Rebuilding Puerto Rico’s Power Grid Provides Some Interesting Options
Here’s an article suggesting that microgrids, powered by renewable energy and energy storage, are a good idea for the rebuilding Puerto Rico’s grid after Hurricane Maria. There are certainly some points to like about the idea.
Reliability and resiliency are in the news, and have been since super-storm Sandy, heightened to a new level this year with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Irma, in particular, caused by far the greatest number of people without power in U.S. history (15 million), though it’s clear that Maria is causing far more human suffering.
Microgrids, defined as power generation and distribution into a localized region, have the potential to provide great benefits, given these disasters. Even climate deniers recognize the need for resiliency. Nobody thinks it’s acceptable for eight old people to suffer and die in sauna-like conditions when the power goes out and the backup power fails, as was so tragically the case with Irma.
Sandy (2012) was the event that pushed the people in the New York region across the line with respect to anthropogenic climate change. People in the area, probably a bit more progressive than the average American, had seen enough, given the devastation they suffered from a “500-year storm,” in a point in time that global temperatures were, not so coincidentally, already setting new records. Of course, with the three huge hurricanes of 2017, no serious and unbiased person doubts that climate change is adding strength and thus destructive force to these already horrific storms.
Microgrids have a few important characteristic that made them good candidates in Puerto Rico and cases like it.
• They are faster to rebuild, which would be of paramount important in Puerto Rico, given that experts predict that the full restoration of power to the island could require more than a year.
• Power distribution is often done underground, which, needless to say, has advantages over poles and wires. (An observer to Sandy reported that he say telephone poles being “thrown around as if they were toothpicks.”)
• Microgrids come with energy storage, which, of course, is critical in the case of power outages. They also come with smart meters that sense outages and curtail power delivery for nonessential usages. E.g., people would rather being using candles and lanterns for lighting and keep their food cold, rather than have lighting and rotting food.
The real question, as always, has nothing to do with deploying the technology that makes the most sense; it’s about the technology that forwards the interests of government and large corporations. For this reason, it’s anybody’s guess what will happen in Puerto Rico, or in any of the storm ravaged areas of the world. Sad but true.
Craig,
They could also employ the magic powers of Unicorns and crystals !
I’m sorry to sound dismissive, but the musings of armchair experts with little logistical or practical disaster experience aren’t helpful.
Natural disasters nave always occurred throughout the history of the planet. They only become “disasters” when the affect human populations.
The rapid growth of human populations,urban development(often unsuitable), and expanded graphic media coverage “disasters”, may seem to be occurring more frequently and with greater intensity, but that’s simply not the case. Statistics like ” the greatest number of people without power in U.S. history” is sensational, but silly.
However, you are correct when you say everyone can agree on certain aspects when it comes to assisting areas prone to natural disasters and cataclysmic weather events.
1) Early warning. The earlier the warning the better prepared the population to cope with the aftermath.
2) Long terms planning and co-ordination involving the whole population in terms of civil defense and survival.
3) Development planning and infrastructure designed with consideration for civil defense.
4) Constant education and incentive reinforcement of community involvement to avoid apathy and complacency.
Ranting about who’s to blame and “corporate greed’ is unhelpful. So too is demanding far fetched, impractical and impossibly expensive infrastructure.
The most reliable, efficient and inexpensive back up power systems are diesel generators. These units are able to be located in strong points and can be highly mobile. Moreover, the fuel is easy for relief workers to transport. Diesel is also a compatible fuel utilized by all relief units.
Locating power lines underground is not only very expensive but far beyond the resources of most consumers. Underground power lines are even more vulnerable in Hurricanes, earthquakes etc, and can be very difficult to repair quickly. Roads washed away, lines exposed and broken, or damaged underground by earth movements etc, making the damage difficult to locate and repair in inaccessible locations even more problematic.
Solar power is useless during, and in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Not only are the panels vulnerable, but even if undamaged inclement weather prevents meaningful generation.
Immediately after a natural disaster, there is a tremendous need for energy to operate heavy machinery. (There are no solar powered bulldozers !).
Fossil fuel energy is expensive, but it has the advantage of being transported easily,while providing dense high output energy quickly and easily in emergencies, 24 hours a day.
To the untrained observer the sight of “telephone poles thrown around as if they were toothpicks” may seem dramatic, but anyone trained and experienced in such situations will tell telephone poles, like Railways, are the easiest infrastructure to restore.
‘Micro-grids with storage’,sounds impressive and is often suggested by naive idealists. As the owner of a micro-grid I can testify that environmentally friendly micro-grids are very vulnerable and “storage’ in a disaster scenario is unrealistic.
The only feasible and affordable ‘micro-grid’ and storage, is a diesel generator and fuel tank.
Inherently, with few exceptions, Island nations have limited resources and fairly fragile economies. The problems of natural disasters are magnified by the difficulties of relief logistics and transport.
Puerto Rica is fortunate to be receiving assistance from the US at a time when it’s disaster relief agencies are operating with maximum efficiency and experience.
Armchair pundits, even very well meaning armchair pundits, are not helpful.
Craig,
Bloomberg published a reasonably balanced article on the subject of micro-grids for Puerto Rico.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-28/storm-ravaged-caribbean-is-eyeing-solar-but-it-won-t-come-cheap
The reaction among hard line Trump voters in the US rust belt in my observation has been interesting. These folk are normally not overly sympathetic to the plight of Puerto Ricans etc, but after hearing the Presidents speech there attitude has definitely changed to a more compassionate mood.
The President’s odd, awkward style, often repetitive, lacking precision,detail and sophistication, seem more genuine and heartfelt to these folks than more intellectual and professional politicians.
His quick suspension of the Jones Act, and rapid grasp of the need to eliminate logistic bottlenecks, shows him at his his best. These are problems he can understand form his years in construction and being not bound by old party loyalties he doesn’t need to bother about covering up the neglect and incompetence of past administrations, and the reputations of previous administrators.
The President is quite right when he points out the Islands lack of civil defense planning and culpability of local officials who demand the US “do more”.
The effectiveness of any relief/aid mission is the ability to deliver and distribute aid as widely as possible, with local participation.
It’s also important the right aid reaches where it’s needed most.
Too many shipments, too many personnel, just end up hindering efficiency. It may look great politically, but in real terms most of the aid is wasted, looted or useless.
The Mayor of San Juan isn’t helping by biting the hand that’s feeding her, while refusing to accept responsibility for a lack of local organization and preparation.
In reality is not altogether her fault. For decades, if not the entire period of US occupation, the corruption, neglect and bad planning in Puerto Rico has been endemic.
Nothing is gained by political distractions and point scoring by media and other celebrities.