Built in 63 days, world’s biggest battery

THE world’s biggest lithium-ion battery has been plugged in to keep the lights on in Australia.

Created by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s firm Tesla, it is the size of a football field and contains more than 700 separate battery packs.

The £28million battery was built to solve the threat of blackouts in South Australia, where the sweltering weather at this time of year threatens to overpower the electricity grid as locals turn on their air conditioning.

It allows energy from power stations and wind farms to be stored and is able to power 30,000 homes for up to an hour in the event of a severe blackout.

South Australia, which relies heavily on wind power, has suffered a string of blackouts over the past 18 months. It left state premier Jay Weatherill struggling to find a solution until he was told of Mr Musk’s offer that Tesla could build the most powerful battery ever made.

When he contacted the businessman to ask if his offer was serious, Mr Musk replied via Twitter, saying: ‘Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?’

Tesla, better known for its electric cars, met the deadline by sending a surge into the state’s power grid on Thursday.

It was just 63 days after the 100day countdown began and Mr Weatherill, who was at the site for the switch-on, joked that Mr Musk was a relieved man.

‘He’s got 50million bucks in his back pocket,’ he said, adding that the state expected to recoup its costs with lower power bills.

Tesla said the project would provide a model for future ones around the world, adding in a statement yesterday that its fast completion ‘shows a sustainable, effective energy solution is possible’.

The life of the battery is only around a month without input from the grid but supporters say it will help stabilise the grid. Tesla says the batteries last up to 30 years and respond to demand for energy within 100 milliseconds.