Tesla Powering the Island Of Kauai WIth Solar
Since acquiring SolarCity last year, Tesla has been on a warpath bringing their new vision for the solar home of the future to the masses. With the Powerpack 2 and the upcoming Solar Roof, Tesla seems poised to make a major impact on the residential solar market.
Beyond powering homes and businesses, however, lies a much bigger goal for Tesla. On the island of Kauai in Hawaii, Tesla has built a massive solar energy project. The Kauai project consists of a 52 megawatt-hour battery installation plus a 13 megawatt SolarCity farm.
The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative is the company that ordered the project, and it believes that the installation will reduce fossil fuel usage by 1.6 million gallons per year. The KIUC uses the same battery system that the Powerpack 2 uses, and is a similar system to the solar/battery microgrid installed in American Samoa last year.
The interesting thing about the KIUC project is that they did not purchase the solar panels and batteries directly from Tesla; instead, the KIUC has a contract with Tesla to purchase electricity. The contract spans for 20 years and allows the KUIC to purchase solar-generated power for 13.9 cents per kilowatt hour.
This marks the first major solar/storage project for Tesla since its acquisition of SolarCity.
Tesla said in a statement: “(We) Will work with energy providers around the world seeking to overcome barriers in the way of building a sustainable, renewable energy grid of their own.” It seems with Kauai and American Samoa currently well into a Tesla partnership, Elon Musk’s plan can eventually be a reality.
SOURCE | The Verge
