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Virtually all modern social, economic, and political systems rely first and foremost on a robust and stable infrastructure. This is Puerto Rico’s most glaring weakness - they desperately need new, resilient infrastructure.
But...No Money! Shrinking Economy! People are Leaving! Puerto Rico also lacks many of the financial, business, and legal skills and other forms and methods that larger established markets take for granted.
It is Strange then that this precarious situation has paradoxically created fertile conditions for transformation and a globally unparalleled opportunity to build back a first-of-its-kind modern system of infrastructure. It can be done well, or poorly, but transformation IS happening.
Puerto Rico is now and will be for years to come the "sandbox" where clean and sustainable energy technologies, business practices, financial innovation, dynamic regulatory structure, and political will are all tested and refined to create the modern, resilient, distributed grid and energy infrastructure of the future.
Lessons taken from Puerto Rico, both good and bad, will inform new technologies and practices that will be applied in the transformation of core infrastructure worldwide for decades to come. If it happens, it will probably happen in PR first.
Why?
Intrepid entrepreneurs are moving in because, among other things:
- Compared to functioning utility markets there is limited obstruction, no one saying "if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
- Government at all levels are actively supporting investment and transformation, essentially saying, “its broke, fix it, anybody!”
- Consumer demand – entire population, literally, understands the intrinsic value of distributed gen and resiliency and they want it,
- Potential federal money and other support will flow from rebuilding efforts (though it is still uncertain as to when, how, how much) some of this will be available to transformative efforts,
- US laws and jurisdiction, and
- A mostly favorable tax situation.
