Puerto Rico's energy future is renewable

When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, it cut short nearly 3,000 lives, displaced thousands of families, and subjected the commonwealth to the longest energy blackout in U.S. history. This tragedy invited a new vision for Puerto Rico’s battered electric grid, and I hoped that a central tenet of the rebuilding effort would be an aggressive move toward safe, abundant and resilient clean energy. This is not some romantic desire for a Caribbean clean energy paradise. It is rooted in a practical vision. Compared with the antiquated grid Maria crippled, a clean energy system would withstand hurricanes better, create good jobs, and reduce the island’s century-long dependence on oil and gas shipped in by sea. Besides, the electricity would be cheaper, unleashing growth that would lift living standards and reduce Puerto Rico’s dependence on Washington.