Electricity in Puerto Rico in 2023/2024

Currently, Puerto Rico's electricity consumption relies almost exclusively on fossil energy sources. Over the 12 months spanning from October 2023 to September 2024, over 97% of the electricity consumed was generated from fossil fuels, with gas contributing about 41% and coal around 17%. Low-carbon or clean energy sources made up just over 2% of the electricity mix. Of this, solar energy accounted for approximately 1.3%, while the remaining was derived from other low-carbon sources. With such a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, Puerto Rico faces significant environmental challenges, including potential impacts on climate change and air quality, which emphasizes the critical need for a transition to a more sustainable electricity generation model.

Suggestions

To increase its low-carbon electricity generation, Puerto Rico can take valuable cues from other countries that have successfully raised the share of clean energy in their grids. Greece, for instance, generates around 22% of its electricity from solar energy, while Chile achieves a similar share. By emulating Greece’s solar strategies or Chile’s solar policies, Puerto Rico can increase its solar electricity production. Furthermore, countries like Lithuania and Ireland have made impressive strides in wind energy, with each deriving around a third of their electricity from wind turbines. Given Puerto Rico’s geographical position, which offers strong solar and wind potential, escalating both solar and wind energy infrastructure could be an effective approach. Furthermore, considering countries such as France and Slovakia, where nuclear energy contributes over half of their electricity, Puerto Rico could explore the development of nuclear energy as a viable and stable low-carbon energy source.

History

Historically, Puerto Rico's journey with low-carbon electricity has seen varying changes, primarily in hydro, wind, and solar energies. In the 1980s, hydroelectric generation saw minor fluctuations, concluding with a decrease in the early 1990s. Sporadic increments and declines in hydro continued until the early 2000s, after which it stabilized with little change. Wind energy saw a noteworthy rise with an introduction of 0.2 TWh in 2013 and modest increases in the following years, though saw a slight drop in 2023. Solar energy experienced growth during 2019 with a 0.2 TWh increment, although a decrease was observed in 2018, with minimal changes in recent years. This historical trajectory underscores the opportunity for Puerto Rico to focus more aggressively on modernizing and expanding its clean energy infrastructure to ensure a steady rise in low-carbon electricity generation.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

Data Sources