Most of the island?s electric grid was destroyed by Hurricane Maria It looks like a simple tweet was all it took to get Elon Musk amped up to give Puerto Rico a redesigned power grid. After a Twitter user asked the billionaire if he could rebuild the island?s infrastructure with solar and battery systems, Musk replied, ?The Tesla team has done this for many smaller islands around the world... it can be done for Puerto Rico too.? He added that such a project would need to be decided on by the government and locals. What do ya know" The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, tweeted back: ?Let?s talk.?
Tesla is already helping Australia stabilize its grid with the world?s largest lithium-ion battery, and earlier this year the company outfitted the island of Kauai with a massive solar farm and utility-scale Powerpack batteries to supply 44 percent of its energy needs. A similar grid redesign could be deployed in Puerto Rico, where the company is already sending Powerwall home battery systems to help stabilize energy sources in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. While the idea began in tweets, it may be starting to take shape in real life. On October 6, Musk tweeted that Tesla would divert resources from the soon to be unveiled Tesla semi truck to increase battery production for Puerto Rico. Governor Rossello tweeted: ?Great initial conversation with @elonmusk tonight. Teams are now talking; exploring opportunities. Next steps soon to follow.?

Great initial con...