The Recruiter's Outlook (October 2024)

As I get ready for my first renewable energy conference that requires flying over an ocean, I started thinking more about solar in the Caribbean. In a few weeks time, I will take off for San Juan, Puerto Rico for the annual SESA Summit. If you don’t know the backstory on SESA, I’ll fill you in:?Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (a SEIA affiliate) was founded by PJ Wilson directly after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017.

As a solar veteran and former peace corps volunteer, PJ set his mind on helping Puerto Rico after the island was hit by a Category 5 hurricane. The storm caused $91 billion dollars in damage and took the lives of 3,000 Puerto Ricans. The hurricane created the worst electrical blackout in US history which left all 3.4 million residents without power for months.

Employees of EnergeiaWorks had family on the island, so we donated as much money as we could and pooled our solar customers to donate equipment. But PJ Wilson did more! He dropped his life in the Ozarks and flew to San Juan to make a difference. An engineer by training, PJ jumped on roofs to install solar and got electricity back to as many as he could. What began as a humanitarian mission became an opportunity. Now in operation for nine years, SESA is hosting its 8th annual SESA Summit at the San Juan Convention Center from November 18-20. And then join us for Renewables UnWind San Juan the night of November 19 - scroll down for more info and a registration link!

Timing is everything in business, and PJ couldn’t have timed the SESA Summit better. The Department of Energy just announced that it has guaranteed an $861 million dollar loan for Project Marahu for 200MW of solar and 285MWH of energy storage on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. While a few utility-scale solar projects are in development, the 45MW Oriana Solar Park was the largest operational solar plant. (At the time of its construction in 2016, it was also the biggest solar project in the Caribbean.)

Last year, when the Ciro One (90MW solar & 51MWH of storage) was commissioned, it took over as the largest utility-scale solar power plant in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, operator Genera PR has 9 Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) totaling 1,720 MWh scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2025 to help “ensure greater stability and responsiveness of the grid.”

With 300 days of sunlight each year, the Caribbean market is prime for solar development, and it seems like this opportunity is finally being recognized in an actionable way. It’s not surprising that talent acquisition is on the rise throughout the region.??Over the past year, we’ve been engaged on several searches in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands.??If you’d like to see why Puerto Rico is not an Island of Garbage, I invite you to San Juan for the SESA Summit to talk about renewable energy in the Caribbean!

Receive a bonus for a referral to our website

If you are currently exploring a new job in your renewable energy career, we invite you to have a look at our careers portal. Refer a candidate to EnergeiaWorks and if they get hired, we’ll send you an EnergeiaWorks solar backpack with a $1,000 check. Visit our freshly redesigned website to submit!

William V. Liuzza, CEO, EnergeiaWorks & Founder of Renewables UnWind