More than 20 members of the US Congressional Democratic Caucus on Friday urged a federal colonial oversight board to guard inexpensive entry to rooftop solar energy in Puerto Rico by defending web metering, which lawmakers referred to as which is important to the island’s clear power targets and financial progress.
Net metering “makes renewable family power sources, comparable to rooftop photo voltaic, extra inexpensive for households by making certain they’re paid for the additional power they produce however do not use,” House Natural Resources Committee Democrats defined in an announcement.
“A continued dedication to preserving web metering and a renewed concentrate on photo voltaic power will profit the island’s economic system and folks.”
However, the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) for Puerto Rico—the controversial unelected federal physique tasked with approving and restructuring Puerto Rico’s obligations beneath the 2016 chapter regulation— just lately ordered Democratic Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Pierluisi and the territorial Legislature to repeal Law 10, which protects web metering till 2031.
“Any try to scale back the financial viability of rooftop photo voltaic and batteries by paring again web metering must be rejected at this crucial stage in Puerto Rico’s power system transformation,” 20 congressional Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote Friday in a bicameral letter to FOMB members. “Net metering has confirmed to be vital for Puerto Rican households and important for Puerto Rico’s progress towards its personal renewable targets.”
“Net metering serves the individuals of Puerto Rico effectively,” the lawmakers argued. “It not solely compensates owners for his or her contribution to the grid and their diminished dependence on imported fuels, however it additionally makes renewable power manufacturing economical for tens of millions of in any other case it can’t be reached.”
The letter continues:
Net metering is an engine for financial restoration. Currently, the renewables sector contributes roughly $1.5 billion to Puerto Rico’s economic system yearly and employs greater than 10,000 individuals. In addition to direct financial advantages, the island’s tens of hundreds of photo voltaic and storage installations now present crucial backup energy for Puerto Rican households and companies, serving to them keep away from financial hardship whereas supporting these with out cease financial exercise throughout energy outages. Many of those methods present a literal lifeline to individuals who rely upon the uninterrupted operation of medical tools.
Weakening or ending web metering in Puerto Rico may very well be disastrous. Rooftop photo voltaic has added greater than 800 MW to an influence system whose demand is about 2,500-3,000 MW. As a consequence, residential photo voltaic know-how is chargeable for a lot of the progress the archipelago has made towards its final aim of producing 100% renewable power by the yr 2050. Puerto Rico’s web metering and rooftop photo voltaic applications have been profitable. -an of power that would have been generated by way of imported. fossil fuels, reducing general prices for all taxpayers.
“Making rooftop photo voltaic and battery storage methods much less inexpensive may harm the lowest-income individuals,” lawmakers contended. “If web metering is eradicated or weakened, the consequence shall be a rising divide between these trapped by excessive power costs from imported fossil fuels and people who can construct their very own dependable photo voltaic and battery methods. gradual adoption of rooftop photo voltaic and batteries means misplaced alternatives to make use of the personal market to guard these most susceptible to the results of one other hurricane.”
After Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico’s power grid in 2017, many Puerto Ricans turned to renewable power—particularly photo voltaic—to maintain the lights on. Last yr, the US Department of Energy introduced as much as $440 million in residential photo voltaic funding for susceptible households by way of the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund.
“Undermining web metering will decelerate one of many nation’s most lively photo voltaic and battery markets at a time when it’s most wanted.”
Puerto Rico “wants extra renewable manufacturing, not much less,” the lawmakers added. “Undermining web metering will decelerate one of many nation’s most lively photo voltaic and battery markets at a time when it’s most wanted… We urge you to guard web metering in Puerto Rico. We imagine that continued dedication to protect web metering and the renewed concentrate on photo voltaic power will profit the island’s economic system and folks.”
The lawmakers’ letter follows a name earlier this week from the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico for US President Joe Biden to interchange the six FOMB members “who assist Puerto Rico, assist the solar energy, and helps dismantling the board as quickly as doable.”
The FOMB was declared an anti-democratic colonial physique that dictated the island’s finances and operated in secret. Last yr, the US Supreme Court dominated 8-1 to protect the board from public scrutiny.
