Elon Musk Says He Can Fix The Puerto Rico Crisis With Solar Panels & Batteries

By Amanda Froelich Truth Theory

Approximately two weeks ago, a category 4 storm named Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico and wiped electricity for the island’s 3.4 million inhabitants. So far, only 5 percent of the populace has electricity and 50 percent are still without water. Fortunately, help is on the way. One individual who has pledged to help is Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and PayPal and the chief of Tesla.

Last week, Tesla shipped hundreds of Powerwall Battery systems to the island. Now, Musk says he can solve the electrical grid crisis by using solar panels and batteries. The tech entrepreneur made this known when he replied to a post questioning whether he could rebuild Puerto Rico’s electrical system.

“The Tesla team has done this for many smaller islands around the world, but there is no scalability limit, so it can be done for Puerto Rico too,” Musk said. “Such a decision would be in the hands of the PR govt, PUC any commercial stakeholders and, most importantly, the people of the PR.”

The other islands Musk referred to include Kauai in Hawaii. There, Tesla built a solar energy grid. As Newsweek points out, that island has a population of about 70,000 people, whereas Puerto Rico is in the millions.

Within hours, the individual who tweeted the question to Musk responded. He said, ““@elonMusk Let’s talk. Do you want to show the world the power and scalability of your # TeslaTechnologies? PR could be that flagship project.” On Friday, Musk responded that he would be “happy to talk,” and that “Tesla can be helpful.”

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/916234148104118272

This isn’t the first time Musk has publicly offered to help a country with an energy crisis. Earlier this year, Musk said he could solve power problems in the state of South Australia in less than 100 days. Part of the stipulation was that he would provide the batteries free of charge if it took longer. An agreement was finally made last month between South Australia, Tesla, and the French wind farm developer Neon. Work on the project is expected to begin soon. When it is completed, it will be the world’s largest lithium ion battery plant.

h/t Newsweek
Read more: 100% Of Puerto Rico Is Without Electricity In Wake Of Hurricane Maria

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I am Luke Miller, content manager at Truth Theory and creator of Potential For Change. I like to blend psychology and spirituality to help you create more happiness in your life.Grab a copy of my free 33 Page Illustrated eBook- Psychology Meets Spirituality- Secrets To A Supercharged Life You Control Here