What Puerto Rico is doing to get the power back after storm

[DonViejo]

Source: Associated Press




By BEN FOX
55 minutes ago

BARCELONETA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Electrical linemen descend from helicopters, balancing on steel girders 90 feet high on transmission towers in the mountains of central Puerto Rico, far from any road. At the same time, crews fan out across the battered island, erecting light poles and power lines in a block by block slog.

A month after Hurricane Maria rolled across the center of Puerto Rico, the power is still out for the vast majority of people on the island as the work to restore hundreds of miles of transmission lines and thousands of miles of distribution lines grinds on for crews toiling under a blazing tropical sun. And it won’t get done soon without more workers, more equipment and more money, according to everyone involved in the effort.

“It’s too much for us alone,” Nelson Velez, a regional director for the Puerto Rican power authority, said as he supervised crews working along a busy street in Isla Verde, just east of San Juan, on a recent afternoon. “We have just so many, so many areas affected.”

The office of Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Thursday that about 20 percent of the island has service and he has pledged to get that to 95 percent by Dec. 31. For now, though, most of the island’s 3.4 million people suffer without air conditioning or basic necessities. Many have resorted to using washboards, now frequently seen for sale along the side of the road, to clean clothes, and sleeping on their balconies and flocking to any open restaurants for relief from daytime temperatures above 90 degrees.

Read more: https://apnews.com/cdc90a5078ee4e30a2cf9a26423f0b00/What-Puerto-Rico-is-doing-to-get-the-power-back-after-storm

[AtheistCrusader]

1. An the hell of it is, the next hurricane could erase every inch of gains they are making right now.

In a day.

[donotpissoffacow]

2. these dogs ain't hunting...

Where's the big follow-up from these billionaires? Did they think it wouldn't be fun or are they just orange soda?

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/10/19/16431312/elon-musk-richard-branson-clean-energy-puerto-rico-solar-batteries-microgrid

[Not Ruth]

3. Puerto Rico needs Elon

A possibility is that he thinks that another hurricane will hit Puerto Rico someday and that he would like people to move.

[Igel]

4. Finally.

Weeks after Maria, they still hadn't done the usual request for assistance from other utility companies.

The bit about "you don't do typical deferred maintenance" is telling though. Most will read right over it because.

[Not Ruth]

5. There are amazing things happening with cellular on Puerto Rico and USVI if you have an iPhone

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/20/apple-and-att-activate-provisional-lte-band-8-to-give-iphone-users-in-puerto-rico-cellular-service/



Apple, AT&T, the FCC and Alphabet’s X division have all put into motion efforts to give residents of Puerto Rico more cellular connectivity.

Apple has been working with AT&T to extend and activate cell service for users in Puerto Rico. To improve what is a terrible connectivity situation there, it’s going to enable a provisional band of LTE that has been recently approved, but not activated in the US and Puerto Rico, where it has not been licensed. This will allow iPhones to connect to Alphabet X’s Project Loon balloons in the region, which were activated today.

This should allow users to send text messages and access some critical online services.

Because LTE is not licensed on Band 8, many phones have not yet been equipped for use with it, though some newer radios are able to connect to it and use it. Apple devices from the iPhone 5c and up and running iOS 10 or higher can download a carrier setting and begin using it right away.

LTE Band 8 is a 900Mhz band, which means that it has much improved range over lower frequency bands. This will help devices reach further cell towers, distribute the load among those now accessible towers and penetrate buildings and other obstructions better.

Apple says that users will be prompted to download the carrier settings this week. The service is already live.

“We are working with AT&T to activate cellular service for iPhone users in Puerto Rico as the island recovers from Hurricane Maria,” read an Apple statement. “Apple engineers have created a special carrier settings update which users connected to Wi-Fi or who are connected to a cellular network will automatically be prompted to download throughout the week. The update allows iPhone customers with iPhone 5c and later models running iOS 10 or higher, to connect to a provisional band on the AT&T network so they can be in touch with loved ones and get services in this time of need.”

To get the new carrier settings on an iPhone, go to Settings>General>About now. You will need to have either WiFi or a cellular connection to grab the file. Once it’s installed, your iPhone will automatically take advance of Band 8 LTE where available.

Though much of Puerto Rico is still without power, this should enable the currently operating cell towers to serve more users at a greater distance. LTE band 8 was recently approved by the FCC for use there. And, with many cell towers down, people will also still be able to connect to Google’s Project Loon balloons that are deployed in Puerto Rico. The Loon deployment was detailed in a breakdown by Project Loon head Alastair Westgarth today here.

Some Android devices from Samsung and others should be compatible with Band 8 LTE, but all LTE devices are compatible with Project Loon.

AT&T says that it has connected more than 60% of the population in Puerto Rico and 90% of the population in the UI.S. Virgin Islands. It’s deployed 17 portable network points including 14 temporary cell cites so far.

[NickB79]

6. They need a way to charge their phones first

Only 20% have electrical restored so far.

[hunter]

7. Yes. Let's see some solar on a small scale before talking about solar on a large scale.

My wife and I have a couple of solar panels ready for the next disaster, which will probably be an earthquake. It's enough solar to charge our cell phones and a few LED flashlights. We are fortunate to live in a place with a mild climate where heating and cooling are not life-or-death issues. We also have stores of food and water.

On a larger scale, cell phone systems can be made more disaster resistant, and likewise solar powered. I'm not certain how resilient our local cell phone systems are, from the looks of them, maybe a few hours at most.

It's unreasonable to promote very expensive solar "solutions" costing tens of thousands of dollars per household when even small solar systems are unaffordable.

When speaking of hurricanes, rooftop solar is useless in places where roofs have been ripped off. The same people who might have the skills to put together ad-hoc solar energy systems from damaged solar panels will be needed elsewhere in a disaster, to restore damaged water systems and other critical infrastructure, get hospitals up and running, etc.

One of the problem Puerto Rico suffers is that people with technical skills leave to find higher paying work in the fifty states.

[Hortensis]

8. Alphabet Inc (Google) is bringing internet service to remote PR

via solar-powered balloons that'll hover at 60,000 feet. They were used in Peru after flooding but are still in test stage. Only a couple are up, but something like 30 have been approved by the FCC.

Just something on the plus side.

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-puerto-rico-balloons-20171021-story.html