Month: February 2018

A Seat at the Table – Part 1 of 4

LEADING VIEQUES

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
The Old Testament Proverbs 29.18

Never before in Vieques have our citizens become so painfully aware of how poorly we are treated compared to others in the US.  Our Commonwealth and US governments have let us down, ignored our needs, and demonstrated their utter incompetence providing for our wellbeing.  We all now know that we must develop the capability to fend for ourselves, to become more self-sufficient, and to take an active role in the management and development of our island community.  If we are to have any hope of creating an environment conducive to the success of the youth of Isla Nena, we must take responsibility for our own future.

With the bankruptcy of Puerto Rico and the aggressive imposition of economic hardship upon us from the US congress (through the Jones Act and the passing of the latest tax laws), it is clear that, with our low priority, Vieques will suffer tremendously over the next 20 years if we don’t act to grab control of the situation.

We have to ask ourselves as residents if we, too, are not part of the problem.  For instance, if someone suggested to you that in order to salvage our electrical service and correct the mess that PREPA has made of the entire Commonwealth, the Municipio should take charge of the island distribution grid, you would probably respond with something like: “Are you crazy? We have no experience, and nobody at the Alcadia knows anything about electrical distribution, much less running a business for the benefit of the community.”

Five years ago, I said almost exactly the same thing. The last several mayors have demonstrated this same attitude toward a variety of opportunities. Central Government agencies and PREPA agree and actually laugh out loud at the mention of Vieques running anything.

WE WERE ALL WRONG!

We were thinking in terms of the existing government format.  We assumed that we would be required to organize, train, equip, and manage in the same way PREPA, the ATM, and myriad other government agencies function, and of course, we aren’t qualified. BUT, there is a much better way that is used effectively all over the world:  We hire a world class expert to help us create a performance specification that we can use to solicit bids from well established, competent, and leading firms to operate and maintain our grid to the high quality level we specify.  If they fail to perform, they are fined and/or replaced.

We need to WAKE UP! Neither the Governor of PR nor the President of the US is any more knowledgeable about operating a grid than we are.  They are not able to run a generator or repair an electrical line, but so what? We don’t need to perform these tasks either.  We must hire the best proven expert contractors who can – and then manage them!  We must to be the ones to specify our needs.

The leaders and citizens of Vieques must take over responsibility for the infrastructure of the island or suffer at the hands of poor planning, reduced funding, and low priorities forced upon us by the Central Government.  While we can acknowledge that we do not have the operational experience, we do have the expertise and initiative to specify our requirements, hire expert contractors to satisfy our needs, and manage the contracts to ensure compliance.

Lack of budget capacity to finance improvements is often the fatal flaw of many plans.  When we examine the ledgers of the municipality, we won’t find existing expense entries for water, electricity, ferry service, or any of the other categories representing our infrastructure because these services were never before provided through local government.  One could, therefore, conclude that we are in a hopeless situation, but we are not. We need to realize there are options available to us:

  • We can include the financing of the required improvements as part of the contractors’ bids with repayment from the monthly fees off of the grid services
  • We can form a community cooperative where electrical users are also owners
  • We can apply for infrastructure improvement grants for which we were never before eligible because we weren’t owners or operators. Fortunately, we have an experienced federal grant writer on staff and have access to several more.

No one is going to give us a seat at the table or control of anything:  we have to take it.  We must have a credible plan, and we must convince the Central Government that we will make it work successfully and transparently.  We have access to distinguished experts to assist us.  This is the way it is normally done in the civilized world!

We can do this.  In fact, we must do this if there is ever to be the kinds of improvements that will make a future for the island that our young people will choose to participate in.  We must make our island a showcase of sustainability and an inspiration for others to take charge of their destinies and throw off the yoke of disinterested, self-serving government agencies.

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there “is” such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

A Seat at the Table – Part 2 of 4

ELECTRICAL MICROGRIDS

The methodology for accomplishing the private and public creation and operation of microgrids sized from one house to multiple municipalities has been proposed by the Puerto Rico Energy Commission (CEPR) and can be downloaded at:

http://energia.pr.gov/product_category/propuesta-reglamento-microredes/

Assuming this regulation is ultimately approved in a form close to the proposal, it means that we can proceed to take control of our grid in an orderly and established manner without blazing our own trail.

The logical and hoped for scenario might include:

  • Tesla, PR, and Vieques agree to create a solar powered, sustainable island
  • The solar and battery arrays are located in three or four strategic areas as “island” microgrids (in an electrical sense being able to be isolated and stand-alone like a physical island or to be connected to the Vieques grid normally)
  • The distribution, maintenance, and administration would be performed by a new entity island wide in the form of an experienced and reputable private contractor of our choosing
  • Financial responsibility can be taken by the municipality, a cooperative, or a private entity – nonprofit or for profit
  • Backup might be provided by one or more of the following:
    – Our existing pair of 3.3MW generators – possibly augmented by a couple more
    – Connection to the existing undersea cable to PREPA via replacement lines through Fish & Wildlife and Punta Arenas
    – Connection to a new undersea cable to PREPA that runs from Naguabo to about a mile west of the Rompeolas; this would make it unnecessary to run new lines through fragile F&W protected lagoons

So, let’s talk! “The time has come, the walrus said….” And then, let’s act!

Taking a Seat at the Table – Part 3 of 4

MEETING WITH ELECTRICAL STAKEHOLDERS

Hector Olivieri, Director of OMME, Vieques has procured for us a seat at the table in the power restoration arena.  This is huge! When Director Olivieri realized that schemes for running new power lines through F&W were progressing without the input of the citizens and professionals on Vieques, he decided to invite the key figures from FEMA, US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), Department of Energy, PREPA, and others, including local experts, to meet and discuss the situation, the goals, and the options.

Among the many professionals in attendance were:

  • Thomas Holden, Director, FEMA
  • John Lloyd, Director of Power Restoration for PR, USACE
  • Assha Tribble, PhD, FEMA
  • Carlos D. Torres, EEI
  • Jeff Miller, DOE
  • Mike Barandiaran, USFWS

As well as many more from these same organizations and representatives from AAA, PREPA, USCG, PRANG, Fluor, Tourism, VCHT, Vieques Love, and others.

The morning began with a field trip to Punta Arena with an additional stop at the substation across from the Collectoria, followed by a meeting in the multiplex.  The following highlights what was learned:

  1. According to Conde, Director of AAA for Vieques, the old solar panels at Arcadia (water pump station on the way to Punta Arenas) never were in service. Since Tesla installed their panels and battery systems (Power Walls), the old panels were integrated into the microgrid and are working.
  2. There are two 3.5MW diesel generators at Bastimento that we use for backup power. We are currently using electricity at the rate of about 1.6MW for the portion of the island with service.  Our historical peak power requirements have been about 6MW.  Backup generators, as opposed to prime generators, are designed to run for short periods of time and then rested.  They are often used on a cycle of 12 hours on and then 12 hours off.  As it turns out, our backup generators are robust and have the capability to run full time.  They require routine maintenance every 500 hours.  So, every three weeks each generator must be shut off for up to 8 hours and serviced. We have all been pleasantly surprised at the excellent performance of the crew and generator that together have provided excellent power for the last month.
  3. The status of our generators is: one is working fine, and the other is off due to ambiguous readings in the monitoring equipment.  We have two problems that affect the continued operation of these generators:
    • Getting parts for routine maintenance through the supply chain at the PREPA bureaucracy is harder than getting permits to build an airport in the Plaza; and
    • The generators come from a French company and getting authorization to fly in an appropriate engineer to help diagnose the problem is even harder than getting parts.
  4. The upper staffs of both USACE and FEMA say they are now fully aware of the problem and will work it out. Timing remains an unknown.
  5. The good news is that Fluor/Pike are making rapid progress, and it is expected that many more areas will be coming online soon. The dilemma we are facing is that we may have difficulty powering the whole island if the second generator is not brought online.
  6. The power from Naguabo arrives at Punta Arenas in two cables, one of which was installed decades ago and another larger one in the 90’s. Both are said to be at the end of their life cycles.  The transmission lines from Punta Arenas have been routed through the lagoon area well south of the Fish and Wildlife road to the beaches.  Approximately 45 poles are down along that route.  There are many options for restoration with each having its own advantages, disadvantages, and costs which must be thoroughly vetted:
    • Restore the existing system using the same route with replacement wooden poles. This would require road building within the refuge to erect and service the system. The grid would remain vulnerable to similar events.
    • Same as “a” but with concrete poles which would be more durable and handle longer cable spans.
    • Reroute the system to parallel the existing beach road. The water line for the island is already buried on the north side of the road.
    • Splice new undersea cables into the arriving cables at Punta Arenas and run these off shore to an access point very close to Mosquito Pier and connect to the grid there. The disruption to the refuge would be eliminated, maintenance would be minimized, and storm damage would no longer be an issue.  The problem with this is that it is known that the existing cables are near the end of their lives, so it doesn’t necessarily make sense to invest $3M to $5M connecting to obsolete infrastructure. Past experience with undersea cables indicates a cost of between $1M to $1.5M per mile.
    • Run new undersea cables from Ceiba to the Mosquito Pier area. This is the preferred long term solution by all, but the costs may exceed FEMA’s allocation when the analysis is completed.
  7. There are variations on the above schemes that will also be studied. The timing for each of these fixes is quite different, and that factor will also be taken into account.  The immediate goal is to get the power on everywhere as fast as possible.  The power generation we have previously received from Naguabo is not currently available due to that plant supplying 100% of its output to the main island grid.  It is not clear when it will be able to supply Vieques and Culebra.  The fastest any of the solutions for distributing main island power here appears to exceed 2 months. The longer term solution, if accepted, could be double or triple.
  8. What I would like to see, based on the information presented is:
    • New cables run from Ceiba to near mosquito Pier.
    • A 6MW generator (offered by FEMA) added to the two 3.5MW plants to give us the reliable capability to run 24/7 until power is 100% restored from the main island. After the situation becomes normal, we could return the new generator to FEMA.

The meeting was an enormous step in the right direction.  It brought the most experienced and professional people together to sit down a thoroughly present and discuss the goals and potential solutions.  Thanks to Director Olivieri and all of those who took the time and made the effort to help Vieques recover and flourish.

Taking a Seat at the Table – Part 4 of 4

 INITIATING CHANGE IN VIEQUES

Major philosophical chasms occur in societies during periods of significant transition.  Modernization of unsophisticated regions brings forth resistance from those who feel their way of life is under siege. Fear of losing normalcy, the familiarity with the everyday and with every person, brings people into a defensive mode to fight the forces that would alter the status quo.  This creates a conundrum: everyone wants improvement, but few want change.

Making things better is relative:  that which elevates one may actually lower another. A faster tool may make one person twice as productive but render the second person unemployed. A better education may lead to young people leaving home to seek their fortunes in larger markets resulting in parents missing their children.  The defenders of anti-change movements will eventually erect a shield to protect the destruction of their “culture”.

As most agree, many aspects of culture are worthy of esteem and should be preserved.  On the other hand, just because a trait is historical and common does make it a good thing.  Culture is not in and of itself good or bad; it is a noun that can accept adjectives like wonderful and horrible.  When we first think of culture, we include charming customs, art, music, dance, shared history and beliefs, social norms, etc. But, look more closely at what some “cultures” actually have practiced throughout history:

  • Cannibalism
  • Piracy
  • Genital mutilation
  • Slavery
  • Foot binding
  • And other terrible things

Less extreme, but very detrimental to the progress and prosperity of any society:

  • Criminal and antisocial behavior
  • Corruption and dishonesty
  • Thievery
  • Distrust of everyone
  • Vigilante justice

Some favorable traits have flip sides with overwhelming negatives, such as:

  • Kind and gentle societies are often passive, which can lead to outside and internal control and abuse
  • Societies that are tolerant of people’s differences and lifestyles might also be tolerant of criminal and antisocial behavior

So, if one wishes to improve the quality of life within the community, such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, transportation, communications, governance, etc., how does one gain local support? Many would say they want the improvement but don’t change anything – clearly an impossible contradiction.  Perhaps a good beginning would be to identify the elements of the culture that are really important to the population.  In this way, one would have finite lists that can be called positive and negative culture.  General terms like “culture” could be set aside in favor of working with the specifics (maximizing the positive and minimizing the negative) to shape proposed changes.

Once the community is generally united in their recognition of the real situation, an overall vision of the desired results needs to be formulated, and the specific goals must be established. These goals must then inform an executable improvement plan.  Because there are so many areas being addressed, the whole endeavor may seem overwhelming.

“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

Any acceptable plan will include multiple and separate components and/or phases.

The situation in Vieques is somewhere in between the modern and sophisticated worlds of the West and the third world.  Many locals do not have a global view, or at least not accurate ones.  Most are not experienced in contemporary business practices or technology. A sizable number do not work and are dependent on government subsistence. The average educational level is very low. The question, therefore, is: “How does a population design their future while few in the community even know or understand what the present state of the art is in the real world?” Or to put it in other terms:  “How do I write an app for Twitter when I have neither an account nor a clue what Twitter does?”  The answer is: “With a lot of help from our friends and consultants.”