Electric vehicle maker Tesla is expanding its battery technology to help the State of Texas with its energy grid. According to multiple news reports, Tesla is constructing a large battery that will connect to the Texas power grid. It will help the grid withstand future stress events like the recent snowstorms that hit the largest U.S. state. The extreme weather left many Texans without power for multiples in sub-freezing weather.
Powering 20,000 Homes
Gambit Energy Storage LLC, which is registered as a Tesla subsidiary, is building a 100-megawatt energy storage project in Angleton, Texas. The massive battery could power up to 20,000 homes in peak summer conditions. News of the Tesla battery project comes after a mid-February storm knocked out half the state’s generating plants. The outages sadly killed dozens of people and pushed power prices up to ten times their normal rates. Multiple lawsuits have already emerged after Texans were hit with monthly energy bills over $10,000.
Focus On Sustainable Energy
While Tesla is best known for their battery-powered electric vehicles, it’s always been more than a car company. Their official mission is to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” In 2016, Tesla won a contract to provide a 20-megawatt energy storage system at a substation owned by California utility Southern California Edison Co. That project has been a success so far.
Tesla has spent years expanding into residential energy technology. They acquired SolarCity in 2016, a solar-panel installer that it continues to own and operate. Tesla Energy could represent up to 30% of the company’s total revenues by 2030. That would be a major increase from the roughly 6% it is today.
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