by Julie Fidler, Natural Society:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced July 7, 2017 that his company will use its giant battery, the Powerpack, to build a 100 megawatt (MW) lithium-ion battery system in South Australia. When it is completed, it will be the largest battery storage product in the world. [1]

The batteries will store energy produced by a local wind farm in Jamestown, South Australia. The battery system will have the ability to power tens of thousands of homes.

Tesla wrote in a statement:

“The Tesla Powerpack system will further transform the state’s movement towards renewable energy and see an advancement of a resilient and modern grid.

Upon completion by December 2017, this system will be the largest lithium-ion storage project in the world and will provide enough power for more than 30,000 homes, approximately equal to the amount of homes that lost power during the blackout period.” [2]

By storing energy during off-peak hours and then recharging that energy during peak hours, utility companies will be able to cut costs and reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources.

The Powerpack and Tesla’s at-home battery, the Powerwall, have been commercially available since 2015. The company released upgraded versions of both systems and unveiled a solar roof product. Tesla began accepting orders for the solar roof in March 2017.

Read: The New Home Battery: Is Off Grid Living About to Become Mainstream?

Tesla beat out 91 international bidders for the project to build a 100 MW lithium-ion storage solution, most likely due to Musk’s clout and proven track record,

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