Puerto Rico’s Devastated Electric Grid Could Be a Big Opportunity for Renewable Energy

Even before Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the island's electric grid was in bad shape. Nearly half the country's electricity came from expensive oil shipped to the island. Power outages occurred frequently, and electricity prices were higher than anywhere else in the U.S. except Hawaii. The territory's electric authority, mired in debt, could not afford to fix the problem.

Those problems now seem minor by comparison. The vast majority of the island's population is currently living without power.