Elon Musk says Tesla can rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid, if given the chance

Fox News has an article from Musk saying that he can rebuild PR's power infrastructure using a proven, scale-able method Tesla has already implemented on other smaller islands. I say let him go for it. Sure, he will make money, but look what they would get! They already needed it before the disaster and now there is this or the option to wait for years to get it back to what it was.

Tesla can fix PR replace PR power grid.

I see it as a WIN-WIN, however we will see how politics and personal interests deal these cards.

Puerto Rico's problems viewed as an opportunity to develop the next generation of how power is delivered is a good idea. It could benefit us all in the end.

a reply to: charlyv

The tech giants strike again.

Feudalism is almost a thing in silicon valley, now Musk proposes this idea?

It's funny how far these corporations and outrageously wealthy people dodge the monopoly status to gain control. True capitalism, destroying democracy one bit at a time.

a reply to: charlyv

Wow they could be the flagship example for renewable energy..

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: charlyv

The tech giants strike again.

Feudalism is almost a thing in silicon valley, now Musk proposes this idea?

It's funny how far these corporations and outrageously wealthy people dodge the monopoly status to gain control. True capitalism, destroying democracy one bit at a time.

Nah, real technology and no hype. Where else is innovation like this going to come from?, especially from a guy that specializes in electro-mechanical and storage infrastructure. If you followed his stock in the last 3 years, you would wish you were paying attention.

Yep. It always takes entrepreneurship to handle the worlds problems and it's the only way innovation happens.

Tax deductible work of course. Anything so he can avoid paying taxes and shamelessly self-promote himself.

Puerto Rico would be lucky to get any power at all relying on this man.

Pssh, Elon smeelon

I could build one in 5 hours or less if I had everyone's tax dollars too.

Not to mention, but after I rob the poor people on Ebay, I could probably do a really sweet electronic go cart tube around the island for fun, maybe have it dip into the water so we can watch the sharks and stuff.

It will be epic

you can fight it or you can realize the potential. Traditional power companies are in a death spiral and when super cheap storage becomes mainstream then they are done.

In the case of an island that has alot of sun, small local grids with storage, that are then linked to other small grids, provide a degree of robustness. That is if one grid is damaged, and the other is okay it can simply power the local micro-grid until repairs are made.

It makes overall repair easier. Plus it reduces the need to import coal or NG to power your generation plants. You will still need plants for peaking etc, but a large enough storage grid can also perhaps in time eliminate that need. Add is some pumped hydraulic storage which in industry terms 'Dispatch-able" to harness excess when the battery banks are full and you really have something.

None of this is hocus pocus. Tesla has a major installation in Kauai, and an Island in American Samoa is almost 100% solar with batteries. www.engadget.com...

a reply to: charlyv

Not really the point I was getting at.
The issue is that he is capitalizing on the situation, PR has their own infrastructure, he can invest by donating, but does he need to barge his way in and start governing power for those residents?
It says in the article that he already has a major hold over other small Islands. He controls their power, he allows THEM to have electricity, people pay HIM to use his power. Is it government controlled? Maybe a little, but at the end of the day Tesla is literally the Lord / Baron / King, etc. of electricity, it's feudalism.

originally posted by: Ohanka
Tax deductible work of course. Anything so he can avoid paying taxes and shamelessly self-promote himself.

Puerto Rico would be lucky to get any power at all relying on this man.

Australia disagrees..

isnt he set to provide enough batteries to store 100MW from solar farms in South Australia?

Thats 30,000 peoples homes..

Tesla has the know how to do it.

Theyve already done it before.

so yea I wonder about the cost, but its an option on the table of course. If I was running Puerto Rico Id take a good long look at all of my oppurtunities looking forward.

We shall see.

a reply to: strongfp

Only the private sector can solve problems quickly, efficiently and right. Bureaucracy always, always moves too slowly and seldom gets things right.

Why are you opposed to a company lending a helping hand and at the same time developing new technology that would benefit everyone in the future? No government could ever do that without help from the private sector and no small company could fund or even begin to tackle a project of that size.

This is a winning hand. A modern, state of the art scalable power grid and jobs to help Puerto Rico recover faster. Win, win.

I wouldn't trust him.

How Elon Musk Used A Broken Marketplace To Play Us All

And just how dependable is solar power during a freggin hurricane ?

Good Hell.

Didn't matter either way.

Everything was pretty much destroyed.

Even a multi billion dollar Tesla system would have been.

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: charlyv

Not really the point I was getting at.
The issue is that he is capitalizing on the situation, PR has their own infrastructure, he can invest by donating, but does he need to barge his way in and start governing power for those residents?
It says in the article that he already has a major hold over other small Islands. He controls their power, he allows THEM to have electricity, people pay HIM to use his power. Is it government controlled? Maybe a little, but at the end of the day Tesla is literally the Lord / Baron / King, etc. of electricity, it's feudalism.

The problem with what you just said is that every city in America is under a power company monopoly with a lord, baron, king running our power. In Nevada our monoply is Nevada power but each region has it's on fuedal power company.

Why wouldn't you want competition?

originally posted by: strongfp
a reply to: charlyv

Not really the point I was getting at.
The issue is that he is capitalizing on the situation, PR has their own infrastructure, he can invest by donating, but does he need to barge his way in and start governing power for those residents?
It says in the article that he already has a major hold over other small Islands. He controls their power, he allows THEM to have electricity, people pay HIM to use his power. Is it government controlled? Maybe a little, but at the end of the day Tesla is literally the Lord / Baron / King, etc. of electricity, it's feudalism.

Thats the same everywhere until you make your own electricity.

You have some wind turbines to sell me?

lol.

People compete.. Hes competing using renewable energy so I welcome the change. Id like to see others undercut his business model if hes taking too much off the top.

whats your model that provides electricity freely to the masses exactly?

It would be nice in the future I do imagine we are headed that way. One of the tricks to it would be having battery banks to store power and even store power from a long way away..

Renewable energy is finally getting viable.. I want to see it crowd out the market. Make batteries better than Teslas and the power is yours my king.

a reply to: amazing

I thought of that. And you are right.

But in situations like in the states company's don't hold a monopoly over electricity, there is a competition and it is government regulated, hence why it never gets to the point of a monopoly.
When Musk goes into PR and says he has all these great ideas, he should be taking a philanthropic approach, not a way to control what goes on. PR is and Island(s), what goes on there is isolated, it's a very fragile economy, what happens from here on out in terms of vital resources human rights is a big topic to be honest.

a reply to: Reverbs

It would be nice in the future I do imagine we are headed that way. One of the tricks to it would be having battery banks to store power and even store power from a long way away..

To state the obvious.

A stand by generator and a few hundred gallon propane tank is still cheaper than what Tesla is selling for mass consumption.

People can even build their own storage banks too.

a reply to: Blaine91555

People need to be careful that's all. PR is hurting, and all of a sudden Musk comes to the plate. I am just being a little skeptical.

a reply to: charlyv

Important thread starred and flagged.

Keeping my eye on this situation. I hope they let him run with his ideas.