By The Star Staff
Generac Power Systems, a global designer, manufacturer and provider of energy technology solutions, announced Wednesday that it has been awarded a grant of up to $200 million to facilitate the installation of residential solar and battery systems in poor households in Puerto Rico.
The grant was awarded over a five-year term agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the $1 billion Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund.
Under the fund’s Programa Acceso Solar (Solar Access Program), Generac will facilitate the installation of residential solar and battery storage systems for disadvantaged Puerto Rican households. The installations will begin next month.
“Generac and its local project affiliates in Puerto Rico will offer clean and resilient energy in low-income areas that experience frequent and prolonged power outages as well as to households where a resident with an energy-dependent disability resides,” the company said in a statement. “This funding also will support clean energy jobs and help Puerto Rico achieve its renewable energy goal of meeting its electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050.”
Island residents interested in applying for the program can visit the Programa Acceso Solar website, the company noted.
“We’ve been providing reliable backup power solutions to the people of Puerto Rico for more than 20 years, including after Hurricane Maria devastated the island’s power grid and left 95% of residents without electricity,” Generac President & CEO Aaron Jagdfeld said. “We are proud to be a recipient of this DOE grant to provide clean, resilient, efficient power for those who are often underserved during outages.”
Maria Robinson, director of the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, said: “The Programa Acceso Solar will have a transformative impact on vulnerable households by improving access to reliable and affordable energy.”
“DOE is pleased to partner with Generac to install residential solar and battery storage systems across Puerto Rico, improving energy resilience for households with some of the greatest need,” she added.
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