Tesla has been selected to provide a 20 MW/80 MWh Powerpack energy storage system at Southern California Edison’s Mira Loma substation.
Tesla says that when completed, the installation will be the largest lithium ion battery storage project in the world.
“When fully charged, this system will hold enough energy to power more than 2,500 households for a day or charge 1,000 Tesla vehicles,” states the company.
One of the very attractive aspects of battery based energy storage is how fast it can be implemented. Tesla states it will have the utility scale solution operational by the end of the year.
The Powerpack system will be charged using electricity from the mains grid during off-peak hours. During peak hours, it will provide electricity to help maintain the stability and reliability of Southern California Edison’s (SCE’s) electrical infrastructure. The energy storage solution will reduce the need for gas-fired electricity generation and further SCE’s efforts in enhancing and modernising its grid.
SCE has previously worked with Tesla on two demonstration projects; one involving residential SCE customers and the other focusing on commercial and industrial customers..
As Powerwall did with home battery storage in Australia, the launch of Tesla Powerpack signified the beginning of Australia’s commercial energy storage revolution.
The Powerpack battery system can be used in a variety of commercial scenarios and is scalable; from 100kWh to 100MWh+ configurations in 250kWh increments. Each Powerpack contains 16 individual battery pods, a thermal control system and a vast array of sensors monitoring and reporting on cell level performance.
Tesla Powerpack can help businesses exercise greater control over their energy costs and make the most of their commercial solar power system installations.
In related news and closer to home, ABC Rural reports Tesla’s Nick Carter told farmers at an Agribusiness Australia event in Melbourne yesterday that battery storage technology could help move them into the energy production business.
“If there is land available, then use it for essentially mining or growing energy and if you’re grid-connected you could end up in the future when the rules change, selling it back as another revenue stream,” said Mr Carter.
