Puerto Rico kicked off 2025 with a harsh reminder of its fragile power grid. On New Year’s Eve, nearly the entire island – 90% – lost electricity, leaving over 1.3 million customers in the dark during holiday celebrations. Power was restored on January 1, but the blackout underscored an urgent need for reliable energy solutions.

In a move to help bolster Puerto Rico’s grid resilience, Convergent Energy and Power secured a conditional commitment from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office for a massive solar and battery storage initiative in December. The DOE’s backing includes up to $559.4 million in loan guarantees, paving the way for Convergent to install both solar and standalone battery systems across the island.

New solar + storage for Puerto Rico’s grid

The flagship project in Coamo will include a 100-megawatt (MW) solar PV system paired with a 55.5-MW battery energy storage system. Convergent will also deploy standalone battery systems in Caguas, Peñuelas, and Ponce with a collective capacity of 225 MW. Together, these installations will pump approximately 200,000 megawatt-hours of clean energy into Puerto Rico’s grid annually – enough to power 19,000 homes.

Puerto Rico’s energy costs are among the highest in the US, and its grid is still notoriously unreliable, so these projects will help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and cut electricity prices.

Cleaner, more reliable grid

Convergent estimates the initiative will avoid 2.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually. That’s like taking the energy use of 335,000 homes off the grid. The company’s CEO, Frank Genova, said, “Enhancing grid reliability and sustainability in Puerto Rico is critical … We look forward to contributing to the modernization of Puerto Rico’s electric grid and advancing its clean energy goals.”

The broader benefits are equally compelling. Solar and battery storage will help stabilize Puerto Rico’s grid, which has been battered by hurricanes, mismanagement, and underfunding for years. The project is expected to create around 540 construction jobs and 20 permanent positions while integrating community benefits like local engagement and labor standards.

Why this matters now

The New Year’s Eve blackout might have been one of the island’s worst in recent memory, but it’s not an isolated incident. Puerto Rico’s power grid has struggled to recover after Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated its infrastructure. Despite federal funding and promises of grid modernization, outages remain a regular occurrence, pushing residents and businesses to install their own solar panels and generators.

Convergent’s project aims to address these issues at a systemic level. The DOE’s conditional loan guarantee is a strong signal of federal support, but the company must pass an environmental review and meet legal and financial conditions before the loan is finalized. If all goes to plan, the systems are expected to come online by 2026.

Read more: This accordion-style modular solar array withstands 166 mph winds

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