Generac gets $200M to install renewable energy systems in Puerto Rico
Local companies will provide solar power installations in low-income communities.
Wisconsin-based Generac Power Systems announced it has been awarded a grant of up to $200 million over five years from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to install residential solar and battery storage systems for disadvantaged Puerto Rican households.
The funding comes from the $1 billion Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF) through the Solar Access Program, with installations beginning in August, Generac said.
The Solar Access Program aims to incentivize the installation of aims to incentivize the installation of 30,000 to 40,000 residential solar and battery systems.
Generac and its local project affiliates in Puerto Rico will provide the clean and resilient energy systems in low-income areas experiencing frequent and prolonged power outages, as well as to households with residents who have energy-dependent disabilities.
The funding also will support energy jobs and help Puerto Rico achieve its renewable energy goal of meeting its electricity needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050. Puerto Rico residents interested in applying for the program can visit the Solar Access Program website.
“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,” said Aaron Jagdfeld, CEO of Generac.
“We’re proud to be a recipient of this DOE grant to provide clean, resilient, efficient power for those who are often underserved during outages,” he said.
Generac will work with several companies to support the program.
- Two community affiliates in this effort include PathStone, a nonprofit providing community and workforce development and humanitarian services in Puerto Rico since 1998, and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), a clean energy nonprofit established in 1982 that leads groundbreaking community programs and market research, will together coordinate additional local community efforts to serve as liaisons between Solar Ambassadors, installers and eligible recipients.
- FR-BLDM, a leading local contractor with years of government program management experience, will lead installations working with other local, small and family-owned businesses in Puerto Rico.
- Juapi Energy, a PWRcell installer and Generac service dealer in Puerto Rico, will provide service support to residents and will perform installations.
- Palmetto, a climate technology company, will extend three of its commercial software applications to facilitate homeowners’ transition to solar and storage.
These companies will help lead workforce development and training efforts that focus on providing jobs for residents in vulnerable communities across Puerto Rico, Generac officials said.
“Supporting local companies is an important part of our objective to provide reliable and sustainable energy solutions to Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable communities,” said Norm Taffe, president of Energy Technology at Generac.
“By working with local installers and businesses, we not only gain valuable on-the-ground support but also foster job creation and community development. This collaboration helps ensure that we can deliver high-quality, resilient power solutions while uplifting the local workforce and economy,” Taffe added.
Granholm visits Puerto Rico
Generac’s announcement was made to coincide with a visit by DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who is on the island this week to meet with government and community officials.
One of her stops was in Loíza, where, in conjunction with U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development officials, Granholm visited the home of Iris Lorenzo, who qualified for the installation of a renewable energy system.
Lorenzo’s home in the Villa Carmen sector of the town’s Medianía Baja neighborhood needed improvements and received $60,000 from the Presidential Grant for Disaster Home Repair and Section 504, through Rural Development.
The donation was used to demolish the uninhabitable second floor, which was made of wood, and remodel the first floor in concrete, which serves as her main home. By reinforcing the structure, it allowed for the installation of solar panels on the roof, said Maximiliano J. Trujillo-Ortega, Rural Development state director for Puerto Rico.
Granholm also met with Gov. Pedro Pierluisi at the La Fortaleza governor’s mansion in San Juan to discuss the initiatives in which the state and federal governments collaborate on the island’s energy transformation.
“The focus continues to be expanding access to solar energy systems, batteries and energy efficiency equipment in residences and businesses, while promoting the development of large-scale renewable projects to ensure supplying the capacity that requires the energy system,” La Fortaleza said in a statement.
