The U.S. Department of Energy will provide up to $365 million to four teams building solar and battery storage systems on multifamily housing properties and community health care facilities in Puerto Rico, officials announced on December 12.
Energy Department officials expect to award up to $190 million from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund’s Resilient Communities Program for public housing projects or privately owned multifamily properties subsidized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development of the United States. A team led by the Puerto Rico Public Housing Administration is negotiating up to $83.2 million in aid from the Department of Energy, and a team led by Dynamic Solar Solutions is negotiating up to $107.3 millions of dollars.
Another $175 million is available for projects are community health care facilities. DOE officials selected one team led by Hispanic Federation Inc. for up to $58.3 million and another team led by Dynamic Solar Solutions for up to $116.2 million.
The selected teams already have a presence in Puerto Rico. Each will coordinate the development of projects in more than 100 properties.
An Energy Department representative said details of the project will not be available until award negotiations are complete.
DOE’s Office of Grid Deployment last year launched the $1 million fund to strengthen Puerto Rico’s power grid after 2017’s Hurricane Maria and other natural disasters, plus a chronic underinvestment, left him in an unreliable state. The fund is focused on increasing the resilience of the territory’s electricity network and helping it cover all its energy needs through renewable energy in 2050.
“Solar and battery storage is central to this strategy, and thanks to the innovative Resilient Communities Program, families will have expanded access to critical services and reliable electricity when and where they need it most,” said the secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, in a statement. .
Solar rates
The announcement came a day after the Office of the US Trade Representative announced tariff increases on solar wafers and other solar equipment materials from China starting January 1.
Tariffs on solar wafers and polysilicon will increase to 50%, and tariffs on certain tungsten products will increase to 25%.
“These actions will complement domestic investments made under the Biden-Harris administration to promote a clean energy economy, while increasing the resilience of critical supply chains,” said U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai in a statement
