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Tesla Ensures Power Back On at Puerto Rican Children’s Hospital

National  + Weekender  | 

The power is back on at Puerto Rico’s San Juan’s Hospital del Niño, thanks to Tesla. The company installed solar panels and batteries to restore electricity at the Children’s Hospital after it had been damaged by two hurricanes in September. Millions of people in Puerto Rico still must rely on generators for electricity.

Tesla’s Elon Musk notes the project at the hospital is the “first of many” the company plans to do in Puerto Rico. Musk had reached out to Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello to offer assistance. That “great initial conversation” led to the two “exploring opportunities.” That included Tesla shifting some other battery production projects to lend a hand.

The solar array is installed in a parking lot next to the hospital, and the new system generates all the energy needed for now. So far, the project has been a donation, and after the energy crisis has passed there’s a possibility of striking a permanent deal.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is also lending a hand by deploying balloons to help reconnect the island’s phone service.


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About Dennis Kaiser

Dennis Kaiser is Vice President of Content and Public Relations for Connect Commercial Real Estate. Dennis is a communications leader with more than 30 years of experience including as a journalist and in corporate and agency marketing communications roles. He is responsible for Connect’s client content operations and is involved in a range of initiatives ranging from content strategy, message development, copywriting, media relations, social media and content marketing services. In his most recent corporate communications roles, he led a regional public relations effort across Southern California for CBRE, played a key marketing role on JLL’s national retail team, and was responsible for directing the global public relations effort at ValleyCrest, the nation’s largest commercial landscape services company. In addition to his vast commercial real estate experience, Dennis has worked on communications and launch strategies for a number of residential projects such as Disney’s Celebration in Florida, Ritter Ranch in Palmdale California (7,200 homes, 22,000 acres), WaterColor in Florida and PremierGarage in Phoenix. Dennis’s agency background included firms such as Idea Hall and Macy + Associates. He has earned an outstanding reputation with organization leaders as a trusted advisor, strategic program implementer, consensus builder and exceptional collaborator. Dennis has developed and managed national communications programs for Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, both public and private. He’s successfully worked with journalists across the globe representing clients involved in major-breaking news stories, product launches, media tours, and company news announcements. Dennis has been involved in a host of charitable and community organizations including the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, BoyScouts, Chrysalis Foundation, Freedom For Life, HOLA, L.A.’s BEST, Reach Out and Read, Super Bowl Host Committee, and Thunderbirds Charities.