Javier Rúa-Jovet, Solar and Storage, Puerto Rico

Javier Rúa-Jovet is chief policy officer for SESA, the Solar & Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico. He’s been in the industry for 5 years.

Why is clean energy important to you? In Puerto Rico, three thousand people died because of basic power after Hurricane María in 2017. I believe that more “solar plus storage” would have saved lives.

What’s your proudest accomplishment in clean energy? I helped Puerto Rico secure its clean new deal, Act 17 the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act from 2019. In fact, I had a hand in crafting the legislation.

What did you do before entering clean energy? I’m a former Puerto Rico public servant. Initially, I focused on natural resources/environmental/land use and also telecoms regulation as PUC chief. Outside of government, I’ve headed my own consulting and legal practice with an emphasis on regulatory and government affairs in renewable energy.

How did you first get introduced to clean energy? As an attorney for clients in renewable energy.

How does clean energy impact your community? Solar is an industry that saves lives and improves quality of life by abating outages and high power prices. With it, we can improve the health of Puerto Rico and the world.

What is something you wish more people knew about your job? It’s critically important we get these policies right, and erase the obstacles, to quickly deploy lifesaving, resilient approaches to clean energy with solar plus storage.

Why should Congress invest in clean energy jobs, not fossil fuel jobs? Because solar saves the planet, and we can’t have jobs without a planet.