Step 1: Selection

Image: Unsplash. “Photo by Wei Zeng on Unsplash.” Unsplash.com, 22 Jan. 2020, unsplash.com/photos/city-near-body-of-water-during-daytime-48iZAbNgU8U.

Our Vision

After analyzing the possible ways to reach Puerto Rico’s Renewable Energy Objective (to meet all electricity needs with 100% renewable energy) while addressing the Problem Statement, we propose pairing each selected energy source –solar, wind, and hydro— with Energy Storage Systems (ESS). In other words, to ensure communities in the mountainous region of Puerto Rico have electricity, we propose to set up microgrids (an independent electrical system able to distribute cleanly sourced electrical power where needed) that incorporate an energy storage system.

Map Introduction & Selection Process

We chose the locations on the interactive map to present a geographical range of communities within the mountainous regions of Puerto Rico with great potential for different renewable energy systems. This map is intended to serve as a point of comparison to provide location-specific suggestions for users who live in other regions but have similar geography and other conditions, such as population size.

Through elementary research into considerations and conditions for implementing solar, wind, or hydroelectric power in various mountain communities, we created a list of 16 communities around the mountains in Puerto Rico. With further research into specific communities, we narrowed the list down to six municipalities. We chose two municipalities that have a high capacity for each of the three renewable energy sources we considered based on factors such as proximity to rivers, average wind speed, and photovoltaic potential.

Energy Map

Hover over cities to learn more. You can find more detailed information on municipalities in our data table.

*Population data was recorded from July 1, 2022 and Median Income (in USD) was recorded from 2017-2021

Why Mountainous Regions?

We chose to focus on mountainous regions because of the additional challenges these areas face due to their terrain. Residents in the central mountainous communities were among the last 2% to regain electricity after Hurricane Maria1, with municipalities such as Adjuntas not fully recovering for 11 months2. In comparison, 44% of San Juan recovered within three months and 97% recovered within four months3. The rough terrain and remoteness in mountainous regions makes transporting large equipment especially difficult4. This delay and difficulty in response from the main power authorities demonstrates a greater need for electrical self-reliance in these areas.

ESS System for Schools

ESSs can come in various forms to satisfy different scales of need, from industrial to residential. A very common type of ESS that we’ll be referring to is Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

Given that our focus will be on ensuring communities have a central hub (a local school) where electricity is accessible, the ESSs (and BESSs) we’ve analyzed are those that are compatible and sufficient for schools.

Optimizing the System

Depending on the area of the school —the area’s climate and resources— we’ve explored the different types of ESS that will best pair and optimize the efficiency of these microgrids (Note: a major group of factors to consider in optimizing BESS is the economic group, which includes cost-effectiveness and state of charge. This is more explored in Estimation).

Learn more about selection considerations and battery storage options for different energy sources:

Solar
Wind
Hydro

Why Focus on Renewable Energy?

As of 2022, 97% of Puerto Rico’s electricity is generated by fossil fuel-fired power plants. Of the 97%, natural gas supplied 43% of the electricity, petroleum supplied 37%, and coal supplied 17%. However, Puerto Rico has no production or reserves of any of these nonrenewable forms of energy5. Puerto Rico must import all of their nonrenewables, and because Puerto Rico is a US Territory they must comply with the Jones Act, which means that any ships traveling between US ports must be US-manned and owned. This stipulation causes an increase in shipping costs. It was found that Jones Act compliant vessels have shipping costs 2.5 times greater than non-Jones Act vessels6. This translates into an increased cost for electricity in Puerto Rico; Puerto Rican residents pay $0.22 per kilowatt hour for electricity while residents in the US pay $0.16 per kilowatt hour7. Transitioning to renewable energy could help mitigate this cost, as renewable energy is actually the cheapest power option today, according to the UN8.

We chose to focus on renewable energy options exclusively because Puerto Rico has also established the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act (Act 17) which outlines their goal of meeting electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050, along with interim goals of 40% by 2025 and 60% by 20409.

Though it is a form of renewable energy, geothermal energy was not considered for implementation in Puerto Rico. Geothermal electricity generation requires volcanic activity or extensive infrastructure to implement10. Puerto Rico has little to no volcanic activity11, and our search returned no results for existing geothermal infrastructure in Puerto Rico, indicating that this is likely not an avenue that has been pursued.

Why Include Energy Storage (Such as Batteries)? 

With a steady decrease in the costs of renewable energy systems and new, more efficient technologies under development, renewable energy systems have become attractive means for generating cleaner electricity. Renewable energy systems have the capacity to generate a lot of electricity in a given time, especially in areas like Puerto Rico, where a lot of natural resources are at hand. On a sunny day in Puerto Rico, around 30,000 solar systems can generate around 24.6 terawatts of electricity, roughly four times the amount consumed by Puerto Rican residents12.

However, renewable energy sources–such as solar—do not produce a consistent amount of voltage. The nature of electricity generation is intermittent: on some given days, there are overvoltages, and on others, undervoltages. When there are overvoltages (when excess electricity is generated), energy goes to waste. This is where ESS comes into play. Instead of losing excess energy, batteries allow microgrids to store excess energy for later use – for instance, the energy could be utilized as backup power for when the grid of the island goes down. This way, renewable energy systems have a better chance of operating close to full capacity more consistently13.

References
  1. Florido, Adrian, et al. “Restoring Power to Puerto Rico’s Last 2 Percent.” NPR, 3 May 2018, www.npr.org. 
  2. Garza, Alejandro de la. “A Puerto Rico Town Takes Climate Action into Its Own Hands.” Time, 20 Mar. 2023, https://time.com. 
  3. Román, Miguel O., et al. “Satellite-Based Assessment of Electricity Restoration Efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, https://journals.plos.org. 
  4. Montoya, Lerman. “Puerto Rico’s Mountain Communities Cope with Hurricane Maria’s Aftermath.” Cronkite News, 25 Jan. 2019, https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org. 
  5.  US Energy Information Administration. “Puerto Rico – Territory Energy Profile Analysis – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).” Eia.gov, 2016, www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=RQ. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.
  6.  CATO Institute. “New Reports Detail the Jones Act’s Cost to Puerto Rico.” Cato Institute, 25 Feb. 2019, www.cato.org/blog/new-reports-detail-jones-acts-cost-puerto-rico. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
  7.  US Energy Information Administration. “Territory Energy Profile Data.” Www.eia.gov, 21 Sept. 2023, www.eia.gov/state/data.php?sid=RQ. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.
  8.  United Nations. “Renewable Energy – Powering a Safer Future.” United Nations, 2022, www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.
  9.  US Department of Energy. “Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100).” Energy.gov, Jan. 2023, www.energy.gov/gdo/puerto-rico-grid-resilience-and-transitions-100-renewable-energy-study-pr100. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.
  10.  Turgeon, Andrew, and Elizabeth Morse. “Geothermal Energy | National Geographic Society.” Education.nationalgeographic.org, National Geographic Society, 20 May 2022, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/geothermal-energy/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
  11.  Plaza, Bryan. “Puerto Rico and Costa Rica: Countries with 100% Renewable Energy %.” Windmar, 14 Feb. 2020, windmar.com/fl/puerto-rico-and-costa-rica-countries-with-100-renewable-energy/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
  12.  “Renewing Growth in Puerto Rico: Evaluating the Island’s Transition to Distributed Solar Energy.” Journal of Public and International Affairs, 2022, https://jpia.princeton.edu/news/renewing-growth-puerto-rico-evaluating-island%E2%80%99s-transition-distributed-solar-energy#:~:text=Given%20Puerto%20Rico%27s%20geography%20and. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.
  13. Tejero-Gómez, Juan A., and Ángel A. Bayod-Rújula. “Analysis of Photovoltaic Plants with Battery Energy Storage Systems (PV-BESS) for Monthly Constant Power Operation.” Energies, vol. 16, no. 13, 1 Jan. 2023, p. 4909, www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/13/4909, https://doi.org/10.3390/en16134909. Accessed 25 Oct. 2023.