Strengthening Puerto Rico's energy system

Affordable, low-carbon electricity for healthier and more prosperous communities

Hurricane Maria severely damaged Puerto Rico’s infrastructure and created a public health emergency. As the frequency and severity of storms increase, Puerto Rico has an opportunity to prepare for the future and be a model of innovation and resilience for areas vulnerable to climate change.

Low-carbon microgrids improve grid resiliency and are key to modernizing Puerto Rico’s electricity system. These systems operate independently of the main grid in the event of a power failure and can help communities recover from major storms, creating a more prosperous future for Puerto Rican families.

Environmental Defense Fund is collaborating with local communities and coordinating with academic institutions, technical specialists and financial experts to bring these systems to Puerto Rico and support long-term solutions to the island’s energy crisis.

A unique, holistic approach

Rural communities in Puerto Rico often experience lengthier and more frequent service disruptions because it is harder and costlier for the traditional electric system to repair and maintain equipment in these remote locations. Following blackouts and environmental disasters, these conditions are only amplified.

EDF will design and integrate one or more community-scale low-carbon microgrid systems to bring reliable, affordable energy to communities in these remote locations. These systems will use local renewable resources to produce enough electric power to meet a community’s daily electricity needs reliably. They can help an area ride out a blackout without relying on traditional, dirty sources of energy.

With support from Fundación Colibrí, EDF will approach grid reconstruction holistically by offering technical expertise and innovative ideas to modernize the grid, devising sustainable financing tools and participating in energy reform initiatives.