Agency overview | |
---|---|
Formed | May 27, 2014 |
Jurisdiction | all of Puerto Rico |
Annual budget | $5 million USD |
Agency executive |
|
Key document |
|
The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau is the government agency that regulates the energy industry in Puerto Rico. The commission was created with the primary intention of regulating the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA): the government-owned corporation and government monopoly that distributes and transmits all energy in Puerto Rico as well as producing 70% of all energy in Puerto Rico. [1] Before the commission came into existence, PREPA regulated both itself and the energy industry without any oversight whatsoever. [2] As renewable energy became economically feasible, Puerto Rico lagged behind in comparison to other jurisdictions. This did not bode well with several energy businesses and think tanks, such as the Association of Producers of Renewable Energy (APER) and the Center for the New Economy (CNE), which advocated for the creation of a separate independent entity capable of regulating the industry. [3] [4] [5]
Organizationally, the commission is overseen by a board of directors comprised by three commissioners appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The commission is also supported by an executive director who works together with the Puerto Rico Energy Affairs Administration and provides technical advice to the commissioners.
After the September 2017 hurricanes largely destroyed the island's aging, neglected and fragile power grid, and among the rush to simply rebuild as fast as possible, advocates of renewable energy and micro grids tried to turn the conversation - and infrastructure investment - to solar PV, microgrids and combined heat and power (CHP). With microgrid regulations passed by PREC in May 2018, realizing the vision for such projects is likely still twenty years away. [6]
Distributed generation, also distributed energy, on-site generation (OSG), or district/decentralized energy, is electrical generation and storage performed by a variety of small, grid-connected or distribution system-connected devices referred to as distributed energy resources (DER).
A microgrid is a local electrical grid with defined electrical boundaries, acting as a single and controllable entity. It is able to operate in grid-connected and in island mode. A 'stand-alone microgrid' or 'isolated microgrid' only operates off-the-grid and cannot be connected to a wider electric power system. Very small microgrids are called nanogrids.
Microgeneration is the small-scale production of heat or electric power from a "low carbon source," as an alternative or supplement to traditional centralized grid-connected power.
The smart grid is an enhancement of the 20th century electrical grid, using two-way communications and distributed so-called intelligent devices. Two-way flows of electricity and information could improve the delivery network. Research is mainly focused on three systems of a smart grid – the infrastructure system, the management system, and the protection system. Electronic power conditioning and control of the production and distribution of electricity are important aspects of the smart grid.
As of August 2020 Chile had diverse sources of electric power: for the National Electric System, providing over 99% of the county's electric power, hydropower represented around 26.7% of its installed capacity, biomass 1.8%, wind power 8.8%, solar 12.1%, geothermal 0.2%, natural gas 18.9%, coal 20.3%, and petroleum-based capacity 11.3%. Prior to that time, faced with natural gas shortages, Chile began in 2007 to build its first liquefied natural gas terminal and re-gasification plant at Quintero near the capital city of Santiago to secure supply for its existing and upcoming gas-fired thermal plants. In addition, it had engaged in the construction of several new hydropower and coal-fired thermal plants. But by July 2020 91% of the new capacity under construction was of renewable power, 46.8% of the total solar and 25.6% wind, with most of the remainder hydro.
Energy in Mexico describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Mexico.
A power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement, is a long-term contract between an electricity generator and a customer, usually a utility, government or company. PPAs may last anywhere between 5 and 20 years, during which time the power purchaser buys energy at a pre-negotiated price. Such agreements play a key role in the financing of independently owned electricity generators, especially producers of renewable energy like solar farms or wind farms.
Kyle Datta, named to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Transformation Advisory Council. The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) announced the names of 11 utility industry leaders who will serve as founding members of PREPA's Transformation Advisory Council (TAC). The TAC was formed to provide PREPA's Governing Board and management team with advice on the development of a long-term vision and transformation execution plan for the power system in Puerto Rico. the TAC consist of recognized executive leaders from the public power and investor owned utility sector and from select non-governmental organizations. Collectively, the TAC members are experts in grid reliability and resilience, corporate restructuring, sustainability, island grids, public power, customer engagement, evolving regulatory frameworks for distributed energy resources, and the utility of the future. Mr. Datta has overseen the development of PREPA's most recent IRP which was released in draft form and calls for 2,000 MW of Solar PV and 1,000 MW of Battery Energy Storage along with a groundbreaking mini grid design to create a resilient energy system.
An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power transmission to carry power over long distances, and finally electric power distribution to customers. In that last step, voltage is stepped down again to the required service voltage. Power stations are typically built close to energy sources and far from densely populated areas. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. From small to large there are microgrids, wide area synchronous grids, and super grids.
The electricity sectors of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are integrated and supply 2.5 million customers from a combination of coal, peat, natural gas, wind and hydropower. In 2022, 34 TWh were generated. In 2018 natural gas produced 51.8%, while wind turbines generated 28.1%, coal 7%, and peat 6.8% of Ireland's average electricity demand. In 2020 wind turbines generated 36.3% of Ireland's electrical demand, one of the highest wind power proportions in the world. While the United Kingdom was one of the first countries in the world to deploy commercial nuclear power plants, the island of Ireland has never had a nuclear power plant built on either side of the Irish border. Nuclear power in Ireland was discussed in the 1960s and 1970s but ultimately never phased in, with legislation now in place explicitly forbidding its introduction.
Green Puerto Rico is an umbrella term used to describe a pair of sustainable and renewable energy reforms that were signed into law on July 19, 2010 by Luis Fortuño during his governance of Puerto Rico. Two principle policies were developed in an effort to improve the Puerto Rican economy and to protect the environment. The first was aimed at decreasing Puerto Rico’s energy dependence on fossil fuels and increasing the development and ultimate use of renewable energy sources. This policy is titled Public Policy on Energy Diversification by Means of Sustainable and Alternative Renewable Energy in Puerto Rico Act. The second policy focuses on long-term economic savings and is titled the Green Energy Incentives Act of Puerto Rico. Both acts were designed to foster development and use of renewable energy sources to replace non-renewable energy sources such as oil. Energy policy in Puerto Rico has traditionally emphasized oil, but has made some strides over the last two decades with Green Puerto Rico which is an important step towards development and implementation of renewable energy in Puerto Rico.
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), established in 1982, is a non-profit organization working with clean energy. It is based in Latham, New York.
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission(NERC) is an independent regulatory body with authority for the regulation of the electric power industry in Nigeria. NERC was formed in 2005 under the Obasanjo administration’s economic reform agenda through the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, 2005 for formation and review of electricity tariffs, transparent policies regarding subsidies, promotion of policies that are efficient and environmentally friendly, and also including forming and enforcing of standards in the creation and use of electricity in Nigeria. NERC was instituted primarily to regulate the tariff of Power Generating companies owned or controlled by the government, and any other generating company which has a licence for power generation and transmission of energy, and distribution of electricity.
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Is an electric power company owned by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico responsible for electricity generation, power distribution, and power transmission on the island. PREPA was the only entity authorized to conduct such business in Puerto Rico, making it a government monopoly, until on January 22, 2018, former governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, announced that all assets of the company will be sold in a general privatization of PREPA.
Solar power in Mexico has the potential to produce vast amounts of energy. 70% of the country has an insolation of greater than 4.5 kWh/m2/day. Using 15% efficient photovoltaics, a square 25 km (16 mi) on each side in the state of Chihuahua or the Sonoran Desert could supply all of Mexico's electricity.
César Emiliano Hernández Ochoa is a Mexican public official, lawyer and academic from Durango, Mexico. Hernández has a long trajectory inside the Mexican government, having worked in every Mexican federal administration since Ernesto Zedillo and received presidential appointments both from Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Enrique Peña Nieto. From December 1, 2018, until May 15, 2020, he served as National Commissioner at the Commission for Better Regulation. From February 5, 2014, until November 21, 2017, he served as Deputy Secretary of Energy for Electricity at Mexico's Department of Energy.
Whitefish Energy Holdings, LLC is a small holding company based in Whitefish, Montana whose portfolio of companies installs, maintains, and repairs electrical grids. The holding company was founded in 2015 by Andy Techmanski, a former lineman. In October 2017, Whitefish, a company whose previous biggest assignment was $1.4 million, was awarded a $300 million contract to repair part of the energy infrastructure in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. This contract involved Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The contract was ultimately canceled after coming under public scrutiny; the company relied on subcontracted workers, who were paid several times less than the sum Whitefish Energy charged PREPA in return, which was described by The New York Times as "far above the norm even for emergency work — and almost 17 times the average salary of [such workers] in Puerto Rico."
The Energy Commission is a parastatal, mandated by law to regulate and manage the development and utilization of energy resources in Ghana, specifically in electricity licensing, renewable energy, natural gas and energy efficiency.
LUMA Energy is the power company responsible for power distribution and power transmission in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. They are also in charge of maintaining and modernizing the power infrastructure. Previously, these duties belonged exclusively to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, but as of July 20, 2018, permission was granted for PREPA assets and service duties to be sold to private companies, and on June 22, 2020, a 15-year contract with LUMA was signed, making LUMA the new operator. The takeover took place on June 1, 2021.
The Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña is the first electric energy cooperative in Puerto Rico. Their purpose is to generate and distribute cost effective and resilient energy from renewable sources for the communities and businesses from the Adjuntas, Jayuya, Lares, Maricao and Utuado municipalities. The efforts of the Cooperativa Hidroeléctrica de la Montaña are directed to guarantee cost effective, clean and resilient energy to the residents of these communities, using a democratic model.