KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is reporting that power outages caused by solar and wind fluctuations have been reduced by an average of 87.5 per cent since the commissioning of its Hybrid Energy Storage Facility built over a year ago.

According to the JPS, the storage facility helps to reduce outages that would have been caused by a drop in wind power or reduction in solar power, due to cloud cover and inclement weather conditions.

The company made the announcement while noting that it is also now easier to integrate renewable energy into the national grid, especially from solar and wind sources also due to the facility.

Pointing out that it is happy with the country’s increased focus on renewable energy, the electricity service provider noted the importance of timing and amount to ensure grid stability.

It said the addition of more renewable sources in the country’s energy mix reduces the dependence on imported fossil fuels and the associated fuel cost. In the short term, this is expected to contribute to cleaner energy, and in the long term, to lower electricity costs, the JPS said.

In addition to its storage facility, the company said it has been replacing some of its older generating technology with newer more efficient systems. This combined approach, it said, is a formula that is working with “the grid’s increased reliability being a result”.