Sunnova working with government authorities to provide power to Puerto Rico
Sunnova Corporation, the largest residential solar provider in Puerto Rico, is working to send energy storage systems (batteries) to the island to integrate into existing solar power installations. The batteries are part of an effort to solve the immediate needs of Puerto Rican customers and to create a more resilient, long-term power service for the island’s energy infrastructure, which must be almost entirely rebuilt.
Speaking about the company’s efforts, Sunnova Chief Executive Officer John Berger made the following statement: “Sunnova is working directly with Governor Rosselló’s team and the Trump administration to assist in the recovery and restoration of power to residents facing prolonged electricity outages.”
“Prior to the storm, Sunnova had just under 10,000 systems installed. Right now, we are working to get those systems back on line and to provide our customers with battery storage to provide critical electricity services while the work to restore and rebuild the grid commences.
“We are encouraged to see the governor and federal government demonstrating strong leadership in the face of such adversity, the likes of which we’ve seldom seen before,”
Mr Berger added. “This is a seminal moment, as crises often are, where we will see the energy business fundamentally change because of what’s happening now. Solar and batteries will be a necessity for short-term needs and long-term energy planning. The grid in Puerto Rico needs to be rebuilt to become more resilient, and that includes one with distributed solar and batteries.”
To help aid in recovery, Sunnova has sent members of its Houston-based team to Puerto Rico to support local employees already assessing the damage and repairing solar systems.
The Houston team went equipped with recovery supplies – including generators, satellite phones, solar backpacks and other inventory – to support employees on the island.
“We want Puerto Rico to know that in the immediacy of the situation, we are here to help in any way we can,” Mr Berger said.