Governor, federal agencies agree to study paths to 100% renewable energy by 2050
By The Star Staff
The U.S. Energy, Homeland Security and Housing & Urban Development departments and Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia signed an agreement Wednesday to conduct a community-driven study, known as PR100, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to evaluate pathways for Puerto Rico to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2050.
The information was provided by Gretchen Sierra Zorita, the White House associate director for Puerto Rico and the territories.
The Department of Energy will be using its national laboratories as well as providing technical assistance. The final findings of the PR100 study will be ready by 2024, Sierra Zorita said via Linkedin.
The study is modeled after the Los Angeles “100% Renewable Energy Study,” also known as LA100, which found that the city’s goal of achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by 2045, or even 2035, is feasible, NBC News reported.
The Biden administration says it is part of a commitment to ensure that $12 billion in federal aid for Puerto Rico’s energy sector leads to a more resilient and sustainable grid, which is consistent with Biden’s climate resilience goals, Pat Hoffman, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Electricity at the Department of Energy, told NBC News. The $12 billion in federal funds to revamp Puerto Rico’s electrical system was approved after Hurricane Maria destroyed the power grid in 2017.
“We recognize that there is a long way to go, given that less than 3 percent of generation in Puerto Rico comes from renewable energy,” Hoffman said.
Biden’s national climate change agenda includes zeroing out federal carbon emissions by 2050 and transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2030.