As I keep saying, I don't have the full story about what has
happened and need to wait until the final report is completed
before predicting whether any alternative design would have
performed better.
In addition to electric service, gas service and steam service
in lower Manhattan has been disrupted. Turbines relying on natural
gas could have also been disrupted. I don't know if the level of
dust and debris would have also impacted a turbine's ability to
generate power. I have a hard time believing an airfilter would not
need to be changed for a year operating in those conditions.
Full disclosure: I design high-end colocation facilities for a
living. Without knowing the full story, I can't say any design
would have performed better. But I can say, the people trying to
keep things running are doing an exceptional job under unforseen
circumstances.