On November 8, 2024, the U.S. Virgin Islands Energy Office introduced new changes to their Virgin Islands Battery Energy Storage (VIBES) Program, which provides funding to full time residents to invest in battery storage solutions to supply power during a grid disruption.
The VIBES Program, funded by the U.S. State Energy Program (SEP), supports activities such as the installation of residential scale battery storage, automatic transfer switch, or smart critical load panels.
Since its launch in May 2024, the program has introduced three changes: residents are now eligible for a rebate up to $6,000, increased from $4,000; the battery system capacity allowed has been expanded to 20kWh; and equipment can be purchased by vendors outside of USVI.
Changes to the VIBES Program provide residents with greater flexibility to invest in battery storage solutions and offer them an opportunity to increase the territory's overall resilience during a natural disaster which impacts the delivery of power.
