Puerto Rico to officially go 100% renewable

[jpak]

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2019/03/26/puerto-rico-to-officially-go-100-renewable/

It is a cleaner morning than ever, or at least it will be soon in Puerto Rico, as the island’s legislature has given final approval to Senate Bill 1121. Now all that’s left for the bill is its anticipated signing by Governor Ricardo Rosselló, who just happens to be a strong proponent of 100% renewable energy.

SB 1121 establishes a 100% renewable energy renewable portfolio standard (RPS) by 2050. What’s more is that this isn’t your standard RPS policy, SB 1121 also bans coal plants starting in 2028, institutes a maximum 90-day utility approval period for commercial and industrial solar projects, read as projects between 25 kW and 5 MW, establishes automatic interconnection to the grid for residential solar systems under 25 kW and exempts energy storage systems from sales taxes.

As it is with any good plan, it’s not just like the island nation expects to wake up in 31 years and be magically at 100% renewables, either, as the bill introduces benchmarks to be hit along the way. The primary figures are marks of 40% renewables by 2025 and 60% by 2040.

The lead-up to and development of SB 1121 was largely influence by the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. During the recovery from that storm, which left some parts of the island without power for as many as 11 months, consensus began to rise that a fossil fuel-fired, centralized energy system was not going to power the island’s future.

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[Firestorm49]

1. Three cheers for a progressive agenda. More power (pun intended) to them.

[at140]

2. What happens to all the gasoline powered cars in

Puerto Rico? Battery powered cars are not green if the electricity used to charge batteries comes from a non-green power plant.

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Puerto Rico governor signs 100% renewable energy mandate

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/puerto-rico-governor-signs-100-renewable-energy-mandate/552614/

Puerto Rico governor signs 100% renewable energy mandate

Published
April 12, 2019

Dive Brief:

• Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Thursday signed into law a 100% renewable energy mandate that the hurricane-battered island must meet by 2050.
• The Public Energy Policy Law of Puerto Rico, passed last month by territory legislators, directs the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to source 40% of its power from renewables by 2025 and cease burning coal in 2028 on its way to 100% renewables.
• The signing comes days after a Department of Energy official recommended the installation of a large gas generator in San Juan, but admitted it "may be at odds" with the 100% goal. PREPA's CEO told reporters it is evaluating the proposal in its revised integrated resource plan.

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