Join the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) project team conducting the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transition to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100) for a public webinar and Q&A on July 21, 2022, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm ET. They will present the progress made at the six-month mark of this important stakeholder-informed study and the critical information it provides for Puerto Rico’s power sector recovery and deployment of renewable energy.

“DOE is committed to strengthening Puerto Rico’s grid resilience and advancing new initiatives to enhance their energy future,” said the Department of Energy Office of Electricity Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Gil Bindewald. “DOE, along with FEMA, are leveraging the expertise and world-class capabilities of our national labs to conduct the PR100 study, a community-driven and locally tailored pathways to help Puerto Rico meet their renewable energy goals, improve power sector resilience, and increase access to more affordable energy and cleaner air.”

Puerto Rico committed to meeting its electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050 in the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act of 2019 (Act 17). Various technology solutions, including renewable generation, energy storage, distributed generation, and energy efficient loads, can be deployed to meet Puerto Rico’s energy targets for end-use electrification and phase-out of fossil fuels. The robust modeling and analysis of the National Labs can measure the impacts and tradeoffs of different pathways through 2050 to help the people of Puerto Rico make informed choices. The study is led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and convenes subject matter experts across six national laboratories.

Since PR100 was launched last February, the project team has met monthly with energy sector stakeholders to discuss considerations such as energy justice, land use, data inputs, and definitions of resilience, as well as desired project outputs. From this insight, the team defined four potential ways, or scenarios, in which Puerto Rico can meet its near-term renewable energy targets until reaching the ultimate goal of 100% by 2050. The primary distinction between the four scenarios is varying levels of distributed solar photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage, and all will result in increased energy reliability and resilience. The next phase of the study will focus on modeling and analyzing the feasibility, impacts, and tradeoffs of each scenario.

“In close collaboration with DOE and the Government of Puerto Rico, we remain focused on supporting this project as part of our shared vision to restore the electric system on the island in a manner that is resilient against the impacts of future disasters,” said FEMA’s Federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator José Baquero.

PR100 is supported by FEMA through an interagency agreement with DOE’s Office of Electricity to address the need for resilient, reliable, and affordable energy in every city and community in Puerto Rico. The results—including data, visualizations, and models—will help Puerto Rico’s energy systems stakeholders make informed decisions, mitigate risks, and strengthen confidence in future investments and their alignment with Puerto Rico’s renewable energy goals.

The primary vehicle for community feedback in PR100 is an advisory group made up of more than 80 Puerto Rico energy system stakeholders. They provide invaluable expertise and perspectives from academia, community-based and environmental organizations, private solar and storage developers, and sectors. The Hispanic Federation of Puerto Rico has also joined the project team to serve as meeting facilitator and to advise on effective community engagement.

The webinar on July 21, from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm ET, will detail the frameworks for four clean energy scenarios that would achieve Puerto Rico’s goals for resilience and 100% renewable energy. This event is open to the public and all are welcome to register to attend and participate in a Q&A with the PR100 team. Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided, as well as closed captioning. Leadership from DOE, FEMA, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide a progress update on Puerto Rico recovery work and their plans for the future.

For more regular updates on the PR100 study, join the online community for PR Energy Recovery and Resilience. Members receive updates from DOE and the multi-lab project team and connect with each other to implement the pathway to 100% renewable energy. Register here to join the community, hosted on Mobilize.