Energy Storage, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  October 6, 2021

Second Microgrid to Bring Renewable Energy to Puerto Rico

A second microgrid project in Puerto Rico will allow Eaton, a power management company, to provide renewable energy for its manufacturing operations.

The project, a collaboration by Eaton and Enel X calls for a system at the Las Piedras plant that will source energy from 5 MW solar panels and then either provide that energy for consumption or store excess to be delivered back to the local grid. The accompanying battery system will have approximately 1.1 MW of capacity.

This is the second such project to be installed at an Eaton manufacturing site. Combined with the first one at the Eaton Arecibo site, the systems will provide 10 MW of solar energy and 2.23 MW of battery storage to the island by 2022. 

The microgrids will be particularly beneficial given the energy resiliency needed to protect against hurricane power outages on the island. Enel X will build, own and operate the system, as well as finance the project under an energy-as-a-service model. Meanwhile, Eaton will provide key technologies like the leading microgrid controller and plant electrical distribution equipment.

“The increasing frequency and impact of climate emergencies underscore the need for far more sustainable and resilient power,” Brian Brickhouse, president of Eaton's Electrical Sector, Americas region, said in a statement. “Around the world, we're applying our Everything as a Grid approach to strengthen operations with low-carbon energy sources and the ability to withstand extreme weather emergencies. With our partner Enel X, we established a replicable energy-as-a-service model that exemplifies how to keep the power on -- no matter what.”

Share this valuable information with your colleagues using the buttons below: