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New Energy World™
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What’s behind Puerto Rico’s battle to go green?
2/7/2025
8 min read
Feature
Despite being firmly rooted in the latest climate science and supported by 99% of scientists, global warming has become highly politicised, as have moves to decarbonise energy supply networks. Charlie Bush examines how the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is a microcosm of modern ideological battles over the energy transition.
In April 2025, Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs Tommy Joyce spoke at the International Summit on the Future of Energy Security, organised by the UK government and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Joyce made several controversial claims. First, he said: ‘The Biden administration tried to make Puerto Rico the “net zero poster child”, and they were supposed to be at 40% wind and solar this year and 100% soon thereafter. But after bolting on over 30% of wind and solar variable renewables, traditional grids begin failing.’ Secondly, he claimed that ‘modernised grid systems’ are required to cope with this level of variable renewable generation, but cost billions of dollars. Third, he argued that net zero means ‘trading one form of dependency for another, putting abstract mission goals in the interests of our adversaries first and the security of our people last... because there are no wind turbines without concessions to or coercions from China’.
Joyce used the example of the situation in Puerto Rico to paint a global picture of how the energy transition is causing grids to fail, requires costly grid modernisation and threatens energy security. But is it true?