Powerpack system battery is connected to a 99-turbine wind farm at the Hornsdale Power Reserve
The world’s largest lithium-ion battery has begun providing electricity into the power grid in South Australia.
The project is a collaboration between the state government, American Elon Musk’s Tesla, and Neoen, a French energy company.
The Power-pack system battery is connected to a 99-turbine wind farm at the Hornsdale Power Reserve, owned by French energy provider Neoen, some 200 kilometers north of Adelaide, the state capital.
The 100-megawatt battery system provides 129-megawatt hours of energy, reduces intermittency issues, and manages increased demand during summer peak loading periods, potentially providing enough energy to power 30,000 homes for eight hours, or 60,000 homes for four hours.
Tesla won a bid in July to build the 129-megawatt hour battery for South Australia, which expanded in wind power far quicker than the rest of the country, but has suffered a string of blackouts over the past 18 months.
According to Tesla the completion of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery in record time shows that a sustainable, effective energy solution is possible
The plan to build the battery was made after South Australia suffered a major blackout in September last year, when severe weather caused a power outage to almost the entire state.
In the ensuing debate over South Australia’s energy future, Tesla Chief Elon Musk stepped in with a proposition: a 100-megawatt battery facility in 100 days or your money back.
Premier Jay Weatherill has said the battery, which will now have to be paid for, will form a part of the $530 million energy plan he has for the state, which includes a solar facility and more back-up generators.
The state government and its energy policies came under heavy scrutiny last year after a storm caused a blackout across the entire state in September 2016.