Elon Musk’s battery farm in Hornsdale, which is made up of Tesla Powerpacks, has been thriving in Australia. The Hornsdale Power Reserve has saved the surrounding community millions of dollars while providing a steady stream of electricity to the grid when needed.

According to a Bloomberg report, South Australia’s battery farm had saved residents $116 million in energy costs since 2017 when Elon Musk finished the project 40 days before his deadline. In an interview with 60 Minutes three years ago, Elon Musk was told about Australia’s “power poverty.”

The 60 Minutes host who interviewed Musk told him that power was becoming a luxury for some—if not most—resident in Australia. Faced with such a situation, an emotional Elon Musk only had one thing to say: “We will work harder.”

From today’s vantage point, Elon Musk’s words appear to ring true. The Hornsdale Power Reserve was such a success, Neoen—the company in charge of Elon Musk’s big battery—decided to expand it by 50%.

In November last year, Neoen announced that it would be installing more Tesla Powerpacks or about 50 Megawatts (64.5 MWh) to the Hornsdale Power Reserve. At the time, Australia’s big battery has already saved consumers millions.

Ever since Elon Musk built his big battery in South Australia, Tesla’s Powerpacks have become a good source of backup energy for communities in the country. For instance, Tesla has a virtual power plant in Queensland, which was able to rescue the grid when a peaker plant failed.

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Meanwhile, in Western Australia, the community of Ellenbrook in Perth uses Tesla Powerpack batteries as virtual energy storage units. Another community in Meadow Spring used Powerpacks as energy storage units as well, and the residents were able to save around $11,000 off their power bills collectively.

It seems that Elon Musk’s success with the Hornsdale Power Reserve has led to Tesla’s thriving business in Australia. To this day, the Hornsdale battery farm stands as a testament to the power of renewable energy—pun intended. 

Elon Musk’s big battery has proven that renewable energy sources, options, and opportunities are a viable choice for governments and local communities.

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