Tesla builds the world's largest battery system in South Australia in just 100 days

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Ilona Mask, head of Tesla Inc. and several other organizations, lots of different projects. There are electric cars and solar batteries, plus PowerWall battery systems for home and business. Plus tunnels for cars, plus high-speed trains, plus ... Yes, a lot of things. Recently, Musk announced the implementation of another project - the creation of the world's largest lithium-ion battery system, which is planned to be installed in South Australia.



The main task of the project participants is not to take another record at all, but to help the region. The fact is that in South Australia quite often there are interruptions in the supply of electricity. The main factor that affects the stability of supply is the weather. In order to solve this problem, Musk decided to create an energy storage unit in Australia, which will serve as a backup source for thousands of households in the event of another blackout.



Of course, Musk is not talking about a single battery, but about a set of batteries, which the entrepreneur promises to make the largest in the world.





SolarCity , another Mask company, recently won a government tender to create such a system. It is promised to build it within just 100 days after signing the contract with the government. It should be noted that dozens of companies took part in the tender - 91 are one, to be exact. But only the Mask company made an offer that the Australian government could not refuse.



The battery pack will accumulate energy generated by the large wind farm Neoen's Hornsdale Wind Farm, which is located near Jamestown, South Australia. The basis of the system is Tesla Powerpack, which the company is going to scale, significantly increasing the capacity. This large battery complex will accumulate electricity at the time of maximum performance of wind turbines, and give when there is little or no wind. In addition, energy generated by nearby solar farms will accumulate here. Last year, the hurricane left 1.7 million people in the region without electricity. If the system, which Mask proposes to create, functioned already then, this trouble would not have happened.



According to the company, the battery should be ready by December 2017. Its design characteristics are 100 MW / 129 MWh. The system, after its availability, can provide electricity to more than 30,000 households. This is just as many houses as they suffer from blackouts during blackouts. 100 days, during which you need to build an energy storage device - this is an extremely tough period, if the company does not fulfill it, it will have to transfer the installed complex as a gift to the government.



In principle, Tesla has experience in deploying large systems. For example, not so long ago, she installed a slightly smaller battery complex on one of the Hawaiian islands. Here, SolarCity has created a solar farm, which generates electricity, which then accumulates in huge batteries. In addition, the same company has built for Los Angeles a similar complex, which provides energy to about 15,000 homes. This is only two times less than the system that is planned to be created in Australia.



Nevertheless, Musk considers this to be quite fair, since, according to him, the Australian government is at risk, which means that Solar City may also take the risk. The fact that the battery station will be useful, neither the officials nor Mask himself is questioned. “You can charge batteries when you have enough energy and its cost is low, and then use the stored energy when you need it most, and the cost of generating it is high. According to Mask, the use of such systems can significantly improve network efficiency.



"The system will completely change the principle of consumption of" green "energy, as well as stabilize the infrastructure of South Australia and reduce electricity prices," said one of the officials involved in the development of the project. Officials believe that Mask will not just add one element to the energy infrastructure It also provides an improved economic environment for it, while Hornsdale Wind Farm , which will be Australia’s largest source of green energy, is also being developed at the same time as the battery system.



SolarCity has many interesting projects and products. For example, the company recently introduced the "solar roof", which consists of photovoltaic cells and is able to replace the usual roof. At the same time its cost is lower than the price of a standard roof. This system works in conjunction with PowerWall , a rechargeable battery that can work both to collect solar energy and to provide backup power in case of blackouts.