Tesla, andre hjælper puertoricanere med at gå på solskin i kraft af uro

Ti måneder efter orkanen Maria, Adjuntas mister stadig strøm, når en kraftig regn eller vind slår de vredne elledninger, der fodrer denne by højt i de centrale bjerge i Puerto Rico.

Det efterlader sine 20, 000 mennesker igen i mørket, uden lys, ferskvand eller aircondition – bortset fra en håndfuld hjem og virksomheder, der lyser om natten takket være solenergi.

Befolkningen i Adjuntas kalder disse steder "cucubanos, "en indfødt puertoricansk ildflue. De er en del af en lille, men voksende bevægelse for at give det amerikanske territorium bæredygtige, vedvarende energi uafhængig af det forfaldne elnet.

En spredning af byggemarkeder, barbersaloner og hjørnebutikker på tværs af øen omfavner solenergi, forsøger at vænne sig fra et statsejet elselskab, der fortsat er stærkt afhængig af importeret olie. Tallene er stadig små-et par dusin eller hundredvis ud af millioner af strømbrugere-men embedsmænd fra miljøindustrien og miljøforkæmpere ser dette nøje som en test på, om Puerto Rico kan foretage en storskifte til vedvarende, energi uden for nettet.

I øjeblikket, vedvarende energi repræsenterer 4 procent af produktionen hos Puerto Ricos elselskab, mod et amerikansk landsgennemsnit på 15 procent, så det vil sandsynligvis vare år, før solenergi kan tegne sig for en betydelig del af Puerto Rico-strømmen.

Ikke desto mindre, "Puerto Rico kan være et eksperimenterende værksted for sol og vind, " Rep. Darren Soto, en Florida-demokrat, sagde ved en kongreshøring onsdag.

Mens Adjuntas er oversået med soldrevne øer, et samfund på 12 hjem i bjergbyen Las Piedras mangler stadig central strøm og opererer udelukkende på solenergi leveret af Tesla, den højteknologiske producent af elbiler og andre kraftprodukter. Det installerede 160 solpaneler på en grund, der ejes af bosiddende Jose Santana.

Santana, en elektronik -tekniker, sagde, at han elsker smartphone-appen, der lader ham overvåge de solopladede Tesla-batterier. Han sagde, at regeringen burde overveje at gå til solenergi og dumpe det nuværende "arkaiske" elnet.

"Dette kan trække os ud af det rod, vi er i, "sagde han." Der er ikke noget galt i at have en vision om fremtiden. Det er på tide at begynde at foretage ændringer. "

Som i Las Piedras, nogle solenergibrugere er afhængige af selskaber og nonprofit-grupper for at donere det dyre udstyr. Andre er blevet så rasende over vedvarende afbrydelser, at de tager på sig at installere deres egne systemer.

"Jeg er musiker. Jeg har et salsaorkester. Jeg ved intet om elektricitet, "sagde Felix Torres, der for nylig installerede ni solpaneler på taget af sit hjem, oppe på et bjerg i den østlige by Caguas. "I was afraid of getting electrocuted and damaging equipment worth thousands of dollars. ... But we should not depend so much on the government. They already have their hands full."

Torres recently joined nearly two dozen other people at a three-day workshop to learn about the costs and lifespans of solar systems, the equipment required and precautions they need to consider. The clip-clop of horses interrupted their chatter as the sun set on hills where electricity returned several months ago.

Many at the workshop pulled out their power bills along with pens and notebooks as they made comparisons and shared their frustrations. Among them was Jose Barreto, who set up a makeshift solar system at his house in the mountain town of Guavate.

"It hasn't collapsed because God is merciful, " he said, grumbling that his wife insists on washing and ironing at night, sucking up precious battery life. "I tell her, look, this is a lifestyle that runs on daytime hours."

A few hundred Puerto Ricans still haven't recovered electricity service since Hurricane Maria hit Sept. 20, and millions suffer periodic outages. Crews are trying to fortify the unstable grid in the middle of this year's hurricane season. When the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl passed through in early July, up to 47, 000 customers were left without lights, although most of the power was restored the same day.

In Las Piedras, Blanca Martinez, a retired school bus driver who is married to Santana, started to weep as she described the happiness of having a solar-powered home.

"It's sometimes hard to explain, " she said. "When you're a person who is in need, who is suffering, this comes along and you have light without having to worry whether a wire fell."

Another corporation, German-based sonnen, helped donate and install at least 15 solar microgrids across the island to help power laundromats, schools, community centers and medical clinics.

Adam Gentner, the company's director of business development and Latin American expansion, said the aim is to create a resilient system that can operate regardless of weather conditions.

Denne uge, Siemens published a report in which it envisions the construction of 10 mini-grids across Puerto Rico that would depend on renewable energy. Unlike microgrids, officials said, mini-grids are bigger and can use the current distribution infrastructure.

In Adjuntas, the nonprofit environmental group Casa Pueblo has installed solar systems at two hardware stores, a barber shop and several small stores that activists hope will serve as power oases where people can charge their phones and store medications during a storm if needed. In upcoming months, some 30 homes also will be fitted with the system.

Wilfredo Perez said he can now open his barbershop 11 hours a day, six days a week thanks to the new system.

"Since it was installed, it hasn't failed me, " he said, adding that he hasn't had to switch over to the power company's system. "The electricity in Puerto Rico doesn't work."

Federal officials are growing more worried about the turmoil at Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, which has seen five directors since Hurricane Maria. A U.S. House committee held a hearing Wednesday on the company's troubles.

Officials have stressed the need to depoliticize the company, create an independent regulator and resolve its $9 billion public debt as it prepares to privatize power generation and award concession for transmission and distribution.

None of this worries Arturo Massol, associate director of Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas.

"Let them do what they want over there, " he said. "We're taking control of our energy destiny."

© 2018 The Associated Press. Alle rettigheder forbeholdes.