Over the last few weeks, the state of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid has been on everyone’s mind in the power industry. Getting Puerto Rico back online has been the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) top priority, and rightfully so. The devastated country’s grid was knocked almost entirely offline.
Efforts now are focused on getting everyone’s lights back on as soon as possible – not necessarily building out an impressive, ground-breaking new electrical system in the process. Utilities and suppliers across the United States have come together to help rebuild Puerto Rico, but rebuilding should just be the first step. We also need to look to solve Puerto Rico’s long-term power needs.
Once Puerto Rico is back on solid ground, with power running across the country, then the time will come to discuss what to do next.
This U.S. island commonwealth is at great risk for similar destruction the next time a large tropical storm or hurricane rolls through. There is no simple solution to harden the island’s grid, but recent events prove that change needs to happen to address future events.
Even before Hurricane Maria hit, Puerto Rico did not have the most reliable grid. While it is difficult to think about long-term solutions when so much needs to be rebuilt, improving grid reliability and resiliency should be a priority. With that in mind, what if the utility moved to an underground distribution system (at least in part) instead of an entirely overhead distribution system?
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