Democratic senators advocate solar energy, criticize LUMA’s performance
Washington D.C. – As it renews its temporary contract with LUMA Energy, Democratic Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) urged Gov. Pedro Pierluisi to move forward in the process of transforming Puerto Rico’s energy system to one based on solar energy and other renewable sources.
They also expressed concern about LUMA’s performance.
“We are increasingly concerned about the growing energy crisis across the island. The state of the grid has been problematic for years, and even after multiple interventions, it continues to get worse. Despite LUMA Energy taking over the grid in June 2021, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau has since found that customers are subject to longer and more frequent outages than the rest of the United States. At the same time, Puerto Rican residents pay nearly double what U.S. households pay,” the senators said in a letter sent Tuesday to Gov. Pierluisi.
The senators recalled that they have supported the proposal to allocate up to $5 billion for a program by which the Department of Energy would coordinate the installation of solar panels and storage batteries on the roofs of low-income and/or disabled people’s homes in Puerto Rico.
You may be interested in: Solar providers near me Springfield, Missouri.
“To ensure the well-being of so many families across the Island, we strongly urge you to explore proven alternatives to deliver reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity to the Puerto Rican people. Through this much-needed clean energy transition, the Island can serve as a successful model and leader for the United States, the Caribbean and beyond,” added Gillibrand and Blumenthal.
Senators Gillibrand and Blumenthal noted the slow pace of using the nearly $11.4 billion that the federal government has made available to modernize the electric grid.
They noted that while some electrical system deficiencies were “caused, or at least exacerbated by, Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Puerto Rico has spent only a fraction of the billions of federal dollars available to rebuild the grid over the past five and a half years.”
You may be interested in: Solar providers near me Springfield, Missouri.
“Hurricane Fiona was also terribly devastating, but the reality is that power was already out in thousands of homes long before Fiona made landfall, prompting Puerto Ricans to take to the streets to protest the poor service provided by LUMA Energy,” they adde
