Puerto Rico's Homeland Security Readiness: Redesigning the Island's Power Grid to Improve Its Resiliency

The damage caused by Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico left this American territory ill-equipped to rebuildor even maintainits aging power grid. As reconstruction is in order, this tragedy presents an opportunity to design a more resilient and efficient power grid for Puerto Rico. A sustainable distributed power plan that includes renewable energy, distributed generation, and smart grid technology could be the answer to Puerto Ricos energy problems. This grid could incorporate features that exploit the unique environment of Puerto Rico and include maintenance fees commensurate with the financial abilities of the island. The prospect of a new power grid is not simply a question of opportunity or need it is part of a homeland security mandate. The exploration of alternative and sustainable power options for Puerto Rico can serve as a test bed for new technology, systems, and protocols that could affect other jurisdictions under similar economic or natural hazard circumstances.