Elon Musk wins bet, finishing massive 100MW battery installation in 100 days
Tesla has completed construction of a massive 100-megawatt, 129-MWh battery installation in South Australia. The new facility boasts the largest megawatt rating for any grid-connected battery installation in the world.
The project was completed less than two months after the contract was signed on September 29, putting it ahead of schedule. Musk had promised Australian authorities that he would complete the project in 100 days or the project would be free. Musk has said it would cost Tesla “$50 million or more” if the company failed to meet the deadline.
“Congratulations to the Tesla crew and South Australian authorities who worked so hard to get this manufactured and installed in record time!” Musk tweeted late on Wednesday night (Thursday in Australia).
The Hornsdale Wind Farm near Jamestown, South Australia, produces 315 megawatts of electricity, but, like any wind farm, it’s not a steady source of power. So Tesla’s batteries will charge up during periods when the wind farm is producing excess energy, then supply extra power to the grid during periods of peak demand.
