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The Atlantic’s first named hurricane of the season is here, and it brings with it a reminder of the fragility of Puerto Rico’s storm-ravaged and otherwise neglected power grid. Solar, batteries, and other clean energy strategies have already proven themselves as solutions to the island’s frequent outages, but the Trump administration is making it hard for that progress to continue.
Hurricane Erin is set to sweep by Puerto Rico this weekend, bringing with it high winds and heavy rains. Luckily, it’s not set to make landfall, but the close call could still pose problems for the island’s increasingly fragile power grid.
Even on storm-free days, the island’s grid is hardly a picture of stability, new data from the Energy Information Administration shows. Between 2021 and 2024, utility customers in Puerto Rico have faced an average of 27 hours of outages each year that have nothing to do with major events like hurricanes. Compare that to the mainland U.S., where customers usually face about two hours of interruptions not tied to major events. Puerto Rico’s power disruptions have grown more frequent in recent years, too.
What’s to blame for those outages? Power supply shortages, for one: The island relies on imported fossil fuels to run its power plants, and recently had to idle some of those facilities over a liquefied-natural-gas shipment dispute. Also at fault is the island’s collapsing transmission and distribution infrastructure.
A patchwork of projects around the island has shown that renewable energy can help tackle both of these problems.
In the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans installed tens of thousands of rooftop solar systems with batteries. Those households were among a “fortunate few” who still had power after Hurricane Fiona struck five years later and wiped out power lines once again, Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci reported in 2022. And amid the power-generation shortfall over the last few months, the island’s grid operator relied on customers’ batteries to keep the lights on, Canary’s Jeff St. John reports.
Instead of doubling down on distributed, clean energy, the Trump administration has prioritized patching up Puerto Rico’s grid. In May, the U.S. Energy Department decided to redirect $365 million in Biden-era funding for solar and battery storage toward grid-resiliency projects and ensuring an “affordable, reliable, and secure power supply.” The DOE also issued two emergency orders in May to expand always-on “baseload” power and clear overgrown vegetation that threatens power infrastructure, and on Thursday it extended those orders. Puerto Rico will also lose $156.1 million for solar projects in low-income communities if the Trump administration succeeds in rolling back Solar for All grants.
Grid repairs and upgrades are direly needed, to be sure. But in Trump speak, “reliable” and “baseload” power translates to fossil fuels — which have been anything but reliable for Puerto Rico in years past.
More big energy stories
DOT promises to unfreeze, streamline EV charger funding
The Trump administration issued what seems to be a surprise win for the EV industry and drivers this week. The Transportation Department released revised guidance for states to access National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program funding, after the DOT had blocked them from accessing money for EV charging stations for months.
The new guidance “slashes red tape and makes it easier for states to efficiently build out this infrastructure,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. Both Democrats and Republicans had criticized NEVI’s slow rollout: The $5 billion program has so far only built 378 chargers, Atlas Public Policy analyst Daniel Wilkins told Canary Media’s Jeff St. John. But environmental advocates warn that the revised DOT guidance could lead to even more delays, as it requires states to resubmit their plans for the funding.
States prioritize clean energy in the Big, Beautiful Bill’s wake
The U.S. Treasury Department is on the verge of announcing rules that will determine which projects qualify for wind and solar tax credits before they expire in the coming years. Experts predict the guidance will make it even harder to access those incentives, and states are now acting fast to guarantee cheaper clean energy while they can. As Canary Media’s Sarah Shemkus reported last month, Maine is moving to quickly procure tons of clean energy with the goal of getting projects under construction before the tax credits expire.
It’s not alone. This month, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) directed state agencies to cut “administrative barriers” and prioritize project reviews to speed clean energy deployment, Canary’s Maria Gallucci reports. Those two states and many others are expected to take further action once the Treasury’s new rules are out.
Clean energy news to know this week
Fighting for the grid: Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, is fighting what he calls the Trump administration’s “illegal” cancellation of a loan for the Grain Belt Express transmission line, saying the pullback will jeopardize needed electricity supply and promised jobs. (Canary Media)
Ford’s EV dreams: Ford announces its next “Model T moment,” involving plans to invest $2 billion into building more affordable EVs at its Kentucky assembly plant and to roll out a $30,000 electric pickup truck by 2027. (CNBC)
Past their prime: The Trump administration’s push to keep aging, polluting fossil-fuel power plants open past their planned retirement dates could end up costing U.S. utility customers between $3 billion and nearly $6 billion per year, a new report finds. (Canary Media)
Clean energy carries on: Tribes turn to philanthropy and conventional financing to continue deploying solar power and other clean energy projects as the Trump administration rolls back federal funding. (Grist)
Fracking’s labor letdown: The fracking boom has so far failed to bring the jobs it promised to Appalachia, and it likely never will as drillers continue to rely on out-of-town labor and few permanent employees, a new report finds. (Canary Media)
A check on utilities: A coalition of lawmakers and consumer and environmental advocates calls for reforming “broken” utility commissions across the country, and one Democratic House member reintroduces federal legislation to bar utilities from using customer dollars for political activities. (Utility Dive)
Big Tech Power Co.: Tech companies’ need for power to run data centers and investments in solar, wind, and other generation have turned them into major energy-industry players, rivaling even small utilities with their demand and production. (New York Times)
Proof? What proof? The Trump administration releases the report it claims offers proof that the Empire Wind project was approved based on “flawed science,” but blacks out almost everything in the document with redactions. (E&E News)
Prioritizing nuclear: The U.S. Energy Department will help 11 advanced nuclear reactor projects move more quickly toward deployment, with a goal of getting at least three test reactors operating by next July. (news release)
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