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Tesla starts energy storage at hospital to help Puerto Rico

Tesla starts energy storage at hospital to help Puerto Rico

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The project comes after Elon Musk offered to rebuild the destroyed power grid

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Tesla power at Hospital de Nino in Puerto Rico
Tesla power at Hospital de Nino in Puerto Rico
Tesla

After CEO Elon Musk extended an offer to help Puerto Rico earlier this month, Tesla is following through on a pledge to contribute to rebuilding the power grid devastated by Hurricane Maria, leaving thousands of people without electricity.

In a tweet Tuesday, Tesla posted photos of Hospital del Niño and the solar and power storage project that’s beginning there using the company’s Powerwall batteries. Musk has also donated $250,000 to relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

Musk first hinted at helping to rebuild Puerto Rico’s power grid in a tweet on October 5th; Governor Ricardo Rosselló promptly replied with, “Let’s talk.” Since then, numerous other companies have offered to help find power solutions for the territory that sustained upwards of $90 billion in damage in late September from Hurricane Maria.

Last week, however, Whitefish Energy, a small firm from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s Montana hometown, said it would be awarded the $300 million contract to fix Puerto Rico’s electricity problem.

Rosselló has said the goal is to get 95 percent of Puerto Rico’s power back online by Christmas.

Update: An earlier version of this story misstated damage estimates to Puerto Rico.