Puerto Rico's path to 100% renewable energy just got a little clearer

03:49

April 26, 2024

The main square in the mountain town of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. Adjuntas was one of the last towns to get help after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and has since developed a solar microgrid system with the guidance of the Honnold Foundation and Casa Pueblo. (Chris Bentley/Here & Now)

The Department of Energy recently published its final report of the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100), laying out how Puerto Rico can get to 100% renewable energy.

The territory already passed a law committing to that goal by 2050, but getting there is easier said than done.

The report says: “Puerto Rico can make a feasible transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050, but significant improvements and investments in the system, guided by meaningful community participation, are necessary to achieve this.”

Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd speaks with Abimarie Otaño Cruz of the Environmental Defense Fund for a reminder of the challenges to what this long-anticipated government report recommends.

This segment aired on April 26, 2024.

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