In May, Puerto Rico took a leadership position in the microgrid market, becoming one of the first jurisdictions to explicitly provide for and define microgrids in its electricity system regulations. The new regulations were developed by Puerto Rico’s Energy Commission based on a 29-page set of proposed regulations published in January. “There’s not a standard definition of what a microgrid is, not even on the mainland,” said Commission Chair José Román Morales.
Tanuj Deora, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), said “We appreciate the commission’s leadership in tackling this important topic and having the foresight to have a tight scope on the microgrid rules …(the rules) set the groundwork for Puerto Rico to become a model of sustainability.”
Under the proposed regulations, all microgrids would have to be based on renewable sources (with at least 75 percent of power from clean energy), combined heat and power (CHP) or hybrid CHP-and-renewable systems.
Microgrids would be able to interconnect with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) system, but if a microgrid will use PREPA infrastructure, owners will incur a monthly fee. That amounts to $25 per customer up to a cap of $250 per month for small cooperative microgrids. The cost for larger systems is calculated using a separate, more complex equation. Operators can also sell excess energy back to PREPA.
Original article at greentechmedia.com for January 8, here.