Project Overview

The problem we are attempting to solve is that of the inefficient, outdated, and unreliable fossil fuel powered grid currently being used in Puerto Rico. 37% of generation in 2022 came from petroleum, while 43% came from natural gas, 17% from coal, and a measly 3% from renewable resources. Many of the existing fossil fuel powered generation plants in Puerto Rico are also near the end of their service lives, as they were built in the 1960s and 70s, making them extremely inefficient. All of these issues combined with the frequent extreme weather conditions that cause significant damage to the grid and the lack of permanent repairs after said storms create a situation where the price of electricity for Puerto Ricans is relatively high and they are forced to deal with frequent power outages.

Our project aims to provide a model as a reference for ensuring cheap and reliable power to all of Puerto Rico using photovoltaics combined with energy storage units. We need to ensure cheap and reliable power for citizens so that their appliances stay in top condition and nothing needs constant replacing or goes to waste. We need to ensure reliable energy for industries such as the medical industry with patients hooked up to and relying on electrical machines and with medical supplies needing refrigeration or filtration powered by electricity to remain usable. Finally we need to ensure the plan ensures this cheap and reliable energy for the government and the power companies so that it may be considered or adopted into Puerto Rico to provide resilience to natural disasters. This is a problem occurring all over Puerto Rico, especially since 2017 when natural disasters destroyed the electrical infrastructure of Puerto Rico. Electricity is a necessity and everybody in Puerto Rico relies on it to improve quality of life and even to keep them alive in some cases. This project will be completed by estimating costs to implement a modular, 50-home, micro PV grid which can interconnect or separate to deliver power to the grid or keep it where it is needed.