Repair or Renovate? Puerto Rico Faces Stark Power Grid Options
The island wants to upgrade its infrastructure, but must first wait for the lights to come back on
By Larry Greenemeier on November 13, 2017
It has been 68 days since Hurricane Irma took down much of Puerto Rico’s aging power grid and 54 days since Hurricane Maria finished the job, leaving nearly all 3.4 million residents without electricity. The island’s state-owned utility company, the U.S. government and workers on loan from other utilities are installing new poles, lines and power distribution circuits to replace those blown away by the storms. Despite the progress that has been made, more than half of Puerto Rico continues to soldier on without some of modern life’s bare necessities—including lights, refrigeration, air-conditioning and access to computer networks. Without significant improvements to create a more resilient grid, however, many are questioning how Puerto Rico can avoid a similar catastrophe the next time a major storm hits.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/repair-or-renovate-puerto-rico-faces-stark-power-grid-options/
