Biden administration pushes to redirect Puerto Rico solar resilience funds to bankrupt utility
By
Naveena Sadasivam
A five-star bake. Worth schmearing, sharing, saving.
Summary
The Biden administration's Department of Energy developed a plan to distribute $1 billion in solar energy funds to about 40,000 low-income Puerto Ricans for rooftop solar and battery systems. However, the government is now pushing to divert these funds to Puerto Rico's bankrupt utility company instead, undermining the original congressional intent to provide resilient backup power to vulnerable residents who need reliable electricity for health conditions and emergency preparedness.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledWhen Congress approved a $1 billion Energy Resilience Fund for Puerto Rico in 2022, the money was desperately needed.
Multiple hurricanes had battered the island's notoriously fragile electric grid, and lawmakers envisioned the money supporting rooftop solar and battery systems that could provide resilient backup power during emergencies.
Biden officials envisioned a net
You might also wanna read
Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Provide Resilience During Island-Wide Blackout
Puerto Rico experienced a widespread blackout, but the town of Adjuntas remained powered by solar microgrids during the outage. The island's
spectrum.ieee.org·11mo ago
EPA Cancels $7 Billion Solar For All Program, Sparking Disappointment
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cancelled the $7 billion Solar For All program, a Biden-era initiative aimed at providing s
Dezeen·10mo ago
US and TotalEnergies Agree to Terminate $1 Billion Offshore Wind Projects, Redirect Funds to Fossil Fuels
The United States and French energy company TotalEnergies have reached an agreement worth nearly $1 billion to terminate TotalEnergies' offs
lemonde.fr·2mo ago
Trump Administration Approves $1 Billion Loan to Restart Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor with Microsoft Power Purchase Agreement
The Trump administration is providing Constellation Energy with a $1 billion loan to restart a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island, which h
techcrunch.com·7mo ago
Trump Administration Cancels North America's Largest Solar Project
The Trump administration has cancelled the Esmeralda 7 solar project, which was the largest solar development in North America, marking anot
politico.com·8mo ago