Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk stated on Friday the company will send more battery installers to Puerto Rico to help bring back power after Hurricane Maria knocked out all power on the island over two weeks earlier.
Musk also stated in a tweet that he eagerly anticipated to speak with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello on Friday about what Tesla could do to help bring back power.
“The internal Tesla Powerwall install group in (Puerto Rico) is very small right now. Sending skilled installers from continental U.S. to hire and train local team as quick as possible,” Elon Musk tweeted, referring to the company’s Powerwall battery system.
Tesla refused to comment further.
In late September, Tesla stated it was sending out hundreds of batteries that can store power created by solar panels to Puerto Rico to provide emergency aid in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Since Thursday, Puerto Rico’s power company, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), had brought back power to only about 9 percent of the island’s electric consumers.
In reaction to a request for help from Rossello on Thursday, Musk tweeted “I would more than happy to talk. Hopefully, Tesla can be helpful.”
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló said in a tweet to Musk “Let’s talk. Do you want to show the world the power and scalability of your (Tesla technologies)? (Puerto Rico) could be that flagship project.”
Tesla has stated it would combine batteries with solar panels to provide electric power without burning fossil fuels.
