A few days ago we informed you of how a Hurricane Irma survivor wrote “Send me a Tesla” with the rubble of their house. Well, either because of this message or because of an altruistic impulse from the American brand, it seems that this is going to become a reality, although not in the form of a car. Tesla ships hundreds of batteries to the Caribbean islands, including the Virgin Islands, where the survivor was from, and Puerto Rico, where most of the refugees have moved.
These batteries or Powerpack arrive at a good time to help fix battered infrastructure of the area. Puerto Rico's electrical grid has been devastated by hurricanes and is still in the same state. Local authorities maintain that the interruption of service could last for several months in some regions.
Tesla batteries in the area affected by the hurricanes
Although solar panels and Powerpacks can also be affected by weather conditions as extreme as a hurricane, these Tesla distributed power generation and storage systems are safer and more stable than a centralized power grid. Additionally, Tesla batteries will enable more efficient use of solar energy even after the grid has been restored.
Despite the help, Puerto Rico and the rest of the islands have a long and expensive road ahead to recover. Several NGOs have created relief funds, such as United for Puerto Rico and UNICEF. The director and co-founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, not only has he sent his Powerpacks, but also has donated $250,000 for humanitarian aid out of your own pocket.
Let's hope the survivor who wrote "Send Me a Tesla" in the US Virgin Islands gets some much-needed help, even if it's not in the form of a car.