After two hurricanes ripped through Puerto Rico in September, car company Tesla has stepped in to help one of the island's hospitals get back up and running. The company used solar panels and batteries to restore power to Hospital del Niño (Children's Hospital) in San Juan.
According to Elon Musk, founder of Tesla, this project is "the first of many solar+battery Tesla projects going to live in Puerto Rico," NPR reported. Hospital del Niño's power came back less than three weeks after Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello's tweet on Oct. 6, which said, "Great initial conversation with @elonmusk tonight. Teams are now talking; exploring opportunities."
The new system will allow the hospital, which serves around 3,000 patients, and is home to 35 with chronic conditions, to generate all the power it requires to run. According to a hospital official, the power system was a donation, but it could become permanent through a deal once the energy crisis passes, NPR reported.
Tesla is happy it could help out, and tweeted as much during the week of Oct. 23: "Grateful to support the recovery of Puerto Rico with @ricardorossello."
More Help Coming
Tesla's aid comes at a time when the island still only has 25 percent power—and rebuilding the power grid—a months-long project—is expected to cost as much as $5 billion, NPR reported. But help is on the way: Puerto Rico recently entered a contract with Montana-based Whitefish to restore the island's power grid. In addition, Alphabet, Google's parent company, has sent LTE balloons from its Project Loon to allow smartphone users with LTE coverage reconnect.
