto Rico can reach 100% renewables by 2050 is expected to be released in March.

Decarbonizing disaster response

Matthew Lynas — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:05:43 +0000

Diesel generators have been the workhorse of disaster relief for decades but as the frequency of extreme weather events rises, so do calls to decarbonize the emergency response. Sustainability may not be the only benefit to using solar in a crisis, as pv magazine discovers.

From pv magazine 12/23-01/24

Water, power, and shelter. Whether earthquakes, extreme weather, or sudden refugee crises occur, all three are crucial when disaster strikes. Solar is playing an increasing role in providing all three for first responders.

While a mature technology, solar is a relative newcomer to emergency response. PV’s technological advances and affordable price mean non-profits and private companies are taking solar to places in desperate need of power.

In September 2017, Hurricane Maria struck the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico causing destruction and almost 3,000 deaths. Energy infrastructure was wrecked and more than 90% of the island’s residents lost power. US-based non-profit Empowered by Light was one of the first groups on the ground.

Founded in 2011, Empowered by Light began as a charity providing solar to remote schools in Zambia. It has completed more than 80 solar and energy storage projects in nine countries. Developmental work still makes up the core of the non-profit’s activity but executive director and co-founder Moira Hanes told pv magazine that when Hurricane Maria hit, Empowered by Light had the chance to show how quickly solar can be deployed.

“We’re not normally an emergency response disaster relief organization,” she said. “But after the hurricane, we immediately went out to the island. We started putting solar energy [with] storage on fire stations so that they could continue to operate, or be operating again because a lot of them had been on these generators which had broken down. They couldn’t even receive 911 calls or effectively dispatch their personnel.”

Why solar?

Reliability was a main benefit of solar on Puerto Rico, Hanes said. Not only were some diesel backup generators failing, it was occurring at the worst possible time regarding replacement parts.

“Diesel generators break down and you can’t get the part in a timely manner because your supply chain and supply routes have been constrained because of the disaster,” said Hanes, “PV is reliable and renewable and it’s not polluting.”

Empowered by Light has installed solar arrays on 11 Puerto Rican fire stations, in partnership with other charitable groups and businesses. The charity has also provided PV support to communities on Maui, Hawaii, following the outbreak of wildfires on the U.S. island in early August 2023. In Maui, innovative approaches to disaster PV included the use of what Hanes described as “powerfield buckets,” made up of rows of solar modules connected to donated Tesla Powerwall batteries.

“That was immediately deployed to power the aid distribution site,” said Hanes. “It’s powering refrigeration, lighting. They’re cooking three meals a day there.”

Empowered by Light is not a manufacturer or installer. The charity works with local PV companies where possible, ensuring relief efforts provide new opportunities for a community’s solar industry.

“We will use a local [engineering, procurement and construction company] that is as close to that community as possible,” said Hanes. “That way, we’re helping build local capacity. We have advisers, our engineers can weigh in on the design but we’re trying to make certain everything is done on as local a level as possible. We’re also trying to procure hardware in the country, wherever possible. So you’re not shipping modules from the US, for example, to Africa, which is cost prohibitive.”

Cost is the other factor that comes up when discussing PV in a disaster context. A can of diesel is a lot cheaper than a PV module and cash is a precious resource in communities facing the cost of rebuilding. Empowered by Light has a diverse group of backers providing financial assistance. OpenSolar in particular has made a significant contribution to Empowered by Light, with the solar design software company pledging to donate 1% of its annual revenue to the charity’s projects.

Duck curve financing

Footprint Project is another charity supporting solar relief efforts on Maui. The organization has partnered with Empowered by Light in the past and the pair expect to collaborate on longer-term solar projects on the island.

When it comes to disaster funding, Footprint Project operations director and co-founder Will Heegaard said he would like to see greater investment ahead of time – although that can be a challenge for relief organizations. Much as with solar generation and grid capacity, there is a gap between the peak funding period for disaster relief and demand for finance. Most donations come in the wake of a disaster. The money is obviously welcome but a cash injection in the weeks and months before incidents occur could arguably go further. That way, more resources and infrastructure would be in place to react.

“We need to solve the duck curve of disaster financing,” said Heegaard. “If we’re going to be successful in expanding adoption of renewable technologies in disaster affected communities, we need the industry to pony up and invest in our work ahead of time. Otherwise, we will not be as successful as we could be.”

The resources deployed can vary at Footprint Project. Jamie Swezey, the organization’s program director, described his employer as technology agnostic.

Broadly, the non-profit seeks to replace the 2 kW to 10 kW diesel generator. Its microgrids, therefore, operate in and around that range. That can mean a 2 kW or smaller set-up handy for charging cell phones in a crisis or a converted shipping container fitted with 10 kW to 20 kW solar arrays and 100 kW of battery storage. Footprint Project’s biggest microgrid to date, with a capacity of around 80 kW, can be found in Napili Park, on Maui.

Those PV installations don’t just supply power for relief work, they improve quality of life for first responders, according to Footprint Project. Swezey said that the non-profit has considered finding a way to record decibel levels, as one of the most frequent benefits cited by first responders when PV is installed is the reduction in noise level.

Sound isn’t the only thing that can make diesel generators a pain. First responders working around generators often complain of headaches, which Heegaard described as a symptom of low-grade carbon monoxide poisoning. Things can get much worse depending on where and how fossil fuel generators are used.

“After Hurricane Laura hit the gulf [of Mexico], more people died from carbon monoxide poisoning from running their gas generators in their garage, to power their house, than died from the hurricane itself,” said Heegaard. “It’s a huge health risk for a number of reasons.”

Business case

Using solar in disaster response is more than a charitable endeavor. At Michigan-based start-up Sesame Solar, the potential to use mobile “nanogrids” in a crisis serves as the foundation of a business – one that’s been steadily expanding. Founded in 2017, the nanogrid manufacturer has picked up a diverse range of clients with an interest in disaster response.

US communications giant Comcast has used Sesame Solar nanogrids in the aftermath of hurricanes in both Louisiana and Florida. The U.S. Air Force makes use of the company’s nanogrids as a mobile medical base and for command and security. In Santa Barbara County, California, the local government has invested in Sesame Solar nanogrids that are towed to locations using all-electric Ford-150 trucks.

Now with financial backing from institutional investors such as Morgan Stanley, VSC Ventures, PAX Momentum, and Belle Capital, as well as endorsements from the likes of President Bill Clinton’s non-profit Clinton Foundation and “Time” magazine, Sesame Solar is well positioned to make the shift to a global business, as co-founder and chief executive officer Lauren Flanagan explained.

“We’re already international,” she said. “I would like to be global through our partnerships. We have a subsidiary in India already but we still make everything in the United States. But it’s a global set of problems with a global marketplace.”

At Sesame Solar, the focus has been on creating a turnkey solution that requires no installation and is simple to use. Flanagan said the company’s trailer-mounted nanogrids can be operated with a small amount of training. Once up and running, she said, Sesame Solar offers a continuous energy loop that allows for consistent power, from 5 kW to 20 kW, depending on system specification. The trailer which houses the nanogrid also provides shelter from the elements.

Consistency is key. The intermittent nature of solar is not ideal in a disaster relief context, if left unaddressed. Sesame Solar solves this problem through a combination of battery storage and hydrogen electrolyzing capability.

It is a straightforward concept. Solar power is generated during daylight hours and can be used to power disaster response and charge the nanogrid’s battery storage. Stored power can then be deployed and any excess can be used to power hydrogen generation on board. Nanogrids fitted with a green hydrogen system for backup power include a large tank of deionized water. When the tank gets low, there is an integrated atmospheric water generator that generates distilled water, which is then deionized for use in hydrogen production. The hydrogen itself is stored as a solid, at low pressure, which means transportation does not trigger permit requirements.

“We make the deionized water we need to make the hydrogen gas we need, and you don’t do it all at once,” said Flanagan. “It’s in a sequence. You start out with full tanks of hydrogen and water and then you’re topping them up as needed because you’re not running the fuel cell full time. The whole point is that it’s a continuous green energy loop that allows for consistent, continuous power draw.”

Potable water is also on the menu, thanks to a partnership between Sesame Solar and Watergen Ltd. The Israeli company manufactures atmospheric drinking water devices that create potable water from the air.

It’s a total solution, according to Flanagan, with further scope for innovation in areas such as electric vehicle charging.

“That’s the idea,” she added. “Trying to eliminate the supply chain of having to bring hydrogen or fossil fuel or water into an emergency zone.”

DEPCOM Power is constructing Puerto Rico’s largest hybrid solar project

Ryan Kennedy — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:38:41 +0000

The company is developing a 90 MW solar / 51.5 MW energy storage project with an agrivoltaic pilot program.

DEPCOM Power, a solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) provider, held an inauguration event for the construction on Ciro One, the largest solar-plus-storage project in Puerto Rico.

The project, inaugurated on November 1 in Salinas, Puerto Rico, is expected to begin operations at the end of 2024. DEPCOM developed, procured, and is managing the installation of the 90 MW solar project. It includes a 51.5 MW on-site battery energy storage system (BESS).

Ciro One is expected to generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 60,000 Puerto Rico homes.

The project is developed alongside developer partner Ciro Energy Group and subcontractor Lord Construction Inc. Over 370 direct jobs were made in the development of the project.

The BESS uses a lithium-titanate oxide battery, delivering higher cycling power and lower degradation rates than more commonly used lithium iron phosphate technology. The system is covered by warranty for 25 years.

Image: DEPCOM Power

The PV system is designed to withstand hurricane force winds, featuring a lower panel tilt angle and east/west row orientation. The inverters include salt fog filters to mitigate the effect of ocean salinity on the island system’s power electronics.

Due to land area limitations on the island, co-locating agricultural practices with utility-scale solar facilities is being explored in the project. Vegetation at one of the arrays in Ciro One will be managed by grazing sheep. This has a co-benefit of feeding sheep while keeping vegetation away from the array.

“This project will strengthen our island’s energy network at a scale that gets us closer to meeting our renewable goals,” says Ciro Energy Group President Mario Tomasini. “At the same time, we are maximizing the site’s potential through a multi-use approach, integrating vital agriculture with solar power generation.”

Puerto Rico has a mandate to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2050.

Six U.S. national laboratories have described in a report how Puerto Rico could reach 40% renewable electricity by 2025, as mandated by Puerto Rico’s Act 17.

The U.S. territory could reach 36% renewables by 2025 if 3.75 GW of utility-scale solar and 1.5 GW of storage that Puerto Rico has mandated the utility PREPA to procure were constructed and interconnected by year-end 2025, which would be “very rapid deployment,” the national laboratories said in a report.

Caribbean could become offshore floating solar PV giant, researcher says

Angela Skujins — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 15:28:20 +0000

Land is scarce but water is abundant for the Caribbean’s 700 islands. Solar economy professor Christian Breyer tells pv magazine that the region’s archipelagic makeup is not a drawback but a benefit for renewable energy generation.

Christian Breyer, a solar economy professor at Finland-based LUT University, told pv magazine that if the Caribbean and its 13 countries seized on the right opportunities, the region could become a “global center” for offshore floating solar PV energy generation.

“Land-based PV systems will be developed first. However, the substantial electricity demand may lead to limitations in land availability, which can be overcome by offshore floating PV,” he said.

Breyer recently co-authored a paper exploring the potential of solar PV in the Caribbean’s chain of islands. The paper investigates various renewable energy generation methods with a special focus on the efficacy and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of offshore floating PV arrays in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico, a North American territory that consumes almost 70 times more energy than it produces, aims to power its hurricane-impacted electricity grid with only renewable energy by 2050.

According to the research, however, both the wider Caribbean region and the island of Puerto Rico are lagging in renewable energy capacities. Puerto Rico recorded 841 MW installed total renewable energy capacity in 2022, with 639 MW comprising solar PV, according to the most recent data published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The paper posits that as the Caribbean has limited available land, offshore floating PV should be considered. After examining multiple renewable energy generation scenarios, the paper states: “The results for Puerto Rico clearly indicate the enormous benefits of reaching 100% renewable energy, as the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) can be reduced from more than €10o ($106.2)/MWh in 2020 to €47.4 MW/h in 2050.

“The dominating source of energy for electricity supply and the entire energy system is found to be solar PV with 80% and 91% of supply share in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, respectively,” the researchers said in the paper. “When limited offshore land availability is applied, a substantial share of all PV generation can be provided by offshore floating PV for minimal extra costs.”

When asked how feasible floating solar PV actually is in the region, he said onshore floating PV is “standard” while offshore floating PV solar arrays have been developed in “various regions around the world”.

The International Solar Energy Society forecast that regions that don’t record waves larger than 6 m or winds stronger than 15 m/s could generate up to one million TWh per year through offshore floating PV arrays.

Onshore and offshore solar PV floating projects, however, come with their own technological challenges.

“The special conditions in the Caribbean with hurricane risk require special consideration of regions with better natural storm protection,” Breyer said. “I would assume that somehow stronger structures should be used, while the more protected areas will be the most important aspect. Onshore PV systems have to be also hurricane proof, thus, that may be similar for offshore floating PV systems.”

In the last decade, there have been 20 recorded hurricanes and tropical storms making landfall in Puerto Rico. When Hurricane Maria battered the island in 2017, it took the electricity grid almost 11 months to recover – making it the longest blackout in North American history.

The paper, titled “Role of Solar Photovoltaics for Sustainable Energy System in Puerto Rico in the Context of the Entire Caribbean Featuring the Value of Offshore Floating Systems,” was published in the IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics.

Sunnova to participate in battery emergency program in Puerto Rico

Anne Fischer — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 14:28:03 +0000

Distributed solar and storage customers sign up with Sunnova to participate in the Flex Power Program. By compensating customers for the power supplied by their batteries, they are incentivized to participate in the program designed to provide energy that reduces strain on the grid and minimizes blackouts at critical times.

Sunnova Energy International, Inc. is ready to participate in the Battery Emergency Demand Response program in Puerto Rico by coordinating the energy output and storage of its solar-plus-battery customers to help stabilize the grid.

The company reports that it has 55,000 solar and storage customers, with a total installed storage capacity of 727 MWh. The way the Battery Emergency Demand Response program works is that, when the grid is under stress, Luma Energy, the company that manages the grid in Puerto Rico, may request that participating solar-plus-battery systems discharge battery storage to the site or to the grid.

Sunnova expects to dispatch a participating customer’s battery up to a maximum number of 125 events each year. The company reports that in each demand response, the customers’ battery will never be discharged below a capacity level of their choosing. Participating customers will be credited by Sunnova, the company says, for the energy produced by their batteries during these events.

Distributed solar and storage customers sign up with Sunnova to participate in what the company calls the Sunnova Flex Power Program. By compensating customers for the power supplied by their batteries, they are incentivized to participate in a program designed to provide energy that reduces strain on the grid and minimizes blackouts at critical times.

Sunnova CEO, William J. (John) Berger noted that its customers will maintain resiliency and energy independence and that their batteries will never be dispatched immediately ahead of predicted hurricanes or severe weather.

“The unfortunate reality of an unreliable local electrical grid and frequent power outages has plagued Puerto Rico for far too long. Luckily, a new era of energy stability and empowerment is here,” said Berger. “By harnessing the energy stored in batteries during times of high demand or emergencies, homeowners can actively contribute to grid stabilization and be rewarded for their valuable contribution, all while benefitting electricity consumers across the Island.”

Compensation under the program will be based on how much energy each customer’s battery provides when called upon, the company reports, estimating that the average residential customer may receive up to $1,000 annually for their participation. The customer will receive the incentive as credit toward their account each year or they will receive a payment.

Sunnova’s program is being launched under the aegis of the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau’s (PREB) Energy Efficiency and Emergency Demand Response Programs, expected to commence later this year pursuant to the Government of Puerto Rico’s public policy on energy efficiency.

The Puerto Rico Energy Transformation and Relief Act of 2014 (Act 57-2014) requires the PREB to establish energy efficiency programs in order for Puerto Rico to reduce energy consumption from current levels, thereby lowering individual customers’ energy bills and rebuilding a stronger and more cost-effective energy system that reduces the need for more expensive fossil fuel generation.

DOE announces over $450 million for solar-plus-storage in Puerto Rico

Anne Fischer — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:18:43 +0000

The funding will support the installation of solar and storage, as well as providing outreach to identify and connect eligible households.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $453.5 million from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF) aimed at increasing residential rooftop solar and battery storage installations across the region, with a focus on reaching and supporting Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable residents.

The $1 billion PR-ERF fund was established after recent hurricanes devastated the already inconsistent electric grid on the island of Puerto Rico. President Biden toured the island in October 2022 after Hurricane Fiona, and after seeing the destruction, committed to leveraging the technical support of federal agencies to support improvements to Puerto Rico’s electric grid. Then in December, the President signed the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law, which includes $1 billion for the PR-ERF funding to drive key investments in renewable and resilient energy infrastructure in Puerto Rico.

The PR-ERF calls for at least two rounds of funding. The goal in the first round is to rapidly deploy residential rooftop solar and energy storage for vulnerable households and households that include individuals with disabilities. The second and possibly subsequent rounds may include energy resilience solutions like community solar, microgrids, and other grid modernization solutions as well as potential partnerships with local groups and workforce training.

The development of the PR-ERF has relied heavily on local collaboration and feedback, including a formal Request for Information (RFI) released in February 2023, as well as Secretary Granholm consistent engagement with residents and stakeholders in the region consisting of strategic meetings, townhalls, and community listening sessions.

In addition to deployment, the first round of funding of $435.5 million will provide consumer protection and education initiatives to support residents’ long-term use of solar systems. It also includes a Solar Ambassador Prize for community groups to identify and connect with eligible households.

“A future powered by renewables will offer the residents of Puerto Rico more energy security and more reliability—all while leaving households with cheaper bills to pay,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “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.

The goal of this funding allocation is to incentivize the installation of from 30,000 to 40,000 solar and battery storage systems for very low-income single-family households that are either in a community that experiences frequent power outages or has family members with an energy-dependent disability. Funding will also provide residents receiving solar and battery storage installations with ongoing system education, training and consumer protection support.

Potential applicants include private industry, non-profit organizations, energy cooperatives, educational institutions, and state and local governmental entities.

The second round of funding for the PR-ERF will be announced at a later date.

PR-ERF FOA applications are due on September 18, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. AT/ET. Visit the Grid Deployment Office website for more information on the contents of this funding opportunity announcement and how to apply.

The Solar Ambassador Prize has a separate application process and deadline of September 25, 2023 by 5 p.m. AT/ET. This competitive funding opportunity will award $15,000 in seed funding for local organizations in Puerto Rico to identify qualifying households and help them enroll in DOE’s residential solar PV and battery storage installation program by spring 2024. The plan is to award a total of $3.5 million to up to 20 community organizations in the region. The winning ambassadors may receive additional compensation based on the number of beneficiaries enrolled in the program and verified by DOE.

DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will host a public bilingual informational webinar about the Solar Ambassador Prize on August 17, 2023, at 11:00 am AT/ET. Registration is required.

Click here to see the funding opportunities and application information.

Sunrise brief: Caltech researchers beam solar from space

pv magazine — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 12:32:33 +0000

Also on the rise: FEMA funds $97 million Puerto Rico microgrid with 15 MW solar, 12 MWh storage. Redflow to build 20 MWh redox-flow battery in California. And more.

NASA and SpaceX launch two roll-out solar arrays to International Space Station Two new IROSA arrays will expand the energy production capacity of a microgravity complex on the space station.

Caltech researchers beam solar from space Caltech’s space solar program began in 2011 when philanthropist Donald Bren donated more than $100 million in support of the project. In the first demonstration of solar energy beamed to earth, his vision is becoming reality.

FEMA funds $97 million Puerto Rico microgrid with 15 MW solar, 12 MWh storage The microgrid project is a rare example of the allocation of disaster relief funds for rebuilding Puerto Rico’s grid with solar and storage.

BLM to hold public meetings for 300 MW Bonanza Solar facility EDF Renewables’ solar-plus-storage project has the ability to interconnect with NV Energy’s 350-mile high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line, Greenlink West.

RFP alert: LaGuardia airport seeks seven distributed solar projects The New York Port Authority issued a request for projects that can include rooftop solar, carports, and/or floating PV, as well as energy storage.

Redflow to build 20 MWh redox-flow battery in California Redflow, an Australian redox-flow battery manufacturer, will build one of the world’s largest zinc-based battery energy storage systems in the United States, after signing a multi-million-dollar deal with the California Energy Commission.

Southern Florida college to fill gap for more certified solar workers St. Petersburg College recently partnered with the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), the first solar energy apprenticeship program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.

SolarEdge introduces commercial and industrial EV charging platform The software manages solar-attached charging EVs for sites that require dynamic load management for multiple on-site vehicles.

New performance guarantee for photovoltaic power plants from Raicoon Based on an AI-supported platform, the Austrian company promises automated operation of photovoltaic systems in which all errors are detected and error alarms are excluded. Munich Re secures the guarantee.

FEMA funds $97 million Puerto Rico microgrid with 15 MW solar, 12 MWh storage

William Driscoll — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 13:00:47 +0000

The microgrid project is a rare example of the allocation of disaster relief funds for rebuilding Puerto Rico's grid with solar and storage.

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding a $97 million microgrid project for Puerto Rico’s island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra. The project will include 15.5 MW of solar, 11.6 MWh of storage, and fossil generation in an amount that has not been finalized, FEMA said. The project will retrofit the islands’ existing 9 MW of generation that includes diesel generators, FEMA added.

The “solar backup systems” on the two islands, FEMA said, will enable medical facilities, schools and other critical service providers to function “in case the main grid fails.” The islands are located to the east of Puerto Rico’s main island.

The microgrid project is one of 21 projects across the U.S. territory that will “provide energy resilience and promote the use of renewable energy,” said Manuel Laboy Rivera, executive director of Puerto Rico’s Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency.

Priorities

FEMA said it has allocated $32 billion to help Puerto Rico rebuild after Hurricane Maria. Regarding the total solar and storage capacity across all FEMA-initiated projects in Puerto Rico, a spokesperson said that so far FEMA has reviewed projects under a $3 billion funding program that would include “over 10 MW” of solar capacity and “over 12MWh” of storage capacity. Those amounts include the solar and storage planned for the Vieques and Culebra microgrids.

Eight Puerto Rico organizations and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed a federal lawsuit challenging FEMA’s approval of $13 billion for the Puerto Rico utility PREPA to rebuild the territory’s grid “back to the fossil fuel status quo.” The lawsuit aims to redirect that funding, of which it says only a “small fraction” has been spent, toward “the distributed renewable energy Puerto Ricans need.”

Howard Crystal, legal director and senior attorney for the Center, said that FEMA’s “formal response” to the lawsuit is due in the next few weeks. The Center has also filed a Freedom of Information Act request backed up by a lawsuit to compel FEMA to disclose its funding for renewable and fossil generation.

Project stages

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) assisted in the preliminary design for the microgrid project for Vieques and Culebra through the use of the Microgrid Design Toolkit developed by Sandia National Laboratory, and workshops with community leaders.

The initial $10.2 million phase of the microgrid project will fund preconstruction activities, including architectural and engineering design services, a geotechnical study and an electrical load assessment.

The $86 million construction phase will include land acquisition, bidding and procurement, permitting, final design plans, environmental and historic preservation compliance, equipment, site work, construction, final testing and commissioning, project supervision, inspection, contingencies, and closeout.

The microgrids on the two islands will serve Vieques’ 8,000 residents and Culebra’s nearly 2,000 residents. The microgrids will connect to Puerto Rico’s existing transmission system with a submarine cable. The project is being funded by FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Sunrise brief: Solar tariff moratorium remains in place

pv magazine — Fri, 26 May 2023 11:14:42 +0000

Also on the rise: Enphase launches IQ Battery 5P residential battery in U.S. and Puerto Rico. Solar energy in New York state covered record 20% of state power demand. And more.

Enphase launches IQ Battery 5P residential battery in U.S. and Puerto Rico The IQ Battery 5P works in conjunction with the Enphase Energy System and can be configured for self-consumption, savings, or full backup functionality.

Minnesota expands community solar program to allow more LMI customers, projects to 5 MW Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed HF 2310 into law, which opens up the state’s community solar program to more residential subscribers, specifically low-to-moderate income (LMI) households, and expands the project sites from 1 MW to 5 MW community gardens.

Flexible demand through participation by large customers in wholesale markets Large industrial users of electricity that could use less electricity at high prices, or more electricity at low prices, could bid prices for their demand in day-ahead wholesale markets to help set market prices, integrate renewables, and lower system costs, according to an ESIG report.

U.S. House fails to override President’s veto on overturning solar tariff moratorium The moratorium is intended as a bridge put in place temporarily while the United States rapidly ramps up manufacturing to supply its burgeoning solar industry.

Solar energy in New York state covered record 20% of state power demand During the noon hour on May 18, 2023, NYISO reported that consumer and utility-side solar resources generated 3.33 GW of clean energy output, while the behind-the-meter portion of 3.2 GW and utility-operated 130 MW accounted for 20% of the state’s electricity demand.

U.S. Government eyes $9 billion liftoff for long duration energy storage by 2030 The U.S. DOE has published a report outlining the requirements for LDES to achieve technical and financial self-sustainability by the end of decade. An estimated $6 billion to $9 billion dollars in capital investment would be necessary, potentially leading to 6 GW to 10 GW of project deployments.

Enphase launches IQ Battery 5P residential battery in U.S., including Puerto Rico

Anne Fischer — Thu, 25 May 2023 18:05:04 +0000

The IQ Battery 5P works in conjunction with the Enphase Energy System and can be configured for self-consumption, savings, or full backup functionality.

Enphase Energy has launched what it says is its most powerful home battery to date in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The IQ Battery 5P can deliver 3.84 kW continuous power and 7.68 kW peak power for 3 seconds, the company reports. The battery uses a modular design, which starts at 5 kWh of capacity and can be configured up to 80 kWh. The third generation of Enphase Energy System components includes the IQ Battery 5P, IQSystem Controller 3/3G, and IQ Combiner 5/5C. The Enphase Energy System with the IQ Battery 5P can be configured for self-consumption, savings, or full backup functionality.

The IQ Battery 5P can also be used in a grid-tied configuration without backup capabilities, which means it comes without the IQ System Controller. This is a less expensive configuration, and an IQ System Controller can be added at later time to provide backup functionality.

Enphase reports that using the Storm Guard feature of the Enphase app, homeowners can stay prepared for outages by monitoring the National Weather Service for approaching storms. If bad weather is detected, the batteries will fully charge automatically.

IQ batteries feature lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, which provides a long lifecycle and safer operation with thermal stability. Enphase reports that because the battery operates with low-voltage DC power, installing the battery is safe, as installers are not exposed to high-voltage current. Enphase reports that its batteries are NEMA 3R rated, which is a designation by the National Electrical Manufacturers’ Association that indicates that the battery enclosure is safe for indoor and outdoor use and is protected from adverse weather conditions. The batteries meet UL 9540A performance criteria, a test for thermal runaway fire propagation protection in residential indoor wall-mounted systems.

The IQ Battery 5P comes with a 15-year limited warranty.

In Q1 2023, Enphase battery sales were down 23% over the previous quarter, as installers focused on rolling out new solar systems. Enphase CEO,Badri Kothandaraman, said he expects this trend to continue in the next quarter. “After that, we see NEM 3.0 as a net positive for California and expect strong demand to resume for solar plus storage.”

NEM 3.0 went into effect on April 15, 2023 after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the new net metering scheme which will slash payments for excess solar production sent to the grid by 75%. For customers in California, the Enphase system is optimized to support California’s new NEM 3.0 rules by enabling self-consumption and exporting energy at the appropriate times to create maximum value.

California installers can also use Enphase’s Solargraf platform to design and generate system proposals that optimize for NEM 3.0.

“California continues to be one of our top markets and the new IQ Battery 5P will enable our customers to maximize the value of their home solar systems with the new net metering rules,” said Bryson Solomon, chief executive officer of Infinity Energy, a Rocklin, Calif.-based installer of residential and commercial solar and storage.

The IQ Battery 5P can be ordered now, with shipments expected to begin in the third quarter of 2023.

Sunrise brief: Maryland becomes the 23rd community solar state

pv magazine — Thu, 18 May 2023 11:41:19 +0000

Also on the rise: Puerto Rico cannot afford to repay any of utility PREPA’s debt, says analyst. 50 states of solar incentives--Arizona. And more.

Maryland becomes the 23rd community solar state With the signing of HB 908, Maryland becomes the 23rd U.S. state to implement a shared-access community solar framework without limitation to accessibility.

Puerto Rico cannot afford to repay any of utility PREPA’s debt, says analyst To rebuild its grid with renewables, Puerto Rico cannot afford to repay the legacy debt of bankrupt utility PREPA through proposed higher electric rates, an analyst said.

People on the move: SunPower, Eagleview, Solar Landscape and more Job moves in solar, storage, cleantech, utilities and energy transition finance.

Energy justice bridges research, policy and social movement Two papers from Lawrence Berkeley Lab and U.S. Department of Energy provide frameworks and real-world insight for integrating energy justice into policy and research.

ASU to receive $70 million to research clean energy industrial processes Arizona State University will establish the Electrified Processes for Industry Without Carbon to electrify industrial heating processes.

50 states of solar incentives: Arizona SEIA ranked the state fifth in the U.S. for solar deployments and the Grand Canyon State continues to shine with a robust growth pipeline of 7.27 GW of solar projects to be installed over the next five years.

Solar gazebo provides up to 4.3 kW of backyard generating capacity The outdoor gazebo provides 2.4 kW to 4.3 kW of residential solar power via monocrystalline PERC mounted solar tiles.

Puerto Rico cannot afford to repay any of utility PREPA’s debt, says analyst

William Driscoll — Wed, 17 May 2023 13:58:09 +0000

To rebuild its grid with renewables, Puerto Rico cannot afford to repay the legacy debt of bankrupt utility PREPA through proposed higher electric rates, an analyst said.

Puerto Rico’s utility, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), has a narrow path to meet future capital and operational needs in rebuilding its grid with renewables, said Tom Sanzillo, director of financial analysis for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, in testimony to the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.

Given PREPA’s financial needs to rebuild the grid, and the electric rates that Puerto Rico’s economy can support, “there is no headroom” to support repayment of PREPA’s legacy debt through increased rates, Sanzillo testified.

PREPA, which is in a bankruptcy proceeding, has “more than $9 billion in unpaid bond debt and other obligations,” Sanzillo said in a statement. The district court is evaluating a proposed “plan of adjustment” submitted by the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico that would raise electricity rates to repay bondholders.

The Financial Oversight and Management Board’s (FOMB) plan would increase Puerto Rico’s electrical rates by double digits, Sanzillo said, with the goal of repaying bondholders $5.68 billion “over the next decades.” Puerto Rico’s rates are now more than twice the U.S. average, he said, “and the island’s median income is less than half of the poorest U.S. state.”

A “rapid transition” to renewable generation is “instrumental” for PREPA to achieve fiscal balance and stability by reducing fuel costs, Sanzillo testified, as 97% of PREPA’s electricity is generated from imported fossil fuels, and fuel costs “recently have risen to more than 60% of operating costs.”

Based on studies by the Puerto Rico Department of Housing and PREPA, he said there is a need for “at least $6 billion in capital expenses” to rebuild the grid, beyond existing federal commitments.

To transition to renewables, Sanzillo said in an emailed statement that investments could include the development of one or more distributed generation initiatives “to support the rising number of resident-initiated rooftop solar investments,” and bringing the various tranches of solar energy solicited in RFPs “through the process to commercial operation.” These measures “should result in a substantial drop in fuel costs over time.”

“The purpose of a bankruptcy proceeding is to provide a fresh start,” Sanzillo said. The FOMB’s plan of adjustment “is not a fresh start; it is the same old quagmire wrapped in different paper.”

Sanzillo, who formerly served in senior management roles at the New York City and New York State Comptroller’s Offices, submitted his testimony on behalf of Puerto Rico’s Union of Electrical Industry and Irrigation Workers. The pension funds of union members who work for PREPA are at risk of financial loss in the bankruptcy proceeding.

Hurricane survival

Agustin Irizarry-Rivera, a professor of power system engineering at Puerto Rico University’s Mayaguez campus, also challenged the FOMB’s proposed plan in an expert report prepared for eight citizens groups in Puerto Rico plus the Sierra Club.

The fixed component of the FOMB’s proposed rate increase would be “an immediate solar tax of 2.1 cents per kWh,” he said in the report. The FOMB’s plan “is designed to make ownership of a rooftop solar PV system far more expensive than it has to be” and would “impede the ability to survive hurricanes in Puerto Rico,” which is “squarely in the hurricane path of the Caribbean Sea.”

Irizarry-Rivera cited a case study on a solar-plus-storage system that operated uninterrupted for 101 days while the grid’s electric service was not available following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Puerto Rico’s 100% renewable energy law prohibits solar taxes, and trade group the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA-PR) has worked to defend that aspect of the law for several years.

Grid defection

Irizarry-Rivera added that “significant” grid defection could result from the FOMB’s plan for rate increases, given customers’ ongoing deployment of rooftop solar and storage; the projected cost reductions for both technologies; and Puerto Rico’s already-high cost for electricity.

Distributed solar systems have been deployed by 80,000 customers across Puerto Rico, totaling more than 500 MW, according to data from transmission and distribution system operator LUMA Energy, which Irizarry-Rivera cited in his testimony.

Distributed storage systems have reached close to 70,000 customers and almost 1 GWh of storage capacity, Irizarry-Rivera said, based on LUMA Energy data.

Irizarry-Rivera reported results of his analysis showing that electricity from the grid, which costs 28.4 cents per kWh prior to the FOMB’s proposed rate increase, “is already more expensive than grid defection” for a customer using distributed solar-plus-storage. His analysis also considered projections for lower future costs for distributed solar and storage that were developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Irizarry-Rivera’s expert report is available at this site by clicking on “Dockets,” entering the number 3414 under “Docket Numbers,” and then choosing “All Docs” at the right.

The district court is expected to conduct a hearing on the FOMB’s proposed plan of adjustment in July.

Sunrise brief: Solar developers react to Texas permitting proposal

pv magazine — Thu, 11 May 2023 11:14:45 +0000

Also on the rise: Silicon Valley Bank begins lending again for solar projects. California gold rush supporting 2023 residential solar market. And more.

Texas proposes tightened renewable energy permits: An industry reacts pv magazine USA touched base with several project developers where Texas is a primary market for solar project development activity. Many have stated that should SB 624 remain, they would consider focusing development activity in other states.

Three ways to implement solar and renewables to reduce land use A Nature Conservancy report offers a land-use reduction scenario and framework to help energy planners and policymakers execute informed and equitable net-zero strategies.

Silicon Valley Bank reemerges as a lender, extends credit to Pivot Energy community solar portfolio Subscribers in the portfolio include municipalities, healthcare, food service, and retail companies, as well as 8,000 low-to-moderate income (LMI) households.

California gold rush supporting 2023 residential solar market Ohm Analytics reports an uptick in third-party ownership in several states and believes NEM 2.0 projects will support California installers for many months, while other regional market outlooks vary by energy costs and local incentives.

Energy policy recommendations from environmental groups Senator Joe Manchin’s proposed permit reforms undermine the National Environmental Policy Act, say the groups. A report shares their vision of a more equitable, environmentally-sound energy landscape.

DOE announces $26 million to support eight solar, wind and storage demonstration projects Selected projects in thirteen states and Puerto Rico will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and support a resilient grid that automatically adjusts to changing demands.

Biden Administration outlines energy permit reform priorities The administration recommended acceleration of critical electric transmission, acceleration of permitting on federal lands, and cutting duplicative and burdensome analysis and reviews.

DOE announces $26 million to support eight solar, wind and storage demonstration projects

Anne Fischer — Wed, 10 May 2023 16:38:08 +0000

Selected projects in thirteen states and Puerto Rico will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and support a resilient grid that automatically adjusts to changing demands.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing $26 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for eight selected projects to demonstrate how solar, wind, storage and other clean energy resources can support a reliable and efficient power grid.

The Solar and Wind Grid Services and Reliability Demonstration program will deploy clean energy technologies with a goal of learning more about technologies that support a resilient grid that automatically adjusts to changing demands.

“As threats and climate risks to America’s energy infrastructure continue to evolve, DOE is laser-focused on ensuring our power grid is strong and reliable as it incorporates a historic level of renewable resources,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.

The program is funding eight projects at 15 sites in 13 states and Puerto Rico, and will involve research teams consisting of utilities, laboratories, universities and industry. The teams will test how wind and solar plants can more reliably transmit clean energy and protect against disruptions to the network of high-voltage power lines that carry electricity from centralized generation sources. Monitoring and test controls will also be implemented that allow the grid to restore power quickly and efficiently after power outages.

The selected projects fall into two topic areas: Wind and solar grid services design, implementation, and demonstration; Protection of bulk power systems with high contribution from inverter-based resources (IBRs).

The Electric Power Research Institute was awarded $3.4 million for the Collaborative Ancillary Service Accelerator for Renewables (CASAR) project. This project will develop a multi-level control architecture for power systems that supports ancillary services to the grid, including active and reactive power event and non-event reserve services. This project will work with multiple balancing authorities and utilities to perform demonstrations of grid services at sites across Michigan, Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico, and California.

GE Renewable Energy was awarded $3.5 million for the Grid-ready Wind project. The work is primarily taking place at the Great Pathfinder wind power plant in Iowa, and it includes a commercial-scale demonstration of grid services using emerging grid-forming technology in Type-III wind turbines with electricity output controlled by converters. This project is jointly funded by WETO and SETO.

Portland General Electric Company was awarded $4.5 million for a project that will develop a 300 MW wind, solar and battery storage combined power plant. The project aims to demonstrate grid services using mixed grid-forming and grid-following technologies at the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility in Oregon, North America’s first energy center to combine wind, solar, and energy storage systems in one location.

Veritone was awarded $3.9 million for the Advanced Reliability and Resiliency Operations for Wind and Solar (ARROWS) project, which aims to boost confidence in renewable power investment using Veritone’s artificial intelligence-powered distributed energy resource management system (iDERMS) technology. The AI-powered platform will be used to forecast, optimize, and control IBRs on New Mexico’s power grid in real-time.

Con Edison of New York was awarded $3 million with an awardee cost share of $1.4 million for a project that demonstrates reliable protection for an IBR-dominant grid. The project aims to improve existing grid protection strategies and enable new technologies to maintain reliable system protection in systems with a very large number of IBRs.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was awarded $2 million with a cost share of $600,000 for the Protection of Inverter-dependent Transmission Systems (PROTECT-IT) project. NREL will partner with University of Idaho, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Tesla, and the Public Service Company of New Mexico to investigate the impact of high levels of IBRs on bulk power transmission protection systems.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company was awarded $2.5 million with a cost share of $700,000 for development of a sensitivity-driven wide area protection (SWAP) coordination tool for high penetration of IBRs. The intent is to develop an analysis tool that can be incorporated in commercial platforms used by transmission utilities and system operators nationwide.

University of Illinois at Chicago was awarded $3 million with a cost share of $1.1 million for a project that uses an innovative modeling, protection, and control framework to ensure reliable operation of a bulk power system with 100% of its generation coming from IBRs, which have much different fault characteristics than traditional synchronous generators. The IBR model under development by this project will be able to perform accurate protection simulation and be easily implemented in the existing commercial simulation software. This project will demonstrate protection strategies in Illinois and Puerto Rico.

Sunnova doubles customer count in Q1 2023

Michael Schoeck — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 19:46:10 +0000

The solar and energy-as-a-service company recorded more than 5,000 of new customers in Puerto Rico, representing its second highest market after California, where it added 5,512 new customers.

Sunnova Energy International in its Q1 2023 earnings report today added 30,100 customers over the recent quarter across 1,376 dealers, a 96.7% year-over-year increase from 15,300 customers added a year ago, bringing its total customer count to 309,300.

The Houston-based distributed energy systems company recorded more than 5,000 of new customers in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico in the recent quarter, representing its second highest market after California, where it added 5,512 new customers.

Revenue increased to $161.7 million in Q1 2023, a 146% increase over the prior year, as a result of an increased number of solar systems put in service and the sale of inventory.

“Our strong growth trajectory can be attributed to our continuous investments in software, service, and multiple channels for growth, which have allowed Sunnova to increase market share and widen its total addressable market,” said William “John” Berger, chief executive officer of Sunnova.

Sunnova has 1.95 GW of solar and 801 MWh of energy storage resources under management, with solar up 41% year-over-year and the storage retention rate at 15.6%, up from 12.5% a year ago.

“Just last week, we announced a conditional commitment with the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office to expand access to Sunnova’s Energy as a Service offerings, potentially adding to our growth by making our energy services accessible to homeowners who may not have qualified without this commitment,” said Berger.

The company raised its 2023 full year guidance, with customer additions increasing from a range of 115,000 to 125,000 to a range of 125,000 to 135,000.

Sunnova’s common stock traded up more than 12.8% today, to $18.43 per share from $16.34 a day ago, on Q1 2023 earnings strength and increased guidance.

Earlier this week, Sunnova announced a $3 billion conditional loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office to support a new consumer loan channel called Project Hestia. If approved, the loan office will backstop the company’s deployment of up to $5.2 billion of collateral projects for the deployment of virtual power plant (VPP) systems. Hestia is designed to increase accessibility to solar and VPP networked solutions for disadvantaged communities who previously may not have been able to finance residential solar projects or energy storage.

Sunnova vice president of capital markets Dan DeSnyder told pv magazine USA that the landmark securitization will take about three years to deploy. The asset-based financing will support new customer solar plus integrated residential solutions installations such as EV charging, smart thermostats and other equipment interconnected to the company’s MySunnova smartphone app, he said.

Sunrise brief: U.S. warehouses can host enough solar to power nearly 20 million homes

pv magazine — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:14:22 +0000

Also on the rise: Puerto Rico moves into seventh place for residential solar per capita. Invested in our planet: Financing the clean energy transition. And more.

U.S. warehouses can host enough solar to power nearly 20 million homes A report from two environmental groups shows how the roofs of warehouses and distribution centers offer 16.4 billion square feet of installation planes.

Montana city flips switch on 545 kW municipal solar facility At a “flip the switch” event held in Missoula this week, officials christened a 545 kW municipal solar project, which Ameresco will maintain under a 25-year solar energy agreement which had zero upfront cost to the municipality, the companies said.

Hardware giant Lowe’s plans solar on 174 rooftops in three states Rooftop solar arrays of more than 133 MW are to be completed in partnership with DSD Renewables, Greenskies Clean Focus and Infiniti Energy, helping Lowe’s to reach sustainability goal of 50% renewable energy for its facilities by 2030.

Solar microgrid water system brings water to where it’s needed GivePower engineers make use of SolarAnywhere’s solar resource data to design custom solar-powered desalinization systems for remote locations.

Puerto Rico moves into seventh place for residential solar per capita Luma Energy supports more than 54,000 customer connections in its 21 months as grid operator.

Groundbreaking on solar EV charging carport for Colorado tech park Namaste Solar is installing the 1.7 MW solar parking canopy for geospatial information systems provider Trimble.

Invested in our planet: Financing the clean energy transition As Earth Day approaches, Johannes Rittershausen, co-founder & chief executive officer of Convergent Energy and Power discusses investment in the energy transition.

Con Edison sustainability report highlights 3 GW of renewables deployments The utility’s 2022 report highlights milestones the New York company is making to procure distributed solar, storage, energy storage resources, EV charging and heat pumps in the coming decade, as it strives to become fully net zero by 2040.

Puerto Rico moves into seventh place for residential solar per capita

Anne Fischer — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 15:09:14 +0000

Luma Energy supports more than 54,000 customer connections in its 21 months as grid operator.

Luma Energy, the company responsible for power transmission in Puerto Rico, announced that it has supported more than 54,000 customer connections to rooftop solar in 21 months, representing 330 MW added to the grid.

As a result of this progress, Puerto Rico now ranks seventh among all U.S. states and territories in residential solar energy adoption per capita, according to net metering data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Luma fully supports the growth of clean renewable energy; in fact, in a range of activities from connecting customers to rooftop solar, to interconnecting utility-scale renewable plants, to rebuilding and modernizing the electric grid, the over 3,000 men and women of Luma are accelerating the clean energy transformation for Puerto Ricans. Looking ahead, we are committed to working together with our customers, our regulator, elected leaders and other partners to establish Puerto Rico as a sustainable, clean energy leader for generations to come, said Wayne Stensby, president and CEO of Luma

Luma Energy became the operator in Puerto Rico in 2021, replacing the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) in that role. The company launched an accelerated solar connection program that the company says provides customers with shorter wait times for approval. The program has increased customer connections to an average of 3,400 each month, Luma reports. In the 21 months since Luma assumed operations of the electric system, the company says that the number of interconnected residential solar customers has tripled compared to what was achieved in the previous decade, growing from approximately 24,000 to over 78,000 total solar connections.

“Luma has streamlined the net metering process, shortening average wait times to under 30 days. Luma’s centralized approach and collaboration with the solar and storage industry have driven steady growth in solar installations, ensuring energy resilience and savings for tens of thousands of Puerto Rican families. We look forward to our continued collaboration and expanding the adoption of renewable energy across the island,” said P.J. Wilson, executive director of the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA).

In addition to advancing more home solar connections for customers, Luma reports it is working toward more than 1.3 GW of utility-scale renewable generation to Puerto Rico’s electric grid.

Sunrise brief: New Jersey warehouse operator provides community solar access to 700 residents

pv magazine — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 11:14:34 +0000

Also on the rise: FEMA’s $13 billion for Puerto Rico’s grid could shift to solar if lawsuit succeeds. Lowe’s to install solar at 54 California locations. And more.

New Jersey warehouse operator provides community solar access to 700 residents RPM Warehousing now generates 4.3 MW of solar energy from two of its warehouse facilities in Edison and Avenel, N.J., and the logistics business plans to install a third rooftop solar array of about 3.5 MW to 4 MW on a 480,000 square foot facility at a site within a few miles of its HQ.

Ascent boosts production with acquisition of 15 MW Swiss thin-film producer With the closing of this deal, Ascent will triple its production capacity from its 5 MW of existing nameplate capacity production.

Most solar won’t qualify for Inflation Reduction Act hydrogen incentive, per IEA data An analysis by the International Energy Agency puts solar’s lifetime emissions, manufacturing included, at a level that would earn only 25% to 33.4% of the IRA’s $3/kg hydrogen incentive.

FEMA’s $13 billion for Puerto Rico’s grid could shift to solar if lawsuit succeeds Rooftop solar-plus-storage would become the focus of FEMA’s spending to rebuild Puerto Rico’s grid, if a federal court grants the plaintiffs’ requests in a lawsuit, said their lead attorney. Equipping every home in Puerto Rico with 2.7 kW of PV and 12.6 kWh of battery backup is one option recommended by an independent study.

Lowe’s to install solar at 54 California locations The hardware giant signed a power purchase agreement for a 48 MW portfolio of rooftop solar with Greenskies Clean Focus.

50 states of solar incentives: Wyoming Wyoming has enough solar installed to power over 22,000 homes and is set to more than double its solar capacity over the next five years.

BorgWarner announces two U.S. battery and EV charging factory expansions The company invested $42 million in a 3 GWh South Carolina expansion and $20 million in a Michigan plant upgrade.

FEMA’s $13 billion for Puerto Rico’s grid could shift to solar if lawsuit succeeds

William Driscoll — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 13:40:02 +0000

Rooftop solar plus storage would become the focus of FEMA’s spending to rebuild Puerto Rico’s grid, if a federal court grants the plaintiffs' requests in a lawsuit, said their lead attorney. Equipping every home in Puerto Rico with 2.7 kW of PV and 12.6 kWh of battery backup is one option recommended by an independent study.

Eight Puerto Rico organizations and the Center for Biological Diversity have sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security over their plans to rebuild Puerto Rico’s grid “back to the fossil fuel status quo” instead of investing in “the distributed renewable energy Puerto Ricans need,” according to a statement.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, says that FEMA, in pursuing those plans, has violated the National Environmental Policy Act. The lawsuit says that while FEMA has approved about $12.8 billion for the Puerto Rico utility PREPA to rebuild the grid, based “on information and belief,” so far only “a small fraction of that money has been spent,” and even less has been spent on “permanent works.” The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with FEMA asking for detail on its expenditures.

The rebuilding comes after Hurricane Maria caused catastrophic damage to Puerto Rico’s electric transmission and distribution lines in 2017, causing an extended blackout in which thousands died. Puerto Rico also suffered blackouts from Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022.

The plaintiffs cite multiple studies, from the Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others, showing that rooftop solar and solar microgrids can address Puerto Rico’s grid problems, largely because they do not depend on “large-scale” transmission lines.

The plaintiffs cite a 2021 study that found that a 75% distributed renewable energy grid for Puerto Rico is feasible and would be less expensive than the current grid. Plaintiffs say the study found that equipping every home in Puerto Rico with 2.7 kW of PV and 12.6 kWh of battery backup could provide 2.7 GW of capacity.

The plaintiffs also noted Puerto Rico’s Act Act 17-2019, which set requirements for PREPA to obtain 20% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2022, 40% by 2025, 60% by 2040, and 100% by 2050. A 2020 energy plan from Puerto Rican experts and community organizations “centered distributed renewable energy systems” to achieve the targets, the lawsuit says, adding that in 2022, Puerto Rico reached only 3% renewable generation.

“Despite these findings,” the plaintiffs say, FEMA’s focus has remained on rebuilding Puerto Rico’s “outdated, centralized electrical grid,” with most generating capacity on the south of the territory’s main island and large transmission lines extending north over mountainous terrain to the most populous areas.

The lawsuit claims that FEMA has violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in five distinct ways in pursuing its Puerto Rico grid projects. The plaintiffs asked the federal court to order FEMA to prepare a “full-blown” environmental impact statement (EIS) for these projects, explained plaintiffs’ lead attorney Augusta Wilson with the Center for Biological Diversity. “That would force FEMA to finally consider rooftop solar and other distributed renewable resources as a primary source of electricity.”

In addition, with a full EIS, FEMA “would have to disclose the numerous environmental harms of its current plans,” Wilson said. “If FEMA is forced to take those steps, the agency will have no choice but to conclude that investing in clean, resilient distributed renewable energy is the right choice.”

$8.2 billion to PREPA

Early this year, the Center for Biological Diversity sued FEMA to compel the agency to comply with the Center’s late 2021 Freedom of Information Act request, which asked FEMA to disclose how much disaster response funding it has spent nationwide for fossil fuel infrastructure, and how much for renewable energy resources.

FEMA responded with a spreadsheet listing thousands of projects across the U.S., said the Center’s attorney Wilson, but provided few details on those projects. One line item showed $8.2 billion for PREPA for hurricane-related expenses, Wilson said.

The Center submitted another FOIA request to FEMA in February requesting more detailed information about its spending for energy resources in Puerto Rico, Wilson said, but the Center has not yet received any records in response to that request. “FEMA should not be dragging its feet on disclosing how much taxpayer money it’s investing in fossil-fuel projects in the midst of a climate emergency in one of the most climate-fragile places in the world,” she said.

The Department of Homeland Security, also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, is responsible for the supervision, management and control of FEMA’s activities.

While not mentioned in the lawsuit, six U.S. national laboratories have described in a report how Puerto Rico could reach 40% renewable electricity by 2025, as mandated by Puerto Rico’s Act 17.

DOE workforce program matches recent grads with energy fellowship opportunities

Anne Fischer — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 17:06:18 +0000

The second round of the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship Program aims to help fellows gain career expertise, plus meet clean energy workforce needs.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the second round of the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship, a workforce development program that matches recent graduates with energy organizations to support efforts to grow the clean energy workforce.

The program is now accepting applications for host institutions including state public utility commissions, grid operators, and cooperative and municipal utilities. Also identified in this second round as priority host institutions are tribal utilities, inter-tribal Councils or other tribal organizations, and essential energy organizations in Puerto Rico .

Through the program, hosts receive support to help them accelerate the transition to clean energy and to assist them in taking advantage of federal grid resilience and modernization funding opportunities. In September 2022, DOE announced the critical energy institutions that will host a fellow for the next year, renewable for a second year, shown on the map.

“We cannot transition to a 100% clean power system without a skilled, innovative, diverse workforce, and that is exactly what the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship helps build,” said Alejandro Moreno, acting assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, DOE. “This fellowship program expands the talent pool for careers that support the electric grid and, ultimately, the U.S. economy.”

The fellowship is open to recent graduates with bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees, as well as mid-career professionals in fields relevant to electricity generation, transmission and distribution. For those seeking placement in Puerto Rico, Spanish language proficiency is recommended, but not required.

Innovator Fellows will spend up to two years supporting projects that the host institutions identify as critical to enhancing grid resilience and/or advancing decarbonization. These can include state engagement in electrification, accelerated electric vehicle deployment, essential grid services on the distribution system, development of tribal energy expertise, and more.

“As we implement the historic investments of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, a strong workforce is needed to ensure all communities have access to affordable, reliable, and resilient power,” said Maria Robinson, director, Grid Deployment Office.

The Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship is supported by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Innovator Fellows will receive a stipend to support their participation in the program and an allowance for education and professional development opportunities.

Applications for host institutions are due by April 27, 2023, and are available here. Applications should include a project scope and describe their institution’s needs.

Host Institution projects will be posted on the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship website by May 19, 2023, and applications for Innovator Fellows will open on May 22, 2023 and due on June 8, 2023. Fellowship candidates will be asked to describe their interest in the opportunity and their relevant skills and experience. Candidates should indicate their top host projects of interest in their applications. The Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

Puerto Rico’s first cooperatively managed microgrid to use Rivian donated batteries

Anne Fischer — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:36:06 +0000

The microgrid will be commissioned by Casa Pueblo in partnership with the Honnold Foundation.

Commissioned by Casa Pueblo in partnership with the Honnold Foundation, the community-owned microgrid in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico will have nearly 700 solar modules installed on seven rooftops in the town’s center, backed by 1 mW of battery storage in two locations. This decentralized, hurricane proof, energy accessible battery storage solution installation is expected to be able to serve the entire community for up to 10 days of off-grid functionality. The microgrid is owned and managed by a local nonprofit entity, the Community Solar Energy Association of Adjuntas (ACESA), and will provide clean, reliable power to 14 of Adjuntas small businesses, and set a precedent for energy access throughout Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Image: Ricardo Arduengo

Adjuntas is historically one of the hardest-hit communities in Puerto Rico during natural disasters, and this 187 kW microgrid will ensure that the power stays on. The solar power will be stored in a custom built battery storage system (BESS) manufactured by ELM and purpose built for the microgrid, totaling 1.107 MWh. The BESS system includes batteries, inverters, controls, and other equipment, and was contracted and then donated by Rivian. The batteries are expected to provide more than 10 days of off-grid storage for the current size of the system. Meanwhile, the construction will allow for the full PV count to double, while still providing at least 5 days of off-grid storage.

After Hurricane Maria hit the island in 2017, the town of Adjuntas was without power for nearly a year. The building that houses Casa Pueblo, a community organization focused on the sustainable development of the region, was the only building in town with power—thanks to its solar installation. Other areas of the town were powered by diesel generators to provide refrigeration, internet access, a phone charging station, and more. Due to the need for more reliable power, business leaders alongside a few community stakeholders formed the nonprofit, ACESA, which owns and operates the microgrid. Energy is sold back to the grid via a power purchase agreement, but approximately 50% of those savings (the final rate to be determined) will be reinvested back into both microgrid maintenance and future community projects.

Image: Ricardo Arduengo

The community-owned microgrid can serve as an open sourced model for all of Puerto Rico. Additionally, with funds saved from the power purchase agreement, the intent is to bring other homes onto the current microgrid. Ultimately, provided there’s additional philanthropic support, more homes could be plugged into the Adjuntas microgrid.

One of the partners is the Honnold Foundation, founded ten years ago by the rock climber Alex Honnold. The Foundation’s mission is to partner with marginalized communities to expand equitable solar energy access. In the past three years, the Honnold Foundation has helped 48 Partners in over 20 different countries and territories use solar energy to build equity, increase climate resilience, and support communities’ right to self-determination.

The foundation doubled its grantmaking this year to fund $2 million in solar energy projects. In November of 2022, the foundation announced that venture capitalist Peter Levine was providing a multimillion dollar gift over the next three years to launch the Levine Impact Lab in partnership with the Honnold Foundation. The lab intends to offer long-term support to organizations and individual leaders who otherwise might lack access to the best-in-class resources typically reserved for VC-funded startups.

“The repercussions of climate change are felt in every corner of the world with rising temperatures, increased frequencies of natural disasters, food and water insecurity, and economic disruption,” said Honnold. “Meanwhile, communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis are receiving the least amount of support, despite the best efforts of grassroots organizations and community leaders.”

Puerto Rico supermarket chain to add rooftop and carport solar

Michael Schoeck — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 17:55:52 +0000

The Plaza Loiza supermarkets will add up to 5 MW of rooftop solar generating capacity across eight stores, with its first location in Carolinas projected to provide a 60% reduction in its energy needs.

A San Juan, Puerto Rico supermarket chain has made a commitment to renewable energy by signing an energy-as-a-service agreement to install on-site solar at its eight store locations. Plaza Loíza, based in San Juan, this week became the first supermarket on the island to move forward with a rooftop solar portfolio to reduce energy costs, hedge against future electricity rate increase, and cut its carbon footprint.

Loiza’s first rooftop solar system sized at 520 kW will be installed over the coming months by Delta Energy Partners, LLC and ESCOPR, a local energy efficiency engineering firm. James Tu, chief executive officer of Delta Energy Partners, the project developer, told pv magazine USA the first solar system in Carolina, Puerto Rico uses a 290 kW rooftop array with additional carport PV systems providing 230 kW, bringing total onsite generating capacity to 520 kW.

With a number of Plaza Loiza’s markets located in shopping malls not requiring carport systems, Tu said the supermarket portfolio could see up to 5 MW total solar installations using both rooftop and carport systems.

Delta Energy is using Boviet Gamma mono bifacial PERC solar modules and Hoymiles HM series microinverters across the supermarket portfolio, Tu said.

The developer applied for a net metering permit from PREPA, Puerto Rico’s grid manager and power authority, as well as construction permits for carports at the Carolina project site, and expects to complete installation by May, with other projects across the San Juan portfolio to follow.

Including energy audits, installation, and a 25-year maintenance agreement, the Carolina, P.R. supermarket project requires no upfront capital investment from Plaza Loíza, which will pay for solar energy at a significantly lower rate than what local power company Luma Energy currently charges, according to Delta Energy Partners. Luma is a consortium made up of Canadian firm Atco Energy and Quanta Services.

“We are thrilled to work with DEP and ESCOPR to bring solar power to our properties and stores, starting at the Metropolis shopping center in Carolina,” said Ferdysac Márquez, president of Plaza Loiza. “This project, using the EaaS model, will significantly reduce our carbon footprint, helping us achieve our goal to be more friendly to our environment and decrease our energy cost, at a time when Puerto Rico’s power rate is already high and continues to increase.”

Puerto Rico could be an epitome of what’s coming for the global energy transition, Tu told pv magazine USA. The island relies heavily on fossil fuel for its power source and following increased frequency and severity of climate change-linked storms, creates a huge opportunity for distributed generation resources such as rooftop solar and energy efficiency solutions.

In addition, Puerto Rico’s electric rate costs continue to rise, with a seven time increase over the last 18 months due to the privatization of Puerto Rico’s transmission and generation assets, which now reflect the true cost of maintenance and upgrade for the power infrastructure, Tu said.

The Puerto Rico commonwealth’s January 2022 bankruptcy exit led to the U.S. Financial Oversight and Management Board overseeing its finances, making it harder for the local government to continue to subsidize utility cost increases across the island. Climate change and the island government’s solvency have forced residents and businesses to seek energy efficiency and solar energy.

Delta Energy Partners, based in Fort Lee, N.J., has provided energy as a service solutions to Puerto Rico commercial and government entities since 2014, though its business saw multiple disruptions between 2018 and 2022 due to Hurricane Maria and the COVID-19 pandemic, Tu said.

The company chose Puerto Rico to provide Net Zero Building solutions, from energy efficient LED lighting to distributed energy such as rooftop solar projects, Tu said.

With a no-money down cost structure, Delta Energy and ESCOPR are paving the way for more island grocery stores and retailers to deploy onsite solar systems. The partnership between Plaza Loíza, Delta Energy and ESCOPR is just one of many examples of collaboration in the island aimed at promoting clean energy and reducing energy costs.

Energy Resilience Relief

This week the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office released a Request for Information (RFI) to gather feedback from stakeholders in Puerto Rico on how to allocate $1 billion managed through the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF).

After recent hurricanes and decades of underinvestment in the island’s electric grid, the new funding will be developed to increase energy resilience and reduce the energy burden on the Caribbean island’s vulnerable residents. The investment also aligns with Puerto Rico’s public energy policy to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050 as well as the Biden Administration’s commitment to improving the island’s energy system.

The PR-ERF package will be managed by the Grid Deployment Office in consultation with the Federal Energy Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The agency is requesting information from Puerto Rican stakeholders about both short- and long-term energy solutions including residential rooftop solar deployment, community and critical service energy resilience, non-profit partnerships, and workforce training to sustain the island’s clean energy economy.

Feedback for the PR-ERF process, including identifying priority energy technologies and solutions, eligibility, funding structure, and timing, can be provided to government stakeholders by April 21 at 5 p.m. ET by emailing: PuertoRicoGDO@hq.doe.gov. Initial funding from the program is expected to be administered by the end of 2023.

**A Luma Energy spokesman responded to pv magazine USA by e-mail on Feb. 27, 2023, saying the company has not raised or proposed to raise customer rates in Puerto Rico. The spokesman said Luma Energy has no control over how rising fuel prices may directly impact customer rates or bills, which are exclusively set by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB). Additionally, Luma Energy supports renewable energy growth in the Puerto Rico commonwealth, including connecting 42,000 P.R. residents to rooftop solar, adding over 270 MW of renewable electricity to the grid, among other initiatives which include shorter interconnection times, distributed energy systems and connecting a 27 MW wind farm to the P.R. grid following Hurricane Maria.

Government releases $1 billion Puerto Rico energy resilience relief package

Michael Schoeck — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 13:55:42 +0000

The government package includes two rounds that will fund residential solar and storage projects, followed by resilience solutions such as microgrids, community solar and grid modernization.

After recent hurricanes and decades of underinvestment in the island’s electric grid, the new funding will be developed to increase energy resilience and reduce the energy burden on the Caribbean island’s vulnerable residents. The U.S. investment also aligns with Puerto Rico’s public energy policy to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050 as well as the Biden Administration’s commitment to improving the island’s energy system.

After Hurricane Fiona, in October 2022 President Joseph Biden visited the island and committed to leveraging the technical support of Federal agencies to support improvements to Puerto Rico’s electric grid. Then in December, Biden signed the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act into law, which includes $1 billion for the PR-ERF funding to drive key investments in renewable and resilient energy infrastructure in Puerto Rico.

The PR-ERF package will be managed by the Grid Deployment Office in consultation with the Federal Energy Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The PR-ERF calls for at least two rounds of funding:

The first round will rapidly deploy residential rooftop solar and energy storage for vulnerable households and households that include individuals with disabilities.
The subsequent round of investments may include energy resilience solutions like community solar, microgrids, and other grid modernization solutions as well as potential partnerships with local groups and workforce training.

To read more about PR-ERF click here.

“For far too long, Puerto Ricans have endured an unreliable and expensive electric system with frequent blackouts due to catastrophic weather events and aging infrastructure,” said Agustín Carbó, Director of the Puerto Rico Grid Modernization and Recovery Team. “This historic investment will be transformative for many Puerto Rican families, keeping the lights on through power outages, providing peace of mind during hurricane season, and saving them more money and reducing high electric bills with these clean energy solutions.”

Earlier this year six U.S. national laboratories described how Puerto Rico could reach 40% renewable energy generation by 2025, as mandated by Puerto Rico’s Act 17. The U.S. territory could reach 36% renewables by 2025 if 3.75 GW of utility-scale solar and 1.5 GW of storage that Puerto Rico has mandated utility authority PREPA to procure were constructed and interconnected by year-end 2025, which would be “very rapid deployment,” the national laboratories said in a report.

Delays at multiple stages have slowed six tranches of planned renewables procurements that the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau mandated PREPA to undertake in an August 2020 order. While the Energy Bureau ordered requests for proposals for the first five procurements by year-end 2022, only two RFPs have been issued so far to PREPA.

Although Puerto Rico’s Act 17 mandated that PREPA reach 20% renewables by 2022, renewables provided 3% of generation in 2022, said Marisol Bonnet, team lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Puerto Rico Energy Recovery Team, during a webinar describing the report by the six national laboratories.

P.J. Wilson, president of the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico, whose group the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico is a participant in the “PR100” initiative that produced the report, said the initiative is a “space for all stakeholders to join minds to define the technical pathways” for Puerto Rico to reach 100% renewable electricity by 2050—the final mandate of Puerto Rico’s Act 17. The PR100 process, he said, also “encourages federal funding to align with Puerto Rico energy policy, local resilience needs and industry best practices.”

Puerto Rico could approach 40% renewables by 2025

William Driscoll — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 13:30:07 +0000

Rapidly deploying 5.2 GW of planned solar and storage in Puerto Rico to reach 36% renewables, a possibility raised in a report by six national laboratories, would require an improvement in the Puerto Rico utility’s practices, which involve delays at several steps of the procurement process.

Six U.S. national laboratories have described in a report how Puerto Rico could reach 40% renewable electricity by 2025, as mandated by Puerto Rico’s Act 17.

To reach 40% would require an additional “hundreds of megawatts” of renewable generation, the report said, assuming a capacity factor of 20% for the initial 3.75 GW of solar.

So far, delays at multiple stages have slowed six tranches of planned renewables procurements that the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau mandated PREPA to undertake in an August 2020 order.

While the Energy Bureau’s order guided PREPA to issue requests for proposals for the first five procurements by year-end 2022, only two RFPs have been issued so far.

In the first procurement, PREPA required all bidders to submit a “best and final offer” not once, but four times, said PJ Wilson, president of the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico. Then PREPA ultimately told bidders they had to bid a specific price of about 10.5 cents/kWh, Wilson said, adding “the whole process was unusual, drawn-out, unclear, and painful.” The Energy Bureau has hired the consulting firm Accion Group to oversee the second procurement, “and presumably” future procurements, Wilson said.

Another hurdle is that solar and storage projects approved by PREPA must also be approved by the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB), a body created by a 2016 U.S. law.

After solar projects in the first procurement earn all required approvals, there is a final step known as a “closing date.” Wilson said his understanding is that closing dates are scheduled separately for all projects and spread out over several months, and that “until the final closing contracts are signed, developers could still back out.”

As a result, the first procurement has not yet resulted in any signed contracts with the developers of 845 MW of solar projects, Wilson said. Two energy storage projects for that procurement, totaling 220 MW/880 MWh, are awaiting approval from the FOMB, he added.

For the second procurement, although no information on bids has been posted online, Wilson said “we’re hearing informally” that more than 40 bids totaling 1,800 MW of projects had been submitted.

As for the third procurement, for which the Energy Bureau had guided PREPA to issue an RFP in December 2021, the Accion Group has not yet announced when the RFP will be issued, Wilson said.

More key findings

Accelerated near-term deployment of utility-scale solar, land-based wind, and storage will reduce system investment and operational costs, the report said, and by 2025 these resources will cost less than just the operating costs of fossil-fueled generators. That assessment does not yet consider incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, which the study team will incorporate as it prepares a final study this year.

Rapid deployment of both fossil-fired and renewable generation could lead to “significant stranded assets,” cautioned the report, if distributed generation such as rooftop solar and storage eventually dominates Puerto Rico’s energy supply.

Puerto Rico could increase energy reliability and resilience to hurricanes, the report advised, with both rooftop solar plus storage, and virtual power plants that aggregate storage.

Asked on the webinar how the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s work is addressing generation shortfalls in Puerto Rico while transitioning to renewable resources, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that “any of the generation work that FEMA adds to the system is strictly temporary, to allow emergency repairs to be made to the current system.” A nonprofit group has filed a lawsuit against FEMA under the Freedom of Information Act to disclose its funding for renewable versus fossil generation.

Wilson, whose group the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico is a participant in the “PR100” initiative that produced the report, said the initiative is a “space for all stakeholders to join minds to define the technical pathways” for Puerto Rico to reach 100% renewable electricity by 2050—the final mandate of Puerto Rico’s Act 17. The PR100 process, he said, also “encourages federal funding to align with Puerto Rico energy policy, local resilience needs and industry best practices.”

Center for Biological Diversity sues FEMA to disclose funding for renewables versus fossils

William Driscoll — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:00:44 +0000

With billions of dollars of federal disaster relief funding having been allocated to restore energy infrastructure, the Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit to obtain federal records on how that money has been spent.

The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the Federal Emergency Management Agency to promptly disclose how much disaster response funding it has spent for fossil fuel infrastructure, and how much for renewable energy resources.

The Center also seeks records on FEMA’s plans to transition its investments away from fossil fuels and toward renewables.

The group requested the spending records in late 2021 under the Freedom of Information Act, but FEMA “has neither produced any records nor provided any anticipated timetable” for doing so, the lawsuit says.

Two other groups said early in 2021 that FEMA’s $9.6 billion allocated for Puerto Rico’s grid reconstruction after hurricanes Irma and Maria should be used to support rooftop solar and storage. The two groups, Cambio and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, found that distributed solar and storage could provide 75% of the U.S. territory’s power by 2035, at potentially lower cost than the existing grid and generation mix.

“The public has a right to know how many billions of taxpayer dollars FEMA is spending to help prop up the fossil-fuel industrial complex and worsen the climate emergency,” said Augusta Wilson, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “FEMA should be leading the way to construct rooftop solar and storage, not doubling down on the dirty energy status quo.”

A Center report last year outlined steps that the President and Executive Branch could take, including with FEMA programs, to “address the climate crisis,” the group’s lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said the Center “has spent and will continue to spend financial resources” advancing its climate campaign, “which requires a better understanding” of how FEMA is carrying out its post-disaster programs.

The Center said in a statement that a 2021 FEMA report titled “Resources for Climate Resilience” and the agency’s 2022 to 2026 strategic plan “do not mention any efforts to reduce the agency’s reliance on fossil fuels” in its disaster response programs.

The Center’s lawsuit also names as a defendant the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for the supervision, management and control of FEMA’s activities.

Sunrise brief: Don’t let the solar lights go out in California

pv magazine — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 11:22:45 +0000

Also on the rise: American Battery Factory chooses Tucson as the place for giga-plant. Biden admin wants to shore up resiliency with solar-plus-storage in Puerto Rico. And more.

Next-generation factories promise a brighter future for solar manufacturing The digital transformation of scalable and cost-effective solar manufacturing is key to enabling the anticipated growth in clean energy alternatives.

American Battery Factory to build Tucson, Arizona battery cell gigafactory The battery Gigafactory will bring 300 initial full-time jobs, scaling up to 1,000 cumulative jobs over time.

50 states of solar incentives: Arkansas The Natural State now stands at the precipice of a multi-gigawatt solar wave as its out-of-state utility pulls the plug on natural gas and coal generation looking to 2030.

Biden admin seeks $3 billion for rooftop solar and storage in Puerto Rico The unincorporated territory continually suffers from grid blackouts following the landfall of hurricanes.

Transmission needed to carry wind power from the central U.S. eastward, DOE finds To cost-effectively reach a high level of renewable generation, additional transmission will be needed to connect the wind belt in the central U.S. to eastern grids, according to early results from a Department of Energy study.

Market headwinds persist through 2023 for rapid deployment of renewable energy, report finds A Deloitte survey of power sector executives found that 56% of respondents think it could take two to three years to ease supply chain constraints in the U.S. clean energy market.

Don’t let the solar lights go out in California California deserves its shining reputation as an incubator of innovative environmental policies that protect our planet. But the Golden State is now at risk of dimming its own success.

Even with tariffs in place, there’s still room for growth in solar installations A significant volume of solar cells and wafers made in southeast Asia by the largest solar manufacturers in the world, including Jinko, JA Solar, LONGi, Trina, may have the opportunity to legally avoid the tariffs.

Freepoint constructs 7 MW community solar project in Greene County, N.Y. The project developed on a 32-acre parcel southwest of Coxsackie, N.Y. will serve about 650 residential and commercial customers in Central Hudson Gas service territory.

How clean energy technologies achieve commercial success Analysts study lab-to-market pathways for clean energy technologies including a look at the development of First Solar’s cadmium-telluride thin film solar modules.

Biden admin seeks $3 billion for rooftop solar and storage in Puerto Rico

Ryan Kennedy — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 16:05:01 +0000

The unincorporated territory continually suffers from grid blackouts following the landfall of hurricanes.

The Biden Administration has issued a request to Congress to fund a $3 billion buildout of rooftop solar and energy storage in Puerto Rico to make a more climate-resilient energy grid.

The funds would be provided to the Grid Deployment Office account of the Department of Energy (DOE), providing grants to low-income households in Puerto Rico to purchase and install solar and battery storage systems and energy distribution technology. The administration said these systems can increase resilience for households during blackouts and outages resulting from natural disasters.

Puerto Rico has suffered widespread blackout after blackout as hurricanes continue to intensify and knock out existing infrastructure. In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria led to long-lasting widespread blackouts and the deaths of over 4,000 people. The damage to the grid took over 11 months to repair and reactivate.

“Equipping the most vulnerable households with rooftop solar could quite literally save lives. These families deserve the same access to energy security as the people who are already buying solar panels and batteries in droves,” said Raúl Grijalva, House Natural Resources Committee Chair.

A growing number of Puerto Ricans have adopted rooftop solar, but the majority continue to rely on the central power grid or backup diesel-fired generators. Electricity blackouts have exacerbated public health crises and researchers estimate there was a 62% increase in mortality in the three months directly following Maria’s landfall.

Following the landfall of Hurricane Fiona in 2021, solar-plus-storage systems played an instrumental role in keeping the lights on while the centralized grid was down. Sunnova Energy International reported that its solar and battery storage systems powered the homes of over 30,000 customers in Puerto Rico during the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, from September 18 to October 1, 2022, while the grid was down.

During those two weeks, most residents in Puerto Rico were without power, Sunnova reports that its SunSafe solar-plus-storage systems generated a total of nearly 2 GWh of energy total with 3.4 million hours of aggregate back-up power, or an average of 128 hours of power generated per household. These customers averaged 5.3 days of solar-plus-storage battery backup with many residents remaining dependent on their Sunnova system for more than 10 days.

“Out of our more than 30,000 Sunnova SunSafe systems in Puerto Rico, only 59 required repair in the two weeks following the Hurricane, and Sunnova dispatched crews immediately to repair or replace non-performing systems, whether they were leased or owned,” said Michael Grasso, chief marketing and growth officer of Sunnova. “Looking ahead, we see an opportunity for distributed power to play a larger role in Puerto Rico by networking our solar + storage systems into powerful virtual power plants that would complement the centralized electric system and drive increased grid resiliency.”

The Biden administration also requested $35 million is for technical assistance to other agencies, local entities, and communities throughout Puerto Rico to assist with energy recovery and grid modernization activities; and salaries and travel expenses for dedicated DOE staff for Puerto Rico. These activities include convening stakeholders to prioritize near-term investments and develop mitigation strategies against future storms and working directly with communities to design specific energy solutions.

SESA’s Chief Policy Officer Javier Rúa said the NREL study of Puerto Rico’s solar potential “represents the commitment that we’ve seen by the Biden administration and the agencies to help Puerto Rico fulfill its self-legislated goal to 100 percent renewables.” Wilson said the study will be “a big step towards every Puerto Rican having solar and storage and completely resilient power during the next hurricane.”

Off-grid solar plus storage EV ARC systems to be deployed by Puerto Rico government agencies

Michael Schoeck — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 19:10:25 +0000

Puerto Rico's power grid requires more than $130 billion in repairs after recent hurricanes. Solar and storage companies have provided distributed energy solutions in the aftermath of increasing storms.

Beam Global, a distributor of solar-plus-storage EV charging stations, announced that the Puerto Rico government will begin deploying the company’s EV Arc charging systems to power government vehicles and aid in disaster preparedness and grid resiliency.

The US Department of Homeland Security is funding the commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s EV Arc deployments under a general services administration contract, in which the federal contract can be made available to state and local entities.

“Governments and companies are becoming increasingly reliant on electricity for fuel as the adoption of EVs is rapidly accelerating, said Desmond Wheatly, chief executive officer of Beam Global. “The increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters calls for heightened disaster preparedness. Beam products are designed and engineered to perform in extreme conditions.”

According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), grid outages have increased by 64% over the last decade, with 83% of grid outages caused by a weather event.

The most recent Hurricane Irma and Maria caused more than $130 billion in damage to Puerto Rico’s electric grid to fix and replace the island’s infrastructure, while many companies such as Beam, Sunrun and Sunnova Energy have provided solar and storage products to residents and government agencies across the island.

Beam’s EV Arc is a mobile and off-grid charging system comprised of a 4.3 kW solar module whose canopy measures 21 feet by 10.6 feet and provides up to 265 miles of AC powered charging range using J-1772 connections for most EV models. The battery can be installed in 22, 32 or 43 kWh power output configurations.

The system stands at 15.3 feet height and weighs in at just under 12,500 pounds, capable of withstanding winds of 120 miles per hour, and flood-proof to 9.5 feet.

In March, Beam acquired AllCell Technologies, allowing the EV charging systems integrator to source its own lithium-ion batteries internally from a producer of batteries from North America.

Sunrise brief: Solar-plus-storage kept the lights on in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona

pv magazine — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 11:42:01 +0000

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Solar-plus-storage kept the lights on in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona Sunnova SunSafe solar + storage systems generated a total of nearly 2 GWh of energy total with 3.4 million hours of aggregate back-up power, or an average of 128 hours of power generated per household.

Solar-plus-storage kept the lights on in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona

Anne Fischer — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 14:19:57 +0000

Sunnova SunSafe solar + storage systems generated a total of nearly 2 GWh of energy total with 3.4 million hours of aggregate back-up power, or an average of 128 hours of power generated per household.

Sunnova Energy International reports that its solar and battery storage systems powered the homes of over 30,000 customers in Puerto Rico during the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, from September 18 to October 1, 2022, while the centralized power system was down.

During those two weeks most residents in Puerto Rico were without power, Sunnova reports that its SunSafe solar-plus-storage systems generated a total of nearly 2 GWh of energy total with 3.4 million hours of aggregate back-up power, or an average of 128 hours of power generated per household. These customers averaged 5.3 days of solar-plus-storage battery backup with many residents remaining dependent on their Sunnova system for more than 10 days.

“We’re proud of our long history and commitment to Puerto Rico that includes an investment of more than $1 billion in building residential solar and storage systems on the island. That investment meant 30,000 customers were able to keep the lights on and their families safe,” said John Berger, CEO of Sunnova. “We believe this demonstrates that in times of an emergency, a solar + storage system provides homeowners the peace of mind that comes with producing and storing their own power. As the largest provider of distributed residential solar power on the island, Sunnova is committed to providing Puerto Ricans with clean, resilient and affordable energy services backed by the best service in the industry.”

Fiona was not the only hurricane to wreak havoc on Puerto Rico in recent years. In 2017 Hurricane Maria struck, wiping out power to some villages for months, giving rise to localized microgrids such as one set up in the village of Castañer, developed by the community in collaboration with The Solar Foundation and the Microgrid Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. Since that time, Puerto Rico’s utility, PREPA, has been developing its integrated resource plan, which will include microgrids going forward.

In April 2019, Governor Rosselló signed legislation to move the island to 100% renewable energy. And understanding the need for backup power, last year the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority issued a request for proposals for a total of 3.75 GW or renewables and 1.5 GW of energy storage, which resulted in project bids for 800 MW of utility-scale solar and 220 MW of storage that were forwarded the Puerto Rico Energy Board for approval. Just this month a second round of a tender scheme was issued, designed to allocate 3.75 GW of renewables capacity and 1.5 GW of storage.

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U.S. Steel Corporation site to be powered by 312 MW Arkansas solar project Entergy Arkansas announced the approval of the project, which is expected to reach commercial operations in 2024.

RFP alert: Puerto Rico launches tender for 1 GW of renewables, 500 MW of storage

Luis Ini — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 13:28:58 +0000

Puerto Rico’s latest procurement exercise is the second round of a tender scheme designed to allocate 3.75 GW of renewables capacity and 1.5 GW of storage.

From pv magazine LatAm

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has launched a request for proposals (RFP) to allocate 1 GW of renewable energy capacity and 500 MW of storage.

The procurement exercise is being held in accordance with the Integrated Resource Plan, which was approved by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau in August 2020. It is the second round of a tender scheme launched in February 2021. The deadline for the submission of proposals is Nov. 14. Selected developers will be awarded 25-year power purchase agreements.

The island’s grid has been changing since it was destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. Puerto Rican leaders and regulators have pushed to rebuild the island’s power infrastructure with a stronger focus on renewable energy.

Under Act 17, which was signed into law in 2019, PREPA must obtain 20% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2022, 40% by 2025, 60% by 2040, and 100% by 2050.