$325 Million to Fund Solar & Battery Storage for Community Healthcare Facilities & Multi-Family Housing Serving Low-and-Moderate-Income Communities in Puerto Rico – CleanTechnica

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Building on DOE’s Programa Acceso Solar for Single Family Households, New $325 Million Funding Will Improve Energy Resilience for Even More Vulnerable Puerto Rican Communities

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COAMO, PUERTO RICO — Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced its intent to issue a $325 million funding opportunity for the new Programa de Comunidades Resilientes, funded by DOE’s Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF). This new program aims to improve community-level energy resilience for vulnerable populations across Puerto Rico, funding solar and battery storage installations for community healthcare facilities as well as community centers and common areas within subsidized multi-family housing properties.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has proven its commitment to helping thousands of Puerto Rican households access affordable solar and battery storage, but households aren’t the only place you need power during and after an emergency,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Through the Programa de Comunidades Resilientes, we’re expanding solar access to community healthcare facilities and subsidized multifamily housing, helping bring resilience and safety to even more families on the Island.”

Applicants may include individual entities or teams based in Puerto Rico that can coordinate the deployment of solar and battery storage systems across many individual sites. DOE anticipates that up to $325 million will be available through the Programa de Comunidades Resilientes for solar and battery storage systems across two types of community infrastructure:

• Community Healthcare Facilities: DOE may award between $70 million and $140 million to fund energy resilience solutions for federally qualified health centers, dialysis centers, and diagnostic and treatment centers.
• Multi-Family Housing Properties: DOE may award between $93 million and $185 million to fund energy resilience solutions for community centers and common areas within public or privately owned multi-family housing properties subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. DOE anticipates funding projects for subsidized multifamily housing that power certain common spaces available to all residents as well as shared building infrastructure that depends on electricity, such as elevators. Additionally, DOE anticipates that community centers located on Puerto Rico public housing properties would also be eligible for installations under the Programa de Comunidades Resilientes.

In December 2022, President Biden signed into law $1 billion for the establishment of the PR-ERF to drive key investments in renewable and resilient energy infrastructure in Puerto Rico. In February 2024, DOE launched the Programa Acceso Solar through the PR-ERF to connect low-income Puerto Rican households with subsidized residential solar and battery storage systems. Residents of Puerto Rico can visit energy.gov/solarPR to check their eligibility and reach out to their local Solar Ambassador to apply.

Read the full Notice of Intent.

Learn more about the Grid Deployment Office.

Courtesy of U.S. DOE.