A proposed plan to restructure the debt of Puerto Rico’s public electric utility (PREPA) would keep electricity costs so high it will force customers to leave the grid, or the territory altogether, a letter signed by dozens of Puerto Rican organizations warns. An increasing number of Puerto Ricans are installing their own solar energy systems to protect themselves against blackouts of the notoriously unreliable grid — made worse by decades of poor investment and the racist federal response after Hurricane Maria plunged the island into darkness. Despite its obvious renewable energy potential, the majority of Puerto Rico’s grid is still powered by imported fossil fuels. (Utility Dive)
