Staff and Wire Reports
Clean tech firm Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) will develop a solar-plus-storage microgrid in Maricao, Puerto Rico through the Puerto Rican Solar Business Accelerator (PRSBA).
One of the smallest municipalities in Puerto Rico, Maricao competed with 12 communities for the microgrid project, which will include approximately 75 kW in solar photovoltaic installations. The project will be located in the town center and benefit diverse community facilities including health care providers, banks, and other businesses that provide service to a population of about 5,430
“We are particularly enthusiastic about working with Maricao to achieve energy resiliency for their business sector. In this project we can tie community development with energy justice and resiliency to provide Maricao, one of the most isolated municipalities in Puerto Rico, an equal opportunity for a dependable and affordable energy infrastructure,” Carlos Alberto Velázquez López, the Program Director for IREC in Puerto Rico, said. “This is a project that does justice to the current population of Maricao and brings with it the possibility of economic development for future populations.”
The Monte Azul Foundation led the community organizing efforts with residents, small business owners and the municipal government. The University of Puerto Rico—Mayagüez will provide engineering and technical support.
Monte Azul Foundation’s Executive Director Andrew Hermann said, “The town will benefit significantly from a sustainable energy source. It is a step in the right direction toward resilient energy and energy justice. The microgrid will increase the reliability of energy, which will enhance quality of life. The project will also reduce power outages and the cost of electricity for small business owners in town, creating a positive ripple effect in the local economy of Maricao.”
Puerto Rico’s grid has been devastated by various hurricanes which have trampled the nation in recent years. Much of the island’s power generation is centralized on one side, while the transmission system must deliver it on the other side.
Microgrids and and distributed solar-energy storage combinations can alleviate those power delivery challenges even after extreme weather events.
