By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

A group of solar + storage advocates has formed a new trade organization to fight for solar + storage solutions in Puerto Rico.

The Solar and Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico (SESA-PR) will promote the use of solar and energy storage to restore electricity to the entire island, something with which the U.S. protectorate has struggled since Hurricane Maria devastated the area last September.

“At this crucial moment for Puerto Rico, we are calling on the people to join this effort that aims to guide and educate around the use of solar energy to reduce dependence on the traditional electrical system,” said Patrick James Wilson, President of SESA-PR. “We have assembled a group of experts who will participate in a broad discussion on the future of energy on the island and share their perspectives from various sectors such as government, finance and economic development.”

One of the group’s executives grew up in Puerto Rico and said in a release announcing the group’s formation that the electric grid on the island has been broken since long before Maria ever visited the island.

“I was born and raised in Puerto Rico,” said Alejandro Uriarte, Director of SESA-PR and Managing Partner at New Energy Consultants. “Our electric grid was broken when I was growing up and is obviously in even worse condition today. Rebuilding after the hurricanes provides our island with a unique opportunity to upgrade our grid using better, more reliable technology like solar and battery storage that can make Puerto Rico an energy leader in the United States and across the world.”

Together, SESA-PR and partners will be hosting the inaugural SESA Puerto Rico Energy Summit on June 25 and 26. The conference will focus on the future of energy for the island and provide the perspectives from the intersecting worlds of solar, energy storage, government, finance, and economic development.

RSVP for the June 25 and 26 conference being held at the Intercontinental San Juan, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, HERE.

SESA-PR hopes to serve as the voice of the renewable and distributed energy industry in rebuilding conversations in Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., and nationally.