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Tesla Turns Power Back On At Children's Hospital In Puerto Rico (npr.org)

Elon Musk took to Instagram yesterday to announce the "first of many solar+battery Tesla projects going live in Puerto Rico." Tesla has used its solar panels and batteries to restore reliable electricity at San Juan's Hospital del Nino (Children's Hospital) after the country was devastated by two powerful hurricanes in September. NPR reports: Musk's company announced its success in getting the hospital's power working again less than three weeks after Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello tweeted on Oct. 6, "Great initial conversation with @elonmusk tonight. Teams are now talking; exploring opportunities." Tesla's image of the project's solar array, in a parking lot next to the hospital, has been liked more than 84,000 times since it was posted to Instagram Tuesday. The hospital's new system allows it to generate all the energy it needs, according to El Nuevo Dia. The facility has 35 permanent residents with chronic conditions; it also offers services to some 3,000 young patients, the newspaper says. As for who is paying for the power system, the head of the hospital tells Nuevo Dia that for now, it's a donation -- and that after the energy crisis is over, a deal could make it permanent. Both Rossello and the tech company tweeted about the project this week, with Tesla saying in a post, "Grateful to support the recovery of Puerto Rico with @ricardorossello" -- and Rossello stating, "A major contribution of @Tesla to the Hospital del Nino."

10 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Look, I love Elon as much as the next sycophant by Gaygirlie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course it was done for PR-reasons, but still, it helped a large group of real people in real trouble, so it's hard to be terribly salty about it. I'd rather more companies used their marketing-budgets on stuff that actually benefits the common folk.

  2. Re: Look, I love Elon as much as the next sycophan by Plus1Entropy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You're right, you can't. You have to actually go out and help people. What a concept!

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    Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
  3. Such hatred by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A children's hospital with 35 permanent residents?

    Clearly, a site chosen at random for power restoration...

    I see that you haven't proposed what would have been a *better* installation, just a comparison to a big nebulous "he could have done better". Where is your analysis? What alternatives were there, and why was his choice sub-optimal?

    Can't we just say "bravo" or at least "congratulations" or something?

    Elon didn't do it the way *you* would have liked, but note that he actually did something.

  4. FEMA needs to buy a few dozen of these sets by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Each set would consist of batteries and the accompanying solar array to charge them, packaged so it could be deployed as a first response to disasters like this.The ability to get early power to critical facilities would be really valuable. The array shown here looks as though it could fit into a standard 2 TEU, to be shipped or trucked anywhere.

    Gibber away all you want about your favorite Elon Musk conspiracy theory. The rest of us have long since stopped listening to you.

  5. Mud on the federal governmet's face by chromaexcursion · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Musk has done in weeks what the federal government was incapable of doing by any means.
    This may have something to do with the idiot in charge.
    It's also the first real nail in the fossil fuel industry's coffin. For remote sites, solar generation, with batteries, is cheaper that any other source.
    It may not be long before you can remove the remote from that statement.

  6. Ah yet another Trumpian failure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Heir Orange Turd is really striking out. I guess those damn Ricans are just not Merican enough for him.

    To all the ass hats that voted for him I hope you SUFFER.

  7. Re:Look, I love Elon as much as the next sycophant by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm as happy as the next guy to hate on Elon - and have done it here, more than once - but it's hard to argue this isn't a good thing regardless of his motivation.

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    #DeleteChrome
  8. Re:Surprising Whitefish Energy didn't do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    It's almost as if Trump is incredibly corrupt and giving massive amounts of money to his friends and supporters for doing nothing.

    Drain the swamp was not about getting rid of lobbyists and corrupt deals. It was always about getting rid of competent government employees. That's why just about everyone he's nominated for cabinet jobs are literally anti-qualified (FFS Rick Perry campaigned on eliminating the DoE and now he's the DoE secretary). Bannon fully admitted it too when he (illiterately) said the goal is the "deconstruction of the administrative state."

  9. Re:Look, I love Elon as much as the next sycophant by Rei · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Please, by all means, show me the solar power generation and storage facility that you built in a country whose transportation infrastructure was devastated, completed just 2 1/2 weeks after speaking with the local government for the very first time.

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    The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming systems.
  10. Re:Look, I love Elon as much as the next sycophant by Zeromous · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A motivation to prove that his technology is rapidly deployed and viable? After everyone hates on him and says he's selling pipe dreams?

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