Puerto Rico’s blackout crisis drags on as solar dreams stall and federal dollars sit idle

Puerto Rico’s blackout crisis drags on as solar dreams stall and federal dollars sit idle

Despite billions in recovery funds and a bold renewable energy mandate, Puerto Rico remains trapped in a cycle of blackouts, political gridlock, and public frustration.Gloria Gonzalez reports for Politico.In short:Puerto Rico’s electric grid is the most fragile in the U.S., with frequent blackouts disrupting daily life, healthcare access, and education for 3.2 million residents.Congress allocated over $20 billion post-Hurricane Maria to fix the …

Solx announces Puerto Rico’s first solar module factory

The 1 GW factory will produce 625 W solar panels for the utility-scale market.Solx, a domestically owned and operated solar manufacturer, announced it will open Puerto Rico’s first solar module manufacturing facility. The factory will open in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico with an initial $25 million initial investment. It is located at a former Hewett-Packard site. The facility will have an initial 1 GW output. A company spokesperson told pv magazine U…

Trump, Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico’s Perennially Broken Power Grid

Politico’s Gloria Gonzalez, with support from the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Fund for Environmental Journalism, takes a deep dive into Puerto Rico’s perennial energy problems, and the roles of Donald Trump, Bad Bunny, and LUMA Energy in the crisis. Puerto Rico has the least reliable energy system of any place in the U.S. Puerto Ricans experience about 15 percent more service interruptions and about 21 percent longer outages than thei…