Elon Musk; Rebuild Puerto Rico w/ Solar Energy Grid

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Masato
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Elon Musk; Rebuild Puerto Rico w/ Solar Energy Grid

Postby Masato » Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:43 pm

http://www.iflscience.com/technology/el ... le-energy/

Elon Musk Offers To Rebuild Puerto Rico Power Grid Using Renewable Energy

The power grid in Puerto Rico has suffered a lot of damage from Hurricane Maria. The storm was devastating, and the effects on the electricity grid can be seen from space.

Without power, communication has been difficult, hindering attempts to get aid to those who need it. Nearly three weeks later, the vast majority of the island is still without power. Rebuilding the power grid will be a difficult task, no matter how they decide to do it.

Satellite night images of #PuertoRico. #HurricaneMaria knocked out power grid, millions without electricity. More @ https://t.co/UxxCHH5OVC pic.twitter.com/yUDLk8V0Jf
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) September 25, 2017

Now offering his assistance, tech giant Elon Musk has suggested he could rebuild the Puerto Rico power grid using renewable energy. In no time at all, the Puerto Rico government has taken him up on his offer, and are talking to him about how that would work.

It all started when Twitter user Scott Stapf shared an article suggesting now is the time for Puerto Rico to rethink how it gets its electricity, and asked Musk if he could help the island using his solar system.

Elon Musk responded offering his services if the Puerto Rican Government wanted them.

The Governor of Puerto Rico responded, asking to talk to Mr Musk about his offer.

The two then made plans to talk later that day.

Elon Musk's firm SolarCity last year powered a small island almost entirely using solar power. The island of Ta‘ū and its 600 residents have nearly 100 percent of their energy supplied by a solar power plant consisting of 5,328 solar panels, hooked up to a microgrid of battery storage systems. The batteries there can be used to store energy for up to three days without Sun.

Puerto Rico is a far bigger challenge, with over 3.4 million residents, but Musk's firm has been working on much more ambitious ways to store energy, and Musk himself said there is no scalability limit to the system. Currently, his firm is half way through building the world's biggest battery in Australia, which will be used to power around 30,000 homes.

If Elon Musk were to try to power Puerto Rico using renewable energy, it would be an extremely ambitious project, but one that appears to have the support of the government there, as well as people living on the island.

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Postby Masato » Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:45 pm

From the BBC, take it for what you will:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41524220

Elon Musk says he can rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid with solar

Renewable energy entrepreneur Elon Musk says he could rebuild Puerto Rico's shattered electrical infrastructure with his solar energy technology.

The vast majority of the island territory remains without power, weeks after it was hit by Hurricane Maria.

On Twitter, Mr Musk said his technology, which powers several smaller islands, could be scaled up to work for Puerto Rico.

The island's governor responded to Mr Musk with the message: "Let's talk".

"Do you want to show the world the power and scalability of your Tesla technologies? Puerto Rico could be that flagship project," the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, said.

Mr Musk's Tesla company is best known for its electric cars, but it also incorporates SolarCity - a solar panel firm which specialises in efficiently storing large amounts of electricity in power banks.

The company says it has powered small islands, such as Ta'u in American Samoa. There, it installed a solar grid which can power the entire island and store enough electricity for three days without any sun.

"The Tesla team has done this for many smaller islands around the world, but there is no scalability limit, so it can be done for Puerto Rico, too," Mr Musk tweeted.
Skip Twitter post by @elonmusk

The Tesla team has done this for many smaller islands around the world, but there is no scalability limit, so it can be done for Puerto Rico too. Such a decision would be in the hands of the PR govt, PUC, any commercial stakeholders and, most importantly, the people of PR.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 5, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @elonmusk
Skip Twitter post by @ricardorossello

@elonMusk Let's talk. Do you want to show the world the power and scalability of your #TeslaTechnologies? PR could be that flagship project. https://t.co/McnHKwisqc
— Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) October 6, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @ricardorossello

But he added that such a project would need the support of Puerto Rico - something the governor appears to be open to.

Trump's Puerto Rico towel-throwing 'abominable'
'Hurricane Maria destroyed everything'

It is also understood that Tesla has already sent a number of battery systems to Puerto Rico to store energy from the island's existing solar panels to help offset the energy shortage.

The latest conversation is reminiscent of the bet started on Twitter between Mr Musk and an Australian software entrepreneur which led to plans for the world's largest battery storage project in South Australia.
Image copyright Tesla / Solar City
Image caption The company says its installation on Ta'u can supply almost 100% of the island's electricity

That battery installation - which Tesla guaranteed could be working "100 days from contract signature" - was declared half-built within days of the start of construction.

The Puerto Rican governor also used the exact same language - "let's talk" - as South Australia Senator Sarah Hanson-Young used before the project became a reality.

World's biggest battery 'half-built'
Musk: I can solve Australia power crisis

Puerto Rican residents with solar panels are among the few with a stable electricity supply.

One flower grower, Hector Santiago, invested $300,000 (£230,000) in solar panels six years ago, Reuters reported this week.

"Everybody told me I was crazy because it was so expensive. Now I have power and they don't," he told the agency.

It is understood that Tesla has already sent a number of battery systems to Puerto Rico to store energy from the island's existing solar panels to help offset the energy shortage.

Mr Musk has been largely successful in his renewable ventures.

Alongside his successful Tesla motors company and solar projects, he is also the founder of SpaceX, which has developed reusable rockets for space flight.

Last week, he unveiled plans for a city to city rocket transport system, which could fly people from London to New York in less than half an hour, and for a manned Mars mission by 2024.

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Postby Masato » Tue Oct 10, 2017 4:46 pm

Here is ANOTHER BBC article where Elon Musk is offering to fix an AUSTRALIAN power grid:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39229255


- a lot of press and attention for an 'alternative' source to the energy gods, no?

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Postby HEATH VON DOOM » Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:21 pm

Do you think a solar power grid would have held up any better to a hurricane like that? Looking at the pictures of Puerto Rico it looked alot like the power lines you see in India or a Brazilian favela. As bad as this will suck for the people it may be a blessing in disguise because now they can wire things the right way.


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