The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday that $365 million originally slated for solar projects in Puerto Rico will be diverted to improve the island’s crumbling power grid, sparking an outcry just days before the Atlantic hurricane season starts.
The funds had been in limbo in recent weeks, with the Department of Energy missing a recent deadline to finalize contracts worth $365 million that would see battery-operated solar systems installed at health clinics and public housing units in Puerto Rico.
The money had been set aside for that purpose under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.
Grantees that include the nonprofit Hispanic Federation had said the funds were urgently needed to provide stable power to people including those on dialysis as major outages continue to hit Puerto Rico.
“Pretending that reallocating these funds will make any immediate difference on the stability of the electric grid, when the grid already has an $18 billion allocation, is just a way to distract from the real consequences of their decision. Puerto Rico deserves better,” said Frankie Miranda, the federation’s CEO and president.
The Department of Energy said in a statement that the money would now be used “to support technologies that improve system flexibility and response, power flow and control, component strength, supply security, and safety.”
Posted by John3262005
1 Comment
On the one hand, we certainly do need to spend a lot of money on the power grid, and this will indirectly benefit solar. On the other hand, you just know the administration saw “solar=woke=bad” and that’s why they are doing this.