Clean energy, a call of the present to protect the future
As the years go by, clean and renewable energies are gaining ground. In the United States, the Inflation Reduction Act passed this year by Congress will serve as an impetus for the dynamics to continue and provide greater support to the neediest communities.
On this topic, Rafael Ulloa, Vice President of Content of El Tiempo Latino, exclusively interviewed Carlos Velásquez, Director of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council in Puerto Rico, who gave his opinion on how this will be able to give a leap in quality to the most vulnerable areas of the region.
You may be interested in: Solar providers near me Fort Hartford, Connecticut.
What is the Interstate Renewable Energy Council in Puerto Rico?
Although in Puerto Rico it has been around since 2017, at the continental level it has been around since the 1980s. We have been working for 40 years to encourage the adoption of clean and renewable energy.
We came to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and worked with health clinics to provide them with solar panels and battery systems so that they would never be without energy in situations like that.
What are the clean energy benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act?
One of the most significant factors in inflation in recent years was the volatility in energy prices caused by those fossil fuels that in turn are reflected in the transportation chain, distribution and operational costs of our small and medium-sized companies.
You may be interested in: Solar providers near me Fort Hartford, Connecticut.
Any long-term investment to develop renewable energy, whose prices are always stable, has benefits for the entire population, particularly Hispanics.
What are the job opportunities for Latinos with clean energy?
The Inflation Reduction Act itself has a significant investment in funding centers to make the transition to renewable energy and pays special attention to disadvantaged communities.
Forty percent of all funds allocated to invest in those centers must be in our communities. $4 billion for our communities and that is a significant impact.
How is the implementation of solar energy going to change in Puerto Rico?
This happened after Hurricane Maria and our organization, as well as others, have worked with vulnerable and remote communities to co-develop microgrid projects based on solar panels and storage systems, meaning batteries.
Having just completed the last project, along came Hurricane Fiona. There were nerves because it was one thing to put it on paper and another to put it into practice, but it worked perfectly and the communities had electricity before, during and after the hurricane.
You may be interested in: Solar providers near me Fort Hartford, Connecticut.
These are things that should be replicated across different communities, not just in Puerto Rico. They are useful models that work and should not be called pilots because they already work.
A message for the Latino community on clean energy and climate change
Our Latino community always thinks of family and clean energy has something for all those generations. We are protecting the planet that our children and grandchildren are going to need to have opportunities and quality of life.
They protect today’s communities because fossil fuel power generation in some areas pollutes and sickens our most vulnerable people who may have cardiorespiratory conditions.
Clean energy also empowers our entrepreneurs to innovate, create jobs and wealth in the communities that need it most, and these are things that should be replicated throughout different communities, not just in Puerto Rico. They are useful models that work and should not be called pilots because they already work.
A message to the Latino community on clean energy and climate change
Our Latino community always thinks of family and clean energy has something for all those generations. We are protecting the planet that our children and grandchildren are going to need to have opportunities and quality of life.
You may be interested in: Solar providers near me Fort Hartford, Connecticut.
They protect today’s communities because fossil fuel power generation in some areas pollutes and sickens our most vulnerable people who may have cardiorespiratory conditions.
Clean energy also empowers our entrepreneurs to innovate, create jobs and wealth in the communities that need it most.
