Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund

Background on the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund

On February 21, 2023, the Grid Deployment Office launched the $1 billion Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF) to support Puerto Rico’s grid resilience efforts. After recent natural disasters and decades of underinvestment in the electric grid, this fund is being developed in consultation with local entities and communities to increase energy reliability and reduce the energy burden of vulnerable residents. The PR-ERF is funded by the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act and managed by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO) in consultation with the Federal Energy Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

DOE’s Marisol Bonnet, the Secretary’s Advisor on Puerto Rico, and Agustin Carbó, Director of the Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team, present a certificate of achievement to the Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña, a Solar Ambassador for the Programa Acceso Solar.

DOE and Solar Ambassadors from the Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña celebrate the installation of a residential solar and battery storage system in Jayuya, Puerto Rico.

Funding Opportunity Announcement

On July 31, 2023, GDO released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for up to $450 million to support residential rooftop solar and battery storage installations and offer consumer protection and education resources. Through this deployment-focused funding, DOE aims to incentivize the installation of roughly 30,000–40,000 residential solar and battery systems for Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable households. DOE will identify and enroll households through the Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program).

In November 2023, GDO announced the selectees for this FOA, including solar companies, nonprofits and cooperatives to begin negotiations for up to $440 million to install residential solar systems, as well as two nonprofits to support households with education, training, and consumer protection for these systems.

Learn more about the FOA and its selectees.

In February 2024, DOE launched the Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program) to connect low-income Puerto Rican households with subsidized residential solar and battery storage systems. The application period for this program has closed.

On September 30, 2025, DOE announced that it is reallocating up to $365 million dollars to address Puerto Rico’s grid resiliency crisis and keep energy affordable for Puerto Rico.  The funding will support practical fixes and emergency activities that offer faster, more impactful energy solutions. Balancing Puerto Rico’s energy supply and demand is crucial to the island’s security and economic prosperity. DOE’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO) will oversee the effort and provide the funding to Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to execute necessary repairs to the grid.

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Solar Ambassador Prize

To ensure that the FOA selectees can quickly deploy solar and battery systems where they are most needed, the Solar Ambassador Prize is a complementary competitive funding opportunity for organizations in Puerto Rico to assist DOE in identifying, engaging, and assisting with intake processing of qualifying households for residential solar and battery installations.

In November 2023, DOE announced that it will award a total of $3.85 million to up to 16 community organizations selected to assist in this work.

Learn more about the recipients of the Solar Ambassador Prize.

Solar Ambassador Prize
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