Puerto Rico is a small but densely populated island with a high rate of energy consumption. While the island has natural resources such as land, water, wind and plenty of sun, it has no oil or big mineral deposits of its own. Almost 70 per cent of the island’s energy is produced from petroleum, which has to be imported into the country.
In 2009 the average consumption of petroleum products was over 164 barrels a day. Of the total carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels in 2009 (over 33 million metric tons) almost 85 per cent of emissions came from petroleum sources. When compared to Barbados, Puerto Rico averages 5.5 million kilowatts of power per capita with approximately 450 people per square kilometer as opposed to the 3.5 million averaged by approximately 600 people per square kilometer in Barbados. The two countries are similar in population density and per capita income, if not physical size or population. As a result one can conclude that electricity consumption in Puerto Rico is very high.
The island has depended on oil as its main energy source for many years and due to market fluctuations, high consumption rates and the cost of importing the fuel, Puerto Ricans pay almost twice as much for their energy as their U.S mainland counterparts. The government has been trying to shift the island’s dependence on oil to other sources, such as natural gas and some forms of renewable energy but the island will still be very dependent on oil for energy use.
Check out the links below for more information on energy production and consumption in Puerto Rico.
