Author Archives: Frank Andorka

Q&A With PJ Wilson of the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Yesterday, the Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA-PR) joined the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) as an affiliate member. We wanted to find out what role solar electricity is playing in rebuilding the island’s electrical infrastructure after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria more than a year ago, and what inspired them to join SEIA as an affiliate. We talked with spokesman PJ Wilson to find out.

SolarWakeu0 (SW): What role has solar played in restoring electricity on the island since Maria?

PJ Wilson, SESA-PR (Wilson): Solar has played a role in Puerto Rico in a few important ways. Solar-powered water pumps and large-scale batteries provided water to many communities across the island. Solar and battery systems were able to restore power to many fire stations, clinics and hospitals. Municipalities installed solar-powered street lights. And during the blackout, more than 10,000 homes added solar and storage.

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SW: What do you think the future potential for solar is for Puerto Rico?

Wilson: If we’re able to get effective policies, incentives, and financing mechanisms in place, then we’ll see billions of dollars in residential, commercial, utility-scale and microgrid solar projects over the next few years.

The CEO of PREPA has announced a goal of getting to 40% renewable energy within five years, and last month the Senate passed a sweeping energy reform bill that would require Puerto Rico to get 100% of its power from renewables by 2050.

SW: What led you to become a SEIA affiliate at this particular point in time?

Wilson: Right now we’re on the cusp of a lot of different factors that could accelerate the solar + storage industry in 2019, and many of them have a lot to do with federal funding and federal agencies. While SESA focuses mostly on policy advocacy, local incentive program design, and facilitating actual solar projects moving forward quickly in Puerto Rico, our friends at SEIA are able to provide important insight to federal issues, which is their forte.

SW: What do you think SESA-PR brings to SEIA?

Wilson: Puerto Rico is an exciting Petri dish of what’s possible in the realm of utilizing solar and storage technology that’s more advanced and costs less than it ever has before. As the industry tries new approaches in Puerto Rico, lessons learned will be shared more broadly because of our affiliation with SEIA.

SW: What can SEIA bring to you?

Wilson: SEIA has a long track record of success nationally in fostering the solar industry, and they’ve also supported the development of many local affiliates around the nation. Their breadth of experience in both areas helps SESA develop more quickly and effectively.

Also, Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. Territory means that their relationship with the federal government is unique, so locally the affiliation adds a valuable badge of credibility to SESA.

SW: What role will energy storage play in restoring power to the devastated Puerto Rican grid?

Wilson: After Hurricane Maria, it because obvious that storage has become an essential component of any solar project on the island. While it will take years for the modernization of the overall electric grid, storage adds the element of converting solar power into a clean, reliable source of energy 24/7. Especially after experiencing the impacts of the longest blackout in the history of the nation, Puerto Rico homes, businesses, neighborhoods and entire towns are hungry to install solar systems with onsite storage that will keep the lights on during the next inevitable power outages.

SW: What would you like the outside world to know about solar development in Puerto Rico?

Wilson: The outside world should know that Puerto Rico is ready for the solar and storage companies on the island to keep blossoming, and that there’s plenty of room for new companies to enter the market. They should also know that SESA is here to help companies get established in the market.

Could Facebook Spread The Solar Gospel Throughout The South?

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Facebook has had some public relations setbacks lately, but one of the items on its long-term agenda that consistently gets it good press is the fact that it has started demanding clean energy – specifically solar – power its energy-intensive data centers.

In Virginia, for example, Dominion Energy had to create an entirely new type of agreement and build several solar farms so the state would be considered as a potential site for one of the data centers. We’ve seen these developments across the country, and it’s one of the unalloyed goods that Facebook has done.

So the question becomes: Could Facebook spread the solar gospel to other southern states? A recent agreement in Georgia provides some evidence that the answer to the question could be yes.

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Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC), a consumer-owned utility with a reputation for energy innovation, has executed contracts with two solar developers for three new solar projects as part of its agreement to supply 100 percent renewable energy for Facebook’s data center in Newton County, Georgia. The collaboration is the largest solar development project in Georgia.

Facebook chose Walton EMC as the power supplier for the Newton Data Center when it announced the 970,000 square foot facility in March.

Silicon Ranch and Strata Solar will construct world-class solar power plants that will support the new data center. The facilities will be located in Southwest Georgia.

“We are thrilled to be working with Walton EMC, Silicon Ranch and Strata Solar to bring more than 200 megawatts (mW) of new solar resources to Georgia,” said Rachel Peterson, vice president of data center strategy for Facebook. “We are committed to supporting all of Facebook’s operations with 100 percent renewable energy, and these new solar facilities will help us meet that goal for our Newton Data Center. Developing these resources within the same electric grid that supports our data center will bring even more investment to the region.”

The Newton Data Center is Facebook’s ninth such state-of-the-art facility in the country. The centers are among the most advanced, energy-efficient facilities in the world. They use 38 percent less electricity than the average data center.

SEIA Welcomes Puerto Rico Into Affiliate Fold As Island Continues To Rebuild From Hurricane

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Lots of stories have been written in the past year about how solar energy has helped Puerto Rico come back from Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island’s electrical grid.

Whether it’s companies like sonnen or Sunnova installing solar electrical systems for island residents or solar-powered community centers becoming the hub for neighborhoods still waiting for power to come back on, solar power has taken on a central role in the slow comeback of the island to some sense of normalcy.

Often, this comeback has been slowed by inaction by their fellow citizens on the mainland and, in some cases, the plight of the island’s citizens has been completely forgotten as other tragedies and natural disasters seized the headlines. But the Solar Energy Industries Association hasn’t forgotten, and now it’s made it official – it will be working with the on-island solar energy group to make sure solar stays in the island’s energy spotlight.

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The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association of the U.S. solar industry, has announced that the Solar & Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA-PR) is now an official SEIA affiliate.

“This partnership was a natural outgrowth following the solar industry’s response to last year’s devastating hurricanes,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO. “By working together under one umbrella, we will be better able to coordinate resources and promote the vibrant growth of Puerto Rico’s solar market.”

“We formed SESA-PR to unite the solar industry’s disaster response efforts following Hurricanes Irma and Maria,” said SESA-PR’s Founder and President, PJ Wilson. “With SEIA’s national resources and our on-the-ground efforts, the Puerto Rico solar and storage markets are poised for rapid growth. SESA-PR works to ensure there’s effective public policy, jobs training and financing mechanisms in place to facilitate the ramp-up needed for rooftop, commercial, and utility scale solar installations.”

Today, according to the EIA, Puerto Rico is home to 278 megawatts (MW) of operating or soon-to-be operating solar capacity, approximately 1 percent of the island’s electric generation.

Puerto Rico lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would commit Puerto Rico to getting 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050. The Puerto Rico Department of Housing is also requesting $400 million from the federal government to aid the growth of residential and small commercial solar systems with battery storage.

The Energy Show: Avoiding a Global Warming Disaster

The Energy Show: By Barry Cinnamon

The bad news about global warming continues unabated. This fall the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (fondly referred to as the IPCC) sent up an emergency flare. According to Amjad Abdulla an IPCC board member and chief negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, “The report shows that we only have the slimmest of opportunities remaining to avoid unthinkable damage to the climate system that supports life, as we know it.“ Obviously, small island states are at the most immediate risk. But if the earth’s warming trend continues, many populated areas around the globe will essentially be uninhabitable.

I read the entire report. It’s complex, dense, hard to understand and full of bureaucratese. There were two conclusions in the report that were especially surprising to me. First, unless the world acts immediately and intensively, there is almost no chance that global warming will be less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. The reason is that there is a lot of inertia in the earth’s climate system — we are already on a rapid warming trend. The second conclusion is that an immediate worldwide investment of roughly $900 billion per year will be required to stay below this 1.5% threshold.

On a positive note, I learned a lot of new TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms). My personal belief is that our grandchildren will be saddled with the economic and sociological disruptions that global warming will cause. Nevertheless, there is a large portion of our population that remains skeptical about global warming and its potential impacts. One reason for this global warming divide relates to economics. Some industries — particularly those dependent on fossil fuels — will be negatively impacted (“harmed” is the non-bureaucratic term). On the other hand there will be many industries that will benefit…not only solar and wind, but also from all the jobs created from the transition away from fossil fuels: EVs, heat pumps, more extensive electrical infrastructure, control systems and as yet undeployed new energy technologies.

As an solar enthusiast, I’m obviously biased. But the consequences of global warming are so severe that even the skeptics should consider immediate action as a form of an insurance policy. In case the skeptics are wrong about global warming, an investment now can avoid a disaster later. For more about the IPCC’s recommendations to stabilize and reverse global warming, listen to this week’s Energy Show.