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/ Wednesday, March 16, 2022
opinion Wayne Stensby
President & CEO, LUMA Energy Puerto Rico
Working Together to Build a Cleaner Energy Future
W
ith global instability, specifically Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, driving energy prices even higher, the importance of prioritizing and empowering the growth of clean, renewable energy across Puerto Rico has never been greater. LUMA understands this and is working closely with the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB), federal agencies and key energy stakeholders to advance Puerto Rico’s renewable energy goals together. Whether it’s working toward a future of 100% renewable energy through our participation in the U.S. Department of Energy’s recently announced PR100 Study, or charting the course for increased electric vehicles (EV) adoption through our Phase I EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan, LUMA is proud to help lead Puerto Rico’s green energy transformation. As part of our commitment to Puerto Rico’s greener and cleaner energy future, in just over eight months LUMA has connected over 15,000 solar customers, adding over 70 megawatts of renewable electricity to the grid. We have also been working with the PREB and renewable energy developers to integrate up to 1,000 megawatts of new utility-scale solar energy and to add up to 500 megawatts of battery storage onto the grid. Additionally, we’re coordinating with three utilityscale wind and solar energy facilities, as well as with 40 Puerto Rican businesses, to connect an additional 270 megawatts of renewable electricity. Whether through the adoption of solar, or helping empower the growth of EVs, these clean energy projects are just the beginning of what we hope to accomplish over the coming years. When it comes to EVs, we believe there is a bold new future ahead of us with increasing rates of adoption that may help bring about the end of the gas-powered vehicle in Puerto Rico. Achieving this goal will not be easy, but it is one that is important for Puerto Rico. Currently, it is estimated that less than 1% of Puerto Rico’s approximately 2.2 million cars are electric. Increasing use of EVs over the coming decade will require the right infrastructure, and this infrastructure will be even more important as the cost of EVs drop over the coming decade. Recently, LUMA presented our vision for the development of the Phase I EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan. This plan will address EV infrastructure deployment, EV rate design, equity and access. What is driving our plan is a commitment to ensure the reliability of the energy
Currently, it is estimated that less than 1% of Puerto Rico’s approximately 2.2 million cars are electric. system for all our customers, as well as ensuring that all our customers can someday in the future choose to purchase an EV with confidence. By identifying near-term and mid-term EV support actions that LUMA and stakeholders can take, we are outlining a clear roadmap for future growth and increased EV adoption in Puerto Rico. Some of our customers may ask, why is this plan so critical? The truth is that we must all – customers, LUMA, our regulator, other stakeholders and generators – work together to achieve a more sustainable energy future. For example, how the energy system should be structured to support EVs is a critical question and will require clear guidance from our regulator, the
PREB, on identifying, planning and implementing actions to support the transition to EVs. We must also address what impact the rapid growth of EVs will have on energy generation and the reliability of the grid. Why? Because the more people adopt EVs, the more electricity is consumed, leading to further demands on the power supply. To keep the grid reliable for all, we will need a plan that ensures that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and other generators provide enough energy to meet future demand. Regardless of the challenges ahead, we must address them together because only by partnering and working together will we bring about the energy transformation in Puerto Rico. Whether it is the higher price of gas our customers use to fuel their cars or the higher price of generation fuels that are used to power PREPA’s generation facilities, we know that building a cleaner and greener energy future is of paramount importance for all our customers. The good news is that with open discussion of the challenges ahead and productive partnerships that put the interests of Puerto Ricans first, we can transform Puerto Rico’s energy system and build an energy future that is more reliable, more resilient and cleaner for this generation and the ones that follow.
