Analysis of PV Microgrids with Storage to Improve the Resiliency of the Island of Culebra, Puerto Rico

Culebra is a remote island located at the east of Puerto Rico. In September 2017, Puerto Rico including Culebra was impacted by María, a category 5 hurricane. It caused catastrophic damage, especially to the electric power distribution due to the breakage of the 38 kV submarine cable that powered the remote island. According to reports, after 6 months and hundreds of deaths, the electric service in Culebra was repaired. So, what alternatives can be explored to avoid the interruption of basic services in remote islands? As grid-forming inverter technology becomes more popular, we designed, and simulated two hybrid PV systems of 314.6 kW, and 265 kW to generate enough electricity to supply the energy demand of the island’s critical buildings using Aurora Solar software. Also, the required technologies were selected, and evaluated through a power analysis. Shadow reports were conducted to quantify the solar energy production efficiency. A battery storage system was analyzed to withstand 3 months of power outage using ReOPT software. Finally, a financial analysis was performed which breaks down an initial investment of approximately $1,581,905. Incentives, and rebates were identified to lower the initial investment. It resulted in a resilient, and feasible implementation because the break even point can be reached in approximately 3 years.