On Wednesday night, Puerto Rico's take on living "off-the-grid" became a bit too literal when a widespread power outage left more than 340,000 customers in the dark. The blackout affected the capital city of San Juan and several neighboring municipalities, including Bayamón, Caguas, and Carolina. It was the latest in a series of disruptions that have left residents questioning the reliability of their electrical grid and pondering the merits of alternative light sources—like candles and lanterns.

Luma Energy, the company responsible for transmission and distribution for Puerto Rico’s power authority, was quick to report that the outage was due to issues with the power plants' transmission lines. Understandably, when your product is electricity, "transmission line issues" tend to be quite the party pooper.

Governor Pedro Pierluisi was less than thrilled by the unscheduled power cuts, demanding answers and solutions from both Luma Energy and Genera PR, another entity involved in power generation. Mayor Miguel Romero of San Juan, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency in response to the outage. "If only the power lines declared a state of emergency first," mused one resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were busy charging their phone at a friend's house.

The outage has reignited long-standing calls from residents to oust the private companies that recently took over power generation and distribution duties after Hurricane Maria swaggered through the island in 2017, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Scores of Puerto Ricans took to social media, sharing images and videos of the blackout while issuing a collective "thumbs down" to Luma Energy.

Even Bad Bunny got in on the action, posting a line from his song 'El Apagón'—a fitting nod to the island’s recurrent power issues—on X (formerly known as Twitter for those living under rocks or power outages).

It seems that Luma Energy didn’t take too kindly to being the object of mass social scorn. The company claimed that over 99% of customers had their power restored by Thursday morning. But like that one friend who always brings store-bought pie to a homemade dessert contest, it was a bit too little, too late. The residents were already questioning when their next "unplugged" experience might occur.

In the midst of all this electricity-inspired drama, rumors swirled about faulty energy transformers that failed on June 2. According to Luma, repairs on these transformers could take more than a month. Perhaps it’s time to dust off those old oil lamps in the attic—the ones you swore you'd never need when you bought your first LED bulb.

The recent blackout has once again highlighted the precarious state of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. Since Hurricane Maria, the island has experienced recurrent power outages that have left residents weary and suspicious of promises for a more stable future. Social media became a hive of activity as frustrated residents shared their experiences, proving that when it comes to complaining online, we can always find a way to stay connected—even if our homes aren't.

As the island continues to grapple with power issues and debates the future of its energy infrastructure, one thing is clear: this 'unplugged' lifestyle is getting old—and fast. Perhaps before setting up for those candle-making classes, collective efforts might be better spent demanding a reliable source of power. After all, we can always buy scented candles at the store. The key is having the power to see them on the shelf in the first place.

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