Tesla Megapack Battery Installation Approved for Moss Landing, Will Be One Of Largest In the World

A massive Tesla Megapack battery installation has been unanimously approved for Moss Landing, CA. The EV automaker will be working with PG&E on the project. The news broke on KSBW 8 recently. 

According to the local news network, the Monterey County Planning Commission came to a unanimous decision on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, about Tesla’s upcoming Megapack battery installation. The county planners gave Tesla and PG&E the green light to move forward with their energy storage facility, which will pump power to the Moss Landing Power Plant.

The project is poised to be one of the largest energy storage facilities in the world. Tesla and PG&E are scheduled to break ground on the project next month, with the system expected to be entirely finished by the end of this year.

“Huge for the area. And as you know, the power plant has been gradually shutting down. They’re producing about one-tenth of the power that they did in the past, and that hurts us from a tax standpoint,” said John Phillips, a Monterey County Supervisor. 

This morning Monterey unanimously approved the installation of a Tesla Megapack in Moss Landing to store wind and solar power and then make it available for use during periods of high energy demand.

It will be one of the largest energy storage facilities in the world. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/9NCruv9DbJ

— Third Row Podcast (@thirdrowtesla) February 27, 2020

The Monterey County Planning Commission approved a project by Vistra Energy a couple months before Tesla and PG&E’s battery storage facility. It seems like Vistra Energy, Tesla, and PG&E’s project will store solar and winder energy in the EV tech company’s Megapacks. The stored energy will be released during times when there's increased demand on the grid.

The Moss Landing Megapacks will have a relatively similar job as Tesla’s Powerpacks in Elon Musk’s Big Battery in Hornsdale, Australia. The Hornsdale Power Reserve has proven its worth to the community and is currently undergoing expansion. Tesla’s energy storage products have been gaining some traction in Australia for quite some time. 

Thus far, 2020 seems to be a big year for Tesla Energy--the sector of the company in charge of its Solar Roof, Powerwall, Megapack, Powerpack, and other energy-related businesses. Tesla seems to be ramping Solarglass Roof V3 in particular. 

During a call with Wall Street analysts in November, Musk forecasted the growth in Tesla’s Energy sector. “For almost two years, we had to divert a tremendous amount of resources...It would be difficult to overstate the degree to which Tesla Energy is going to be a major part of Tesla’s activity in the future,” he said, reported CNBC. “I think both over time [energy business] will grow faster than automotive. They’re starting from a smaller base.”

Featured Image Credit: Tesla