Climate Change Solutions Update

Tag: Puerto Rico

  • The virtual power plant era has arrived

    Homeowners across the United States are participating in Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) to earn money and assist the electric grid during peak times, with companies like Sunrun, Tesla, and Renew Home pooling the energy-saving capabilities of 9 million American homes. The total U.S. VPP market is expected to reach nearly 40 GW by mid-2025, solving regional capacity shortfalls and rivaling traditional power plants. In Puerto Rico, a network of 70,000 Tesla residential battery systems helped mitigate disruptions during grid emergencies, showcasing the potential of decentralized solutions like residential battery systems in ensuring reliable and affordable electricity. Residents are receiving financial rewards for participating in these programs, with enrollment becoming more automatic and less complicated.

    https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/06/29/the-virtual-power-plant-era-has-arrived/

  • 3 home energy providers offer 16.8 GW of distributed capacity to utilities, hyperscalers

    Sunrun, Tesla, and Renew Home are partnering to provide nearly 17 GW of distributed energy capacity in the U.S., focusing on alleviating grid congestion and offering grid services to middle-class American families. Power system experts see untapped potential in distributed resources like battery and HVAC capacity in key markets such as Texas, California, and Virginia. In Puerto Rico, LUMA Energy has utilized Sunrun's PowerOn Puerto Rico VPP to address reliability issues on the transmission grid, with onsite solar and batteries playing a critical role in shortening power outages for over 200,000 customers. The need for sustainable solutions is evident as load-shedding events increase due to high demand and aging fossil-fuel generators going offline for maintenance.

    https://www.utilitydive.com/news/3-home-energy-providers-offer-168-gw-of-distributed-capacity-to-utilities/823676/

  • Carbon180’s Making Waves named to Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas

    Carbon180's Making Waves Coastal Community Regranting Initiative, recognized on Fast Company's World Changing Ideas list, aims to involve coastal communities in exploring marine carbon removal (mCDR) near them. The first cohort in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico focuses on governance, community input, and ecosystem impacts to build long-term public trust and ensure equitable, locally grounded mCDR development. With the necessity of gigaton-scale carbon removal to mitigate climate change impacts, involving coastal communities in planning and implementation not only helps achieve this goal but also brings jobs and opportunities to these areas. Making Waves is dedicated to empowering coastal communities in the process of carbon removal projects.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/carbon180s-making-waves-named-to-fast-companys-world-changing-ideas/

  • Puerto Rico Is Now A Perovskite Solar Cell Powerhouse

    Solar cell innovators in the US, such as Solx and Caelux, are teaming up to manufacture new tandem perovskite technology in Puerto Rico, aiming to offer a more economical alternative to traditional silicon cells with high-volume manufacturing potential. The Government of Puerto Rico is emphasizing the importance of solar energy as a solution to the island's weak infrastructure and dependence on imported fossil fuels. Solx's partnership with Caelux and Suniva seeks to revolutionize the American energy industry with a fully U.S.-based solar supply chain, highlighting the potential of U.S. manufacturers and technology leaders aligning to build a sustainable energy future and strengthen domestic energy security. This collaboration showcases the commitment to reshoring critical manufacturing capability and advancing solar technology in the face of challenges posed by current federal energy policies.

    https://cleantechnica.com/2026/04/21/puerto-rico-suddenly-emerges-as-a-perovskite-solar-cell-powerhouse/

  • Rooftop solar now accounts for one-fifth of Puerto Rico’s generation capacity

    Rooftop solar installations in Puerto Rico have surpassed natural gas to become the second-largest power generation source in the territory, accounting for 20% of all capacity. Distributed solar has outpaced all other energy sources in Puerto Rico over the past decade, with 81% of new generating capacity added between 2016 and 2025 coming from rooftop systems. The growth in solar capacity has not displaced other generation sources like petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Additionally, the adoption of distributed energy storage, including battery systems, has grown rapidly in response to grid resilience challenges, with more than 171,000 households and businesses installing battery systems by the end of 2025. The new CEO of LUMA, Janisse Quiñones, is focused on improving grid reliability in Puerto Rico, with industry group SESA optimistic about increased collaboration under Quiñones' leadership and working towards advancing policies that support rooftop solar and battery storage as key components of Puerto Rico's energy future.

    https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/03/rooftop-solar-now-accounts-for-one-fifth-of-puerto-ricos-generation-capacity/

  • Communicating Carbon Removal in a Fractured Media Landscape

    Despite challenges in climate communication and lack of awareness about carbon removal, there is bipartisan support for carbon removal policies once understood. The climate movement must shift messaging from fear to hope, address concerns about environmental justice, and invest in local storytellers for effective action. Carbon180 is focusing on community-based initiatives in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and Puerto Rico, emphasizing engagement with local communities for responsible deployment. Media coverage of climate change is declining, but there is growing interest in carbon removal among voters. The importance of climate policy and the need for urgency, hope, and transparency in climate solutions are key issues for 2025.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/communicating-carbon-removal-in-a-fractured-media-landscape/

  • Rooftop solar reaches 20% of Puerto Rico’s generation mix

    In 2025, rooftop solar capacity in Puerto Rico reached 1.5 GW, surpassing natural gas as the second-largest generation source, driven by electricity reliability issues. Distributed generation resources, particularly rooftop solar with battery systems, have seen significant growth. LUMA Energy, the island's grid operator, is working to transform and stabilize the grid. Distributed battery storage has also increased, reaching a total energy capacity of 2,864 megawatt hours. Despite setbacks like Hurricane Maria, rooftop solar generation has steadily increased, contributing to Puerto Rico's total generation capacity exceeding 7 GW.

    https://www.utilitydive.com/news/rooftop-solar-puerto-rico-generation-mix-eia/816499/

  • Casa Pueblo Shows Puerto Rico a Path Towards Energy Independence

    Casa Pueblo in Puerto Rico, in collaboration with The Solutions Project, is advocating for the expansion of microgrid ecosystems in communities to address the energy problem and promote climate justice and energy equity. By scaling up from individual solar installations to energy communities of homes, they aim to improve quality of life and coexistence while making a real impact on the environment. The executive director stresses the importance of government investment in these solutions to achieve their goals of sustainable energy solutions for Puerto Rico.

    https://thesolutionsproject.org/casa-pueblo-shows-puerto-rico-a-path-towards-energy-independence/