Elon Musk announced Tesla would provide aid for Puerto Rico as the island recovers from Hurricane Maria. Now we've seen the how the company's renewable energy systems are Pihitbeing implemented.
The company's Twitter account shared a set of new photos showing off a new solar panel installation at Hospital del Niño in Guaynabo, calling it the "first of many" solar and storage initiatives planned to bring power to the people of Puerto Rico.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The photos show off rows of newly installed solar panels filling up a parking lot and one of Tesla's Powerpack batteries, three of which were reportedly spotted earlier this month at the San Juan airport. Each Powerpack can can store up to 210 kWh of power, which in this case will be produced by the solar panels.
SEE ALSO: Tesla will build a factory in Shanghai to help bring costs downCBS News correspondent David Begnaud, who is currently reporting from Puerto Rico, also tweeted out the images. He included some additional details about the power storage system.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
If Begnaud's numbers are accurate, Tesla probably added another Powerpack to the system, along with a number of Powerwall batteries, which can store up to 13.5 kWh of power. The company reportedly sent "hundreds" of the batteries to the island at the start of recovery efforts, along with a team of installers to help put them in place.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rossello publicly corresponded on Twitter after a fan's suggestion to discuss the company's potential role in relief efforts. Rossello later met with Tesla VP of global infrastructure operations Cal Lankton to continue those discussions, which likely resulted in the hospital project and the "many" others currently in the works.
These projects can be incredibly helpful for Puerto Rico — at press time, only 24.4 percent of the island has access to power. But it's also important to note that Tesla only appears to be creating micro grids with the new installations, which are limited to managing the power of small closed systems, rather than larger networks. Tesla has installed power grid systems on Kauai in Hawaiiand Ta'u in American Samoa, but never anywhere as large as Puerto Rico.
We reached out to Tesla for some more details about the new installation, its funding, and the others the company has planned in Puerto Rico. We haven't heard back, but will update the story if and when we do.
The company that appears to be tasked with rebuilding Puerto Rico's power grid at large is Whitefish Energy, which agreed to a $300 million contract with PREPA, the island's power authority. That deal has been called into question because of the tiny Montana company's alleged ties to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
No matter who does the work, however, Puerto Rico needs all the help it can to bring power back to the people. Bringing a renewable system to a children's hospital is a good start.
Topics Sustainability Tesla Elon Musk
A worthless juicer and a Gipper-branded server
24 times 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' was too cute to handle
8 of the biggest beauty trends in 2016 (so far)
Elie Wiesel's writing and influence remembered after his death
Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
'Fog of Love': Spice up game night with this wild rom
Can you ID these '00s summer jams from just one video frame?
Australian election won by sausage outrage, Harambe and uncertainty
Ryzen 5 1600X vs. 1600: Which should you buy?
Man falls into black hole at museum because not even art is safe anymore
NYT mini crossword answers for May 12, 2025
Staples, the home of school supplies, just trolled Kris Jenner
David Hogg has plans to run for Congress when he’s 25
Cherries are the trendiest fruit of the summer
Stablecoin bill advances in U.S. Senate as Trump critics call to end his crypto dealings
'Fog of Love': Spice up game night with this wild rom
This glorious British beard contest has to be seen to be believed
Accio, wand! The 10 most popular 'Harry Potter' spells revealed
I'm a college professor. My advice to young people who feel hooked on tech
Russian hackers target Republican think tanks critical of Moscow, Microsoft says
Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling recreated their 'Mickey Mouse Club' days at the OscarsYour first cry at the Oscars is meeting one of the realOscars shocker: 'La La Land' announced as Best Picture, but 'Moonlight' winsLet's read way too much into this cryptic video of Lorde drinking sodaEverything from pandas to the ACLU were championed at the OscarsHere's how Ryan Gosling reacted to that wild Best Picture twistJimmy Kimmel trolled Matt Damon at the Oscars because what else did you expectTwitter can't get enough of Dev Patel and Andrew Garfield's bromance at the Oscars'The Walking Dead' recap: Negan's having some personnel issuesNever mind the Oscars, Britain hosted its own awards ceremony... for kebabs'Homeland' sees 'The Return' of some old friends'The Walking Dead' recap: Negan's having some personnel issuesYouTube comes to Comcast's XJustin Timberlake had everyone dancing with his opening Oscars numberSean Spicer was once a terrifying White House Easter BunnyCasey Affleck wins Best Actor after allRipples in space and time carry the future of space scienceThe game that reveals how hacktivism thrives when government becomes oppressiveThe next big trend in phones? Nostalgia.Emma Stone calls B.S. on Warren Beatty: 'I was holding my Best Actress envelope' This VC firm just made its 50th investment in underrepresented founders 7 priests walk into a pub and they're turned away for a hilarious reason A rich story about a stolen Nova Scotia wheelbarrow, told in 2 pictures Google's Earth's breathtaking redesign is finally on iOS RIP: Here are 70 things millennials have killed How 12 guys used peanut butter to escape from jail...y This airline found the perfect remedy for manspreading Mark Zuckerberg's foundation hired a top presidential pollster 'The Dark Tower' commits the unforgivable sin of being boring What does Bran Stark know about Sansa that we don't? 'Game of Thrones' has become so self Groupon and Grubhub join forces to get you hooked on food delivery 'Twin Peaks' has a new 'Who killed Laura Palmer?': Where is Agent Cooper? NASA isn't hiring someone to protect you from evil aliens Why Amazon's home makeover show should make Google and Facebook nervous Hyperloop One's latest tests broke all of its speed records Food delivery drivers talk about naked customers and other awkward encounters on the road Subway wizard barely pays attention to the Rubik's Cube he solves with one hand Super talented mom turns kid's wall scribblings into something beautiful Google's Daydream VR platform is now on Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+