Tesla Energy could supply its flagship Megapacks for a proposed giant battery project in Victoria, Australia. The project comes on the heels of the Hornsdale Power Reserve’s expansion, which allowed the already-impressive Tesla Powerpack-powered installation to grow from a 100MW/129MWh setup to an even more impressive 150MW/194MWh system.
Battery storage systems became a valuable ally for South Australia a few years ago after Elon Musk and fellow billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes made a bet that Tesla could help the region’s power crisis by building a massive Powerpack farm in 100 days. Prior to the installation of the batteries, South Australia was suffering from frequent power outages and high electric bills, among other issues.
Musk ultimately won his bet with Cannon-Brookes, with Tesla completing the Powerpack farm that would officially be called the Hornsdale Power Reserve within the 100-day timeframe. The big battery has since served the region, and it has performed well. Since its deployment, the Powerpack farm has delivered over $150 million in savings to South Australia residents. Its response time has also been unrivaled, providing backup power when needed during unexpected outages.
When you need to stabilize and balance an entire region's electrical grid, size matters: https://t.co/YUCyS1VC4W
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 29, 2019
It did not take long before nearby areas were encouraged to try out battery storage systems as alternatives to traditional fossil fuel-powered plants as well. Victoria, for one, is reportedly looking to build its own giant battery installation. Neoen, which owns the Hornsdale Power Reserve, has proposed a 600MW battery for Victoria. But this time around, Neoen will not be tapping into the Powerpacks used in Hornsdale. Instead, Victoria’s giant battery will be comprised of Megapack batteries.
Megapacks are the current flagship energy products from Tesla. Australian green energy publication Renew Economy has noted that the Megapacks boast 1.5MW of capacity and 3MW of storage per unit, making them about 15 times bigger than the Powerpacks used in the Hornsdale Power Reserve.
Using the Megapacks, Neon expects the Victoria giant battery to have a size of 600MW/1200MWh. This is far larger than the Hornsdale Power Reserve, even after it completes upgrades that will make it into a 150MW/194MWh system. Provided that the project is greenlit and the installation of the battery units is completed, Victoria may end up being the home of one of the world’s largest battery installations. Ultimately, this furthers Tesla’s mission of accelerating the world’s transition towards sustainable energy.
Featured Image Credit: Tesla
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