Hurricanes make headlines, but chronic utility failure drives energy (in)security in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Abstract

Natural disasters and extreme events expose significant challenges to electricity infrastructure. We explore concepts of energy security and energy resilience in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria & Irma in the U.S. Caribbean in 2017. We look at household consequences of regular and storm related power outages for communities, and investigate the motivations for household adoption of solar energy in the wake of a natural disaster, using surveys and interviews in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Results indicate that the storm-related utility failure was widely acknowledged as catastrophic by Islanders, severely limiting the ability for people to work, purchase and store food, and live healthy and productive lives – with lasting consequences. We also find that residents are just as impacted by chronic utility failure as they were disaster-related outages. In the wake of perceived failure from the local utility to provide energy security or energy resilience, households are making decision to invest in self-provided systems to meet these needs by purchasing generators and solar PV. Yet, provision of solar PV follows systemic and racialized patterns of access. We suggest that the practical ways in which utilities make decisions about resilience are outdated, and call for a new paradigm of energy security.