Tesla picked to build world’s largest battery to power SA
AUSTRALIA: South Australia has announced Elon Musk’s Tesla as the principal builder of the world’s largest lithium ion battery to expand the state’s renewable energy supply.
The mega-project will be built in conjunction with French renewable energy firm Neoen and paired with Neoen’s existing Hornsdale wind farm near Jamestown, north of Adelaide.
SA Premier Jay Weatherill said the ‘‘extraordinary collaboration’’ would deliver a grid-scale battery that would ‘‘stabilise the South Australian network as well as putting downward pressure on prices’’.
‘‘Battery storage is the future of our national energy market, and the eyes of the world will be following our leadership in this space.’’
The project is intended have a storage capacity of 100 megawatts, or 129 megawatt hours, to be delivered by December 1. That was more than three times as powerful as the world’s next-largest such battery, Musk said yesterday.
The billionaire entrepreneur promised to stick by his pledge to have the system installed and operating within 100 days from signing a contract ‘‘or it is free’’.
‘‘That’s what we said publicly, that’s what we’re going to do,’’ Musk said.
The project will harness the existing Hornsdale wind farm to charge the mega-battery while the sun is shining and discharge power when it is most needed.
‘‘It’s a fundamental efficiency improvement to the power grid, and it’s really quite necessary and quite obvious considering a renewable energy future,’’ Musk said.
Romain Desrousseaux, deputy chief executive of Neoen, said the project would demonstrate ‘‘largescale battery storage is both possible and now commercially viable’’ and can provide ‘‘dependable, distributable power’’.
South Australia’s electricity troubles, including numerous blackouts, have become a politically contentious issue between the state and federal governments, amid debate about the capacity of renewable energy.
A freak storm last September destroyed transmission lines, triggering backup systems. A key interstate connector with Victoria was ultimately tripped ‘‘off’’ due to automatic safety precautions.
Tesla, which had become the most valuable carmaker in the United States, has seen its share value fall by 20 per cent since June 22, losing US$12 billion (NZ$16.5b) in market capitalisation. – Fairfax