FILE - A technician installs a solar energy system at a home July 24, 2018, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. A U.S. government ongoing study that released preliminary results Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, has determined that with little room on the island for large-scale solar farms or wind generators, Puerto Rico should aim to reach its clean-energy goals by installing solar panels on all suitable rooftops, along with airports, brownfields and industrial areas. (AP Photo/Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, File)

The U.S. Dept. of Energy is dedicating $453.5 million to increase residential solar PV and battery storage installations in Puerto Rico, the agency announced.

Funding for the effort comes from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund, which includes $1 billion appropriated in President Joe Biden’s Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The program aims to enhance energy resilience for Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable households and communities.

This round of funding will provide consumer protection and education initiatives to support residents’ long-term use of solar systems as well as a Solar Ambassador Prize for community groups to help the DOE identify and connect with eligible households.

The funding is designed to incentivize the installation of up to 30,000–40,000 solar PV and battery storage systems for very low-income single-family households that are either:

Located in areas that have a high percentage of very low-income households and experience frequent and prolonged power outages; or

With a family member with an energy-dependent disability, such as electric wheelchair users or individuals who use at-home dialysis machines.

Potential applicants may include private industry, non-profit organizations, energy cooperatives, educational institutions, and state and local governmental entities. The second round of funding for the PR-ERF will be announced at a later date.