Puerto Rico plans 240MW of solar capacity

Puerto Rico power utility AEE plans to add 240MW of solar capacity by June 2019, according to company director Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez (pictured), who revealed details of the plan in a press conference.

Ramos Rodríguez said the capacity will be generated by an unspecified number of large-scale PV plants built with private investment, all of which have been contracted.

An additional 300MW of renewable energy capacity would be built by June 2021, while 200MW of storage capacity would be installed in order to support distributed generation, he added.

Ramos Rodríguez said the new renewable capacity will enable a reduction in power prices, as the territory will be less dependent on fossil fuels.

The extra capacity is part of a plan to add 1.5GW by 2021, AEE said in a release.

The director said he is aware that solar distributed generation will be responsible for a considerable loss of clients for AEE, but the use of such technology is favorable to the transformation of the energy system.

The utility warned in July that the ceasing of operations at the AES Puerto Rico co-generation plant would raise electric power tariffs and cause grid instability.

In February, AEE simplified the rules for net metering, allowing a faster interconnection process for PV projects of up to 1MW and a one-step procedure for PV systems up to 10kW.

Puerto Rico had approximately 60MW of installed distributed generation PV capacity at end-2015.

Puerto Rico's energy crisis is linked to its difficult financial situation, with debts of approximately US$73bn, and which has obligated the island to request the financial support of the US on several occasions, AEE said.