Tesla is building the world’s biggest battery. Here’s how it will work.
Get amped to learn about lithium-ion energy storage!
By Rob Verger
By the end of the year, the state of South Australia will be home to the world’s biggest battery, if Elon Musk and Tesla make good on an ambitious commitment. The battery installation will be hooked up to a 99-turbine wind farm (which is still being built) and serve as an energy reservoir to ensure that the region has enough power, even during times when power demand peaks.
It’s fun to imagine an enormous Duracell battery sticking out of the ground, but in reality, the massive installation will be a network of batteries housed in Tesla-made units called Powerpacks. Together, they will make up what the company calls the “largest lithium-ion battery storage project in the world.” Tesla isn’t saying how many Powerpacks will be required for the project, but it will pack 100 megawatts of power capable of energizing over 30,000 homes, according to the company.
Watch out, Energizer Bunny
“The best way to think about [the project] is a large field of refrigerator-like Tesla Powerpacks,” says Mark Tholke, the chief development officer of Advanced Microgrid Solutions. That company installs batteries made by Tesla…
