$14 Million Microgrid Nears Completion at Puerto Rico’s Main Airport

This spring, Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, will energize the largest airport microgrid in Puerto Rico.

Skysense, an energy and microgrid solutions provider based in Mexico, is installing the system, which is expected to be connected to the island’s power grid in the coming months. The solar and energy storage system is designed to improve the reliability of critical infrastructure and lower energy costs.

With a price tag of $14 million, the microgrid will feature a 2-MW solar array and 500-kWh battery energy storage system (BESS).

"The battery system will contribute to energy stability through frequency regulation services, which are essential for infrastructure with continuous operations," said Francisco Cervantes, chief commercial officer of Skysense, in a statement.

Resilience and lower energy costs

The microgrid will provide much needed energy reliability to Puerto Rico’s main airport, which hosts 30 airlines and welcomes more than 8 million passengers to the U.S. territory annually.

The airport also handles 90% of the island’s air freight, making it not only a critical economic hub, but a key landing site for emergency personnel and materials during emergencies.

Puerto Rico has been ravaged in recent years by a series of powerful hurricanes. In 2022, Hurricane Fiona devastated the territory’s already aging and fragile power grid, plunging 1.5 million electricity customers into darkness for months.

In August 2024, nearly 1 million customers once again lost power when Hurricane Ernesto roared over the islands. On New Year’s Eve of that same year, a grid collapse once again cut power to most electricity customers.

Microgrids have become increasingly popular in Puerto Rico, thanks to their ability to provide reliable power independent of the grid.

From remote mountain communities like Adjuntas to logistics terminals and manufacturing facilities, microgrids have enabled critical services to remain operational, even when the grid fails. 

Microgrids with energy storage systems can also lower energy bills by storing energy for use when grid prices are high.

Airport microgrids around the U.S.

The San Juan airport microgrid is one of a growing number of similar installations across the U.S.

New York’s John F. Kennedy International, Dallas-Fort Worth International, Pittsburgh International and the Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Massachusetts either have or are developing microgrids.

In the Grenada, Jamaica and across the Caribbean, interest in airport microgrids is also on the rise as island nations look to better weather longer and more intense storm seasons.

Skysense said he believes the San Juan facility will set “a regional benchmark for the adoption of advanced microgrids in the transportation sector,” according to a company statement.