DDEC opens application window for Apoyo Energético 2.0 incentive
$30 million in federal incentives to support solar panel installation for emergency-critical businesses.
The Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC, in Spanish) and the Energy Public Policy Program (PPPE, in Spanish) announced the start of the second phase of the Apoyo Energético 2.0 incentive program to receive applications from participating small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
“This new round of the program has $30 million in incentives through federal [Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)] funds and promotes the installation of solar panels in relevant businesses and operations in an emergency, so that through renewable energy they can continue to offer basic services,” said DDEC Secretary Manuel Cidre.
“In addition to helping keep operations running even in the event of power outage, Apoyo Energético 2.0 is a valuable tool to reduce operating costs, so we encourage participants to request it,” said Cidre.
The incentive aims to provide renewable alternatives to reduce energy costs and exclusively targets companies that carry out critical duties in the event of a natural disaster, known as Community Lifelines, as described by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The funds come from the Electric Energy Reliability and Resilience Program (ER2) CDBG-DR (-Disaster Response) funds, granted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the optimization of Puerto Rico’s electric power system.
Qualifying companies could receive an incentive to cover 60% of the total cost, up to a maximum of $50,000 for projects that include photovoltaic systems with batteries, batteries for existing systems in good condition, as well as charging stations for electric vehicles. Companies have until June 24 to apply.
Last week, the DDEC released a partial list of approved suppliers for Apoyo Energético 2.0, so that benefited SMEs “can access, choose, request their quotes and have everything necessary and required available so that they can apply,” said Viviana Ali-Fortuño, director of the PPPE.
