Energy consumption in Puerto Rico
The most important measure in the energy balance of Puerto Rico is the total consumption of19.48 bn kWh
of electric energy per year. Per capita this is an average of 6,100 kWh.Puerto Rico can provide itself completely with self-produced energy. The total production of all electric energy producing facilities is 21 bn kWh, also 108% of own requirements. The rest of the self-produced energy is either exported into other countries or unused. Along with pure consumptions the production, imports and exports play an important role. Other energy sources such as natural gas or crude oil are also used.
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Energy Balance
| Electricity | total | Puerto Rico per capita | USA per capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own consumption | 19.48 bn kWh | 6,099.52 kWh | 11,887.66 kWh |
| Production | 20.95 bn kWh | 6,559.80 kWh | 12,475.65 kWh |
Carbon footprint
| CO2 emissions | Puerto Rico per capita | USA per capita | |
|---|---|---|---|
| total | 19.85 m t | 6.22 t | 15.25 t |
Production capacities per energy source
The given production capacities for electric energy have a theoretical value, which could only be obtainable under ideal conditions. They are measuring the generatable amount of energy, that would be reached under permanent and full use of all capacities of all power plants. In practice this isn't possible, because e.g. solar collectors are less efficient unter clouds. Also wind- and water-power plants are not always operating under full load. All these values are only useful in relation to other energy sources or countries.| Energy source | total in Puerto Rico | percentage in Puerto Rico | percentage USA | per capita in Puerto Rico | per capita USA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil fuels | 51.83 bn kWh | 94,0 % | 70,0 % | 16,228.01 kWh | 20,306.77 kWh |
| Nuclear power | 0.00 kWh | 0,0 % | 9,0 % | 0.00 kWh | 2,610.87 kWh |
| Water power | 1.10 bn kWh | 2,0 % | 7,0 % | 345.28 kWh | 2,030.68 kWh |
| Renewable energy | 2.21 bn kWh | 4,0 % | 14,0 % | 690.55 kWh | 4,061.35 kWh |
| Total production capacity | 55.14 bn kWh | 100,0 % | 100,0 % | 17,263.85 kWh | 29,009.67 kWh |
| Actual total production | 20.95 bn kWh | 38.0 % | 43.0 % | 6,559.80 kWh | 12,475.65 kWh |
Usage of renewable energies
Renewable energies include wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources. This means all energy sources that renew themselves within a short time or are permanently available. Energy from hydropower is only partly a renewable energy. This is certainly the case with river or tidal power plants. Otherwise, numerous dams or reservoirs also produce mixed forms, e.g. by pumping water into their reservoirs at night and recovering energy from them during the day when there is an increased demand for electricity. Since it is not possible to clearly determine the amount of generated energy, all energies from hydropower are displayed separately.In 2015, renewable energies accounted for around 1.8 percent of actual total consumption in Puerto Rico. The following chart shows the percentage share from 1990 to 2015:
