Blog Tesla Restores Power To San Juan Children’s Hospital

Tesla shared photos today of its first solar and battery instillation in Puerto Rico at a children’s hospital in San Juan.

The company said the project at Hospital del Niño is the first of many going live to support the recovery of Puerto Rico following destruction caused by Hurricane Maria.

https://twitter.com/x/status/922840234143952899

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has pledged to work with officials to build microgrids using Tesla Energy solar panels and the company’s Powerpack battery system. The company has created similar microgrids around the world and Musk says “there is no scalability limit.”

Around 85% of Puerto Rico is still without power. Reconstruction of transmission lines and electrical infrastructure could take upwards of six months to complete before power can be fully returned to the island.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced earlier this month a decision to postpone the unveiling of its electric truck, Tesla Semi, to give more attention to helping restore power in Puerto Rico.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

Ok you're comparing apples to potatoes here, it took two weeks for a small installation like that.

A natural gas plant would take longer but also provide hundreds of times more electricity than this installation.

Lets say that a natural gas fired -steam generating - electric generating plant is landed in an optimum location on the island....There are no gas pipelines to feed the gas plant, there are no wires to take the power from the plant to the needy customers scattered throughout the island. You would need a dock, and a LNG campus to off load LNG tankers and warm the LNG to feed the "natural gas" plant. You also need a grid to move the power to the needy. Both of these take a lot of time and money. Whose money? and can the locals wait that long?

 

[mongo]

Maybe neither of should message at night to improve communicaton:

Well, my link was for donating generators to households that don't have generators

If some hospital needs 150kw, they get 150 kw. Here is a 150 kw under $30k.

But the backup of backup can help with easier maintenance, as hospital del nino said in their request.

I was speaking to your statement of 500k for 25 50kW generators for hospitals that have generators. I do agree, if you must have generators, then having two increases uptime for when the 125 and 250 hour maintenance rolls around.

Instead, Ricardo and Tesla sent them something that gobbled up half of their parking lot

They sent something that works with a lower per hour cost than can turn into a parking canopy if they wish to keep it in the future. It also does not have the maintenance downtime or refueling requirements of a genset.

You brought up the Powerwall for some reason,not me.

As I stated in the previous post, PW has a warranty on-line to reference.

Solarcity/Tesla is most likely losing money big time in that Kaua'i project.

I was referring to Ta'u, do you have data to support your 'likely? The land could be a $1 20 year lease.

As I showed, with current PP costs, just storing and recouping each KWh costs ~13.5c.

No, you showed that if you use a PW in a non on-site solar setup, and throw it out at then end of the 10 year (37MWh) warranty period (and never even depreciate it), the amortized kWh cost of storage is 13.5 cents.
That has no bearing on
1. Actual useful life
2. PP longevity
3. PP cost per kWh

Then there is 10% round trip loss.

Which is figured into solar panel and system sizing. We are not talking load shifting here. During the day, there is no round trip loss for the actual load. Nor do those kWh count toward storage cost.

 

[AMPd]

Lets say that a natural gas fired -steam generating - electric generating plant is landed in an optimum location on the island....There are no gas pipelines to feed the gas plant, there are no wires to take the power from the plant to the needy customers scattered throughout the island. You would need a dock, and a LNG campus to off load LNG tankers and warm the LNG to feed the "natural gas" plant. You also need a grid to move the power to the needy. Both of these take a lot of time and money. Whose money? and can the locals wait that long?

Ok, but the solar and battery backup systems would also cost a lot of money and also take a while.

With solar you would also need a grid because you don't have enough land space near major cities for a solar farm big enough to power the city, therefore you'll need power lines from rural areas to the cities just like you would with a LNG plant.

I won't argue the importing of natural gas part as that is definitely a disadvantage

Look I love renewable energy as much as the next guy but in this case a natural gas plant is the way to go.


Or we (us and pr) can build an underwater hvdc power line from the mainland to PR and supply them with electricity. Of course that is also going to be expensive, but will reduce outages.

 

[Model 3]

With solar you would also need a grid because you don't have enough land space near major cities for a solar farm big enough to power the city, therefore you'll need power lines from rural areas to the cities just like you would with a LNG plant.

Hmm... Does seams like you do not realize the potential benefits of distributed power generation that solar panels + batteries provide opportunities for. No, I do not say that every possible use of electricity within the city will be supported by rooftop solar + batteries alone, but surly more will be covered then it is today and until the grid is restored.

 

[mmd]

Please don’t tell me this is another Tesla PR scam. Let’s chalk it up to poor reporting.

Why is it a scam? It is mostly a joint PR effort of Ricardo and Tesla, and I think it's a win-win for all. Tesla and Ricardo demonstrate the viability of distributed grid technology, and do a little PR stunt for themselves. The hospital gets additional clean power. May be it was not that urgent as is implied. Whether this technology is cost effective or the best approach for Puerto Rico are still open to debate, imho.
The donation efforts by other companies also have a PR component in them.

But I won't use that word for this case. It's partly PR, yes.

 

[AMPd]

Hmm... Does seams like you do not realize the potential benefits of distributed power generation that solar panels + batteries provide opportunities for. No, I do not say that every possible use of electricity within the city will be supported by rooftop solar + batteries alone, but surly more will be covered then it is today and until the grid is restored.

Alright, enlighten me

Honestly I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'd just like to know how a solar grid can power the island of PR without power lines carrying the electricity from point a to point b

 

[Model 3]

Alright, enlighten me

Solar on roof will generate *some* power. But that power generated does NOT need any external grid to get from that house to anywhere - it is needed *there* - within that house. And with batteries you do not have to use it all as it is generated, you can save some for the nighttime. This is some of the point in making a distributed power generation with solar instead of big central power generations with grids.

Yes, I get it, big blocks in cities will have a small roof compare to it's inside/needs... But some power is still better then no power. You may not get AC and watch TV, but if you can run your refrigerator and heat water much is done. You may even be able to charge your phone.

And if you can fully support areas with smaller buildings by setting up solar + batteries, the power companies may concentrate the work on repairing the grid to areas where solar is insufficient..

 

[AMPd]

Solar on roof will generate *some* power. But that power generated does NOT need any external grid to get from that house to anywhere - it is needed *there* - within that house. And with batteries you do not have to use it all as it is generated, you can save some for the nighttime. This is some of the point in making a distributed power generation with solar instead of big central power generations with grids.

Yes, I get it, big blocks in cities will have a small roof compare to it's inside/needs... But some power is still better then no power. You may not get AC and watch TV, but if you can run your refrigerator and heat water much is done. You may even be able to charge your phone.

And if you can fully support areas with smaller buildings by setting up solar + batteries, the power companies may concentrate the work on repairing the grid to areas where solar is insufficient..

What you're proposing is for the residents to get solar
How does that help all the citizens?

Sure people with houses that have roofs will benefit but we're talking about the entire nation. How will businesses and residents in large densely populated cities that live in condos and businesses inside high rise building get electricity? They have no room for solar

Basically we're back to square one, a national grid will be needed, regardless of generating source you'll need power lines.

 

[Model 3]

Sure people with houses that have roofs will benefit but we're talking about the entire nation. How will businesses and residents in large densely populated cities that live in condos and businesses inside high rise building get electricity? They have no room for solar

Yes, I get it, big blocks in cities will have a small roof compare to it's inside/needs... But some power is still better then no power. You may not get AC and watch TV, but if you can run your refrigerator and heat water much is done. You may even be able to charge your phone.

And if you can fully support areas with smaller buildings by setting up solar + batteries, the power companies may concentrate the work on repairing the grid to areas where solar is insufficient..

 

[mspohr]

What you're proposing is for the residents to get solar
How does that help all the citizens?

Sure people with houses that have roofs will benefit but we're talking about the entire nation. How will businesses and residents in large densely populated cities that live in condos and businesses inside high rise building get electricity? They have no room for solar

Basically we're back to square one, a national grid will be needed, regardless of generating source you'll need power lines.

You're still thinking "big power installation" and not "microgrid".
I believe this Children's Hospital Solar System demonstrates the solution.
All cities have lots of space devoted to parking and roads. Just cover these areas with solar panels and you'll have lots of power (and the cars will appreciate the shade).
Cities are not solid high rise buildings. They have lots of space for solar. Cities in the higher latitudes can also install solar on the sides of the building. For every skyscraper, there are hundreds of low rise buildings with flat roofs and, of course, parking.
Here's one example:
1. Solarsiedlung – Germany.
All the way back in 1994, solar architect Rolf Disch created The Heliotrope, Rolf’s home. It was the first building ever constructed that captures more energy than it uses. The whole structure rotates so that its solar thermal collectors follow the sun throughout the day.
In 2004, Rolf went bigger and created a solar-powered estate. Today, that estate produces four times more energy than it uses.
The space, called Solarsiedlung (translating to solar estate), has living spaces, offices, and retail outlets, all completely powered by solar energy sources.
Like the Heliotrope, Solarsiedlung was constructed with solar energy in mind from the very beginning. Solar panels are not simply slapped onto pre-existing structures, they are part of the structure.

Here's another reference:
America’s 20 Best Cities for Solar Power : SolarResourceGuide.org

"Public buildings are in almost every community, many with the flat roofs perfect for solar. For example, K-12 public schools in Minnesota could host enough solar to power nearly 125,000 homes. Minnesota isn’t alone, according to SEIA and the Solar Foundation. In Austin, TX, public buildings could host over 50 MW of solar. In San Francisco, it’s 31 MW. Cities have similarly vast potential. ILSR’s new Public Rooftop Revolution report finds that Minneapolis, MN, could host 18 MW of solar; Kansas City, MO, could install 70 MW; and New York City could have over 400 MW of solar on public buildings. (This is just counting public buildings... not all the private ones.)

You will probably want to connect some of the microgrids together for backup but a "national grid" made out of microgrids would look much different than the usual utility model of high capacity high tension wires (all of which came down in PR).

 

[TheTalkingMule]

You don't have to get crazy to power PR with 100% renewables. Plenty of roofs have enough solar potential to cover all their needs and more, so long as they have a Powerwall or two. But in a place like PR with 3.5M people, you're gonna need plenty of utility scale solar and wind.

With retail electric rates at .17 to .24 per kWh and solar potential through the roof, there are plenty of scenarios that get you to 100% renewables and save everyone money. Hawaii just announced their post-net-metering plan and are compensating people fairly heavily for pushing electricity to the grid overnight. The same type of scheme would work in PR. You simply need to make sure consumers have priority access to the grid and the utility has enough storage to keep thing balanced.

Total installed production capacity is about 6GW as of 2017, but are only about 1% each solar and wind. When the grid is rebuilt, they may very well break the island up into microgrids that balance themselves and can also balance between each other. There was also a plan to interconnect with the USVI, which would be great since it would make massive offshore wind more feasible for all parties.

The majority of residences would have some kind of battery storage integrated with any rooftop solar. The utility would operate solar farms in less dense parts of the island(s) and maintain balance further with grid-scale storage. Any shortfall would be made up by super-cheap offshore wind.

Another great thing about this scheme is that it creates massive over-production at peak when the sun is shining. You can turn this to a positive by desalinating sea water with the excess and sell potable water to help offset costs.

 

[Ulmo]

Another great thing about this scheme is that it creates massive over-production at peak when the sun is shining. You can turn this to a positive by desalinating sea water with the excess and sell potable water to help offset costs.

Use slant well filtering to protect sea life, and return brine mixed with other effluent* to restore pH balance. Of course, if using slant wells to discharge sewer, need to do far from inlets for desal. PR has big cliff north of it that is hard to slant well into, and many International concerns West and East, so probably would have to do some particular siting to get the proper implementation. Would have to find freshest water through slant wells coming in and flow away from island for dumping properly mixed treated effluents. Water engineers know what I'm talking about, but have barely started engineering such things, so if they want to go by "old proven methods", they'd undoubtedly screw it all up and do it all wrong, so don't do that.

* That's a code word. Water engineers (that also have a brain) know what I'm talking about.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

Use slant well filtering to protect sea life, and return brine mixed with other effluent* to restore pH balance. Of course, if using slant wells to discharge sewer, need to do far from inlets for desal. PR has big cliff north of it that is hard to slant well into, and many International concerns West and East, so probably would have to do some particular siting to get the proper implementation. Would have to find freshest water through slant wells coming in and flow away from island for dumping properly mixed treated effluents. Water engineers know what I'm talking about, but have barely started engineering such things, so if they want to go by "old proven methods", they'd undoubtedly screw it all up and do it all wrong, so don't do that.

* That's a code word. Water engineers (that also have a brain) know what I'm talking about.

As I understand PR problems, fresh water supply is not one of them. Fresh water disinfection and distribution IS a problem. I assume they have identified water sources, built collection systems and distribution system - years ago. I assume damage happened, but not destruction. Getting power to these water treatment facilities and lift stations seems to be short term need. Grid power or micro grid solar/battery is key design.
Running a sea water reverse osmosis system is pretty straight forward stuff.- Sea water supply through an intake system that uses sub sea floor is smart - lets the critters of the sea filter out and produces clear water to the shore much like a sand filter. Slant wells - OK, could be utilized, but not sure if cost effective. Once raw water is in plant, run it through another 2 micron filter set to remove silt and plankton. Now pump it into RO tubes and target 50% recovery. The sweet water then needs a dose of disinfectant (chlorine or ozone) and then enters the distribution system. The brine will be sea-water salty, times two. Returning the water to the sea floor is smart - but Ulmo is right when he says it needs to be diluted so as not to disturb sea life at the exact point of discharge. Because of the way RO membranes work, cleaning salts from the water will also remove any natural organic material . Raw sewage would be trivial task for a RO, if it has sufficient sand filtering.

 

[Ulmo]

As I understand PR problems, fresh water supply is not one of them. Fresh water disinfection and distribution IS a problem. I assume they have identified water sources, built collection systems and distribution system - years ago. I assume damage happened, but not destruction. Getting power to these water treatment facilities and lift stations seems to be short term need. Grid power or micro grid solar/battery is key design.
Running a sea water reverse osmosis system is pretty straight forward stuff.- Sea water supply through an intake system that uses sub sea floor is smart - lets the critters of the sea filter out and produces clear water to the shore much like a sand filter. Slant wells - OK, could be utilized, but not sure if cost effective. Once raw water is in plant, run it through another 2 micron filter set to remove silt and plankton. Now pump it into RO tubes and target 50% recovery. The sweet water then needs a dose of disinfectant (chlorine or ozone) and then enters the distribution system. The brine will be sea-water salty, times two. Returning the water to the sea floor is smart - but Ulmo is right when he says it needs to be diluted so as not to disturb sea life at the exact point of discharge. Because of the way RO membranes work, cleaning salts from the water will also remove any natural organic material . Raw sewage would be trivial task for a RO, if it has sufficient sand filtering.

When I lived in Puerto Rico, everything about water was substandard. For example:

• Collection: they constantly complained about turbidity. I learned that word there. I think it was an excuse, since everywhere else also has turbidity and figured out how to deal with it; I have no doubt turbidity is a real issue that is constantly overcome in every water collection system.
• Storage: they said there was insufficient storage.
• Distribution: they said there was insufficient distribution. This problem was so bad, that they over-pressured the existing distribution lines in order to attempt to meet as much of the demand as they could. But, the problem was, they didn't have enough distribution capacity, so during the day, many people did not get water, especially those further up (as in gravity), and during the evening, the excess pressure applied to the system without the heavier use of the daytimes caused the water to leak out of the pipes, ruining streets in much of the system. High reliability establishments (such as many hotels and businesses) would pump their water in during the night and store it in tanks for use during the day.

I wouldn't be surprised if back then filtering would have been added to that list.

One of the typical culprits blamed for all of those problems was misuse of funds.

If today's problems of Puerto Rico water were similar to back then, then I'd say most of those issues still exist. My guess is the hurricane probably only damaged some of the piping system, not huge portions of it, like above ground wires, but that some storage facilities may have been hurt. I also suspect that any repairs to those items will follow the laws of welfare systems: anything that is more necessary will be fixed slowest, because it is a great source of graft and greed to use as an emergency funding conduit for those who want free welfare money. Emergency disbursements will be made, contractors awarded, and less than sufficient work will be completed. Also, it being a smaller community, some people over their head can be used to help misdirect funds by parking it with the incompetent intentionally, using the excuse that they found the best people available for the job.

The problem of electricity can be solved with solar and batteries, but water is a deeper more hidden problem, so can be milked all the better.

With all things Puerto Rico, solutions that withstand graft work best. That's part of why homes are built with concrete: the only thing that knocks concrete down is war and more money.

 

[AZ Desert Driver]

When I lived in Puerto Rico, everything about water was substandard. For example:

• Collection: they constantly complained about turbidity. I learned that word there. I think it was an excuse, since everywhere else also has turbidity and figured out how to deal with it; I have no doubt turbidity is a real issue that is constantly overcome in every water collection system.
• Storage: they said there was insufficient storage.
• Distribution: they said there was insufficient distribution. This problem was so bad, that they over-pressured the existing distribution lines in order to attempt to meet as much of the demand as they could. But, the problem was, they didn't have enough distribution capacity, so during the day, many people did not get water, especially those further up (as in gravity), and during the evening, the excess pressure applied to the system without the heavier use of the daytimes caused the water to leak out of the pipes, ruining streets in much of the system. High reliability establishments (such as many hotels and businesses) would pump their water in during the night and store it in tanks for use during the day.

I wouldn't be surprised if back then filtering would have been added to that list.

One of the typical culprits blamed for all of those problems was misuse of funds.

If today's problems of Puerto Rico water were similar to back then, then I'd say most of those issues still exist. My guess is the hurricane probably only damaged some of the piping system, not huge portions of it, like above ground wires, but that some storage facilities may have been hurt. I also suspect that any repairs to those items will follow the laws of welfare systems: anything that is more necessary will be fixed slowest, because it is a great source of graft and greed to use as an emergency funding conduit for those who want free welfare money. Emergency disbursements will be made, contractors awarded, and less than sufficient work will be completed. Also, it being a smaller community, some people over their head can be used to help misdirect funds by parking it with the incompetent intentionally, using the excuse that they found the best people available for the job.

The problem of electricity can be solved with solar and batteries, but water is a deeper more hidden problem, so can be milked all the better.

With all things Puerto Rico, solutions that withstand graft work best. That's part of why homes are built with concrete: the only thing that knocks concrete down is war and more money.

I am an engineer- and a Grade 4 water treatment fellow. I can design and operate water systems with the best of them. I recently specialized in RO equipment (membrane design). I cannot address the graft/greed. I look at Flint Michigan and their lead pipe problems - there were so many laws violated, so much trust violated, so many lives damaged....and there was a clear understanding of the problems well in advance of the crisis, and the right thing was just not done.
PR SHOULD have certified water treatment, water distribution staff. Over pressurization the distribution system - failure to maintain supply levels - it is just Wrong. Yet I don't doubt your observations. I just hate that condition. And I dont know how to fix greed. They say Sunshine is the best disinfectant . Got good news reporters?

 

[mmd]

Would you like to check on the 25 listed here that don't have power to see why they aren't using a generator? Or do we just assume it means all 25 of those are on generator only right now?

http:--status.pr/Lists/List/Hospitals
Hospitales Asistidos por Dept. Salud Local/Federal

As I count it thats 25 without and 40 with for a total of 65 hospitals. 38% of those are listed as not having power.

I've got to assume that children's hospital needed the powerwall/Solar PV or Tesla would have started on one of the 25 left that still don't have power.

I sure hope Tesla is working on one or two of those as I type. Surely they aren't picking hospitals at random.

Can I ask, from where you got this list? It still shows 25 without power after 3 days. Is it updated daily?

Also, Hospital del nino of San Juan, where Tesla installed their system, is not listed. Are these the biggest ~50 hospitals listed there, or some other specific list? Wondering, if the 'hospital del nino' is too small to be listed there.

 

[dhanson865]

Can I ask, from where you got this list? It still shows 25 without power after 3 days. Is it updated daily?

Also, Hospital del nino of San Juan, where Tesla installed their system, is not listed. Are these the biggest ~50 hospitals listed there, or some other specific list? Wondering, if the 'hospital del nino' is too small to be listed there.

Someone on reddit linked to the main site and I dug in and found the list of hospitals. I have no idea who runs it or what kind of update schedule they are using.

It does say © 2017 Government of Puerto Rico. So I'm assuming someone contracted by or working for the PR government does it.

 

[mmd]

Someone on reddit linked to the main site and I dug in and found the list of hospitals. I have no idea who runs it or what kind of update schedule they are using.

It does say © 2017 Government of Puerto Rico. So I'm assuming someone contracted by or working for the PR government does it.

Yes, this hospital with 35 beds is tiny compared to most hospitals in Puerto Rico. Tesla had to choose a tiny one where the Powerpack+solar provides a sizable chunk of power needs. One that could also manage without its parking lot.

Hospitals in Puerto Rico - US Hospital Finder
(59 hospitals with bed counts.)
Auxilio Mutuo Hospital 500
Veterans Affairs Med Center 479
Hospital San Pablo 413
Hospital Interamericano 338
Hospital De Damas 275
San Juan City Hospital 267
University Hospital 262
Hospital Del Maestro 250
Hospital Pavia-Hato Rey 224
Ryder Memorial Hospital 221
Hospital Hermanos Melendez 211
St Luke's Episcopal Hospital 205

Ashford Presbyterian Comm Hosp 198
Hosp de la Univ de Puerto Rico 197
Hosp Dr Cayetano Coll Y Toste 182
Hospital Manati Medical Center 178
Dr Pila's Hospital 169
Hospital Pavia-Santurce 169
Bella Vista Hospital 157
First Hospital Panamericano 153
State Psychiatric Hospital 153
Doctors Center 150
Doctors Hospital 150
Mepsi Center 150
University Pediatric Hospital 145
Dr Ramon E Betances Hosp 144
Hospital De La Concepcion 140
Hospital San Pablo Del Este 137
Mennonite General Hospital 131
Hospital Dr Susoni 130
Hospital San Francisco 130
Hospital Metropolitan 130
Hosp Metro Dr Tito Mattei 130
Wilma N Vazquez Medical Center 130
San Jorge Children's Hospital 125
Industrial Hospital 125
Cardiovascular Center of PR 121
Hospital Episcopal San Lucas 120
Hospital Menonita De Cayey 116
Hosp Episcopal Cristo Redentor 115
Hospital Buen Samaritano 110
San Juan Capestrano Hospital 108
Hospital San Carlos Borromeo 106
Hospital Perea 103
Hospital San Cristobal 103

Hospital Matilde Brenes 91
Clinica Espanola 89
Hosp Universitario Dr R Arnau 70
Hospital Santa Rosa 69
San Carlos General Hospital 66
Font Martelo Hospital 64
Hospital San Gerardo 60
Hospital Dr Dominguez 60
Hospital Oncologico Grillasca 49
Hospital El Buen Pastor 48
I Gonzalez Martinez Hospital 47
Lafayette Hospital 39
***************** Hospital del nino (35 beds) of San Juan not listed. Assuming all updated bed counts, this is where it is.
HealthSouth Rehab Hospital 32
Castaner General Hospital 21

BTW, one week and counting for the next tweet about the next hospital(s) saved by Tesla.
35 out of 3.5M Puerto Ricans is what? 0.001%? Still a lot to go.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Yes, this hospital with 35 beds is tiny compared to most hospitals in Puerto Rico. Tesla had to choose a tiny one where the Powerpack+solar provides a sizable chunk of power needs. One that could also manage without its parking lot.

Did it? Do solar arrays and powerpacks not scale?

It's the easiest thing in the world to put those panels on canopies and improve an existing parking lot to a shaded one.

Larger hospitals have larger parking lots. There are also plenty of off-site locations for solar. You certainly don't have to have it on property.

Go ahead and Google maps that 500 bed hospital at the top of your list, there's surface galore all around it.