Fundacion Comunitaria de Puerto Rico Servicios

CERI purpose is to ensure that critical community facilities such as educational, health, and economic development community centers, community-based organizations and businesses- can successfully and uninterruptedly operate through affordable renewable energy systems, even amid catastrophic natural disasters and power blackouts, while promoting more equitable access to the resources needed to meet the 2050 goal of a 100 percent renewable energy grid in Puerto Rico. The establishment of CERI was supported by a study of Puerto Rico's energy infrastructure, critical facilities, and renewable energy public policies. Some key highlights of these study findings define and determine CERI scopes and strategies are Puerto Rico is geographically exposed to severe hurricanes and seismic activity. Puerto Rico has a very fragile and outdated energy system. Power interruptions of up to 11 months were experienced after Hurricane Maria 2017. Within and without disasters, the central rural mountainous area and its mostly low-income residents are constantly vulnerable and susceptible to energy blackouts. Despite an avalanche of federal recovery funds, many obstacles combine to obstruct and delay effective long-term solutions to the generalized energy vulnerability. Financial institutions consider low to moderate-income communities and their non-profit critical service providers as high risk borrowers. The establishment of microgrids is an expensive proposition.