Electricity poles and lines lay toppled on the road after Hurricane Maria hit the eastern region of the island, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. The strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years destroyed hundreds of homes, knocked out power across the entire island and turned some streets into raging rivers in an onslaught that could plunge the U.S. territory deeper into financial crisis.
In December 2017, a steering committee constituted in the wake of Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico wrote a report, “Build Back Better: Reimagining and Strengthening the Power Grid of Puerto Rico,” for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, Puerto Rico, and William Long, Administrator of the U.S.
Editor’s Take: With the holiday season now having come and gone and more than 50 percent of the people in Puerto Rico still without power, it’s important that we keep their plight in mind. And this article by longtime Renewable Energy World contributor, Mahesh Bhave, does just that. Bhave criticizes the proposed plan created by a steering committee of energy experts and policymakers for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for its misunderstanding of microgrids. He believes that microgrids offer exactly what the territory needs right now: a flexible energy supply that could be deployed quickly. Do you agree or disagree? — JR
