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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."
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.
You're right, you can't. You have to actually go out and help people. What a concept!
Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
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.
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.
Not true, the hurricanes are caused by Trump's unnatural love of coal.
In the long run yes, but in line with your own climate hypothesis today's hurricanes are being caused by Carter not allowing nuclear fuel to be reprocessed and Obama killing off Yucca Mountain.
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.
Of course it was done for PR-reasons
Yeah. PR as in Puerto Rico >.>
I actually know a geologist who worked on that project. Was a German fellow, so he didn't care too much about the politics of the situation.
His take was that the site is and will continue to be geologically stable for many 1000's of years.
The big concern was that the rock which makes up the thing is hard and has many fractures. This allows a relatively rapid transfer or rain water to seep through to the aquifer below.
The containers themselves by regulation must last between 300-1000 years. Of course in 100 years, the company that made them will be long, long, long out of business so if they should fail at 250 or even 299 years, it's not like anyone would be around spank them.
Statistically, it is likely we would see at least 1 or two barrels which will fail at the lower end of the spectrum and start leaking. Do these things break catastrophically? I have no clue. I would assume they just develop small leaks which increase over time as the base material gets exposed to the radioactive elements and moisture.
If you are not an expert, it is down to who you believe.
The DOE says, hey...everything is fine and even when the containers fail (and they will) it will take a super long time to pollute the water and even then, we think it is an acceptable level of pollution.
The NV State scientists say, no no no, due to the properties of the underlying rock, we calculate that should a barrel leak, the ground water will be polluted to a deadly level in about 1000 years.
I have no idea who is actually correct. In general though, humans are pretty crap about thinking 10 years into the future let alone 1000. I could imagine that many folks would say..meh...that's like 1000 years from now! For sure we will have thought of something to fix it by then.
Maybe we will have. Maybe we wont. Maybe we will have been killed off by then. If that's the case, I hope all the barrels leaks and kills who ever takes over the planet.