The island of Ta’u in American Samoa, located more than 4,000 miles from the West Coast of the United States, now hosts a solar power and battery storage-enabled microgrid that can supply nearly 100 percent of the island’s power needs from renewable energy. This provides a cost-saving alternative to diesel, removing the hazards of power intermittency and making outages a thing of the past.
From The Verge by James Vincent
Tesla completed its $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity
this week, and, to celebrate, the company has announced a major solar
energy project: wiring up the whole island of Ta’u in American Samoa.
Previously, the island ran on diesel generators, but over the past year
Tesla has installed a microgrid of solar energy panels and batteries that will supply "nearly 100 percent" of power needs for Ta’u’s 600 residents.
Ta'u island (GeoGarage platform / NOAA chart)
The project seems intended to show off the potential
benefits of the SolarCity acquisition, with Ta’u’s microgrid comprised
of 5,328 solar panels from SolarCity and Tesla, along with 60 Tesla
Powerpacks batteries for storage.
But buying SolarCity remains a risky move
for Tesla, with the purchase including billions of dollars of debt for a
company that's far from profitable (SolarCity spends $6 for every $1 it
makes in sales).
Nevertheless, Tesla CEO Elon Musk describes the
acquisition as "blindingly obvious" — a necessary step in his so-called "Master Plan" to integrate clean energy generation and storage.
The microgrid – 1.4 megawatts of solar generation capacity from
SolarCity and Tesla and 6 megawatt hours of battery storage from 60
Tesla Powerpacks – was implemented within just one year from start to
finish.
The project in Ta’u shows the benefit of this.
It was
funded by American Samoan and US authorities (including the Department
of Interior), and Tesla says it will offset the island’s use of more
than 109,500 gallons of diesel per year, as well as the expense of
shipping that fuel in.
(That's the amount of fuel used by one generator;
the island has three of these in case one breaks, but most of the time
only one is in use.)
"Factoring in the escalating cost of fuel, along
with transporting such mass quantities to the small island, the
financial impact is substantial," said Tesla in a blog post.
The microgrid will allow the island to stay fully powered
for three days without sunlight, and its capacity will recharge fully
in seven hours.
In just one year, Tesla and SolarCity created a solar-powered island.
Tesla converts Ta'ū island from diesel to solar power :
the result is a system composed of more than 5,000 SolarCity solar panels and 60 Tesla Powerpack battery storage systems.
Tesla converts Ta'ū island from diesel to solar power :
the result is a system composed of more than 5,000 SolarCity solar panels and 60 Tesla Powerpack battery storage systems.
Local businesses, along with essential services like the
hospital, police, and fire stations, will all use solar power "This
project will help lessen the carbon footprint of the world," local
resident Keith Ahsoon said in a Tesla blog post.
"Living on an island,
you experience global warming firsthand. Beach erosions and other
noticeable changes are a part of life here. It’s a serious problem, and
this project will hopefully set a good example for everyone else to
follow."
Links :
- Business insider : Everything you need to know about Tesla's new solar business / Tesla is entering the solar business at a terrible time
- Forbes : Tesla's Shiny Solar Roofs Are No Game-Changer
- Techcrunch : Why Tesla's new solar roof tiles and home battery are such a big deal
- Wired : Tesla Unveils its New Line of Camouflaged Solar Panels
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