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Mysterious cryptocurrency co. buys out land around Tesla’s Gigafactory

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Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada will soon be joined by Blockchains, LLC in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, with the cryptocurrency firm purchasing 67,125 acres of the 105,000-acre industrial area. Blockchains, LLC’s massive site would be home to its main campus, as well as the company’s other pertinent facilities.

Blockchains, LLC’s purchase of the massive plot of land in the industrial center was confirmed by partner-broker Lance Gilman, who noted that he closed escrow last week on the sale of the land to the cryptocurrency firm. For perspective, Tesla, one of the anchor tenants at the park with its Gigafactory owns nearly 3,000 acres at the center. Google purchased 1,210 acres at the park in 2017. Combined, the two technology giants own a little more than 4,000 acres or roughly 6% of the 67,000 acres being purchased by Blockchains, LLC.

What’s particularly interesting, however, was the fact that the purpose of the land acquisition is shrouded in mystery, as are details for the company itself.

In a statement to The Nevada Independent, Gilman noted that the Blockchains, LLC deal was worth around $175 million. Gilman did not reveal many details about the cryptocurrency firm’s projects in the area, though the TRIC executive teased that the company’s corporate headquarters and software design research center would be built on the site. Overall, the TRIC partner-broker stated that he is quite optimistic about the potential of blockchain technology.

“It has been explained to me that this particular process will revolutionize the globe in a more dramatic way than the internet,” Gilman said.

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While very little is currently known about Blockchains, LLC, the company’s website invokes the idea that the mysterious firm is highly dedicated to the development and research of blockchain technology, the backbone of cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Bitcoin. According to the company’s official website, Blockchains, LLC is involved in projects focusing on financial services, software development of distributed applications (DAPPS) for the Ethereum blockchain, and trusted identity solutions.

The company is still new, however, with the company’s name registered in Nevada back in May 2017. Listed in the cryptocurrency firm’s registration is California attorney Jeffrey Berns, who is part of the company that owns the URL blockchains.com. Despite the air of mystery around the company and its massive investment in the TRIC, however, Berns has noted in his LinkedIn profile that the firm plans to stay in “stealth mode” for the time being.

As noted in a report from Nevada Newsmakers, Blockchains, LLC’s land in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center would be part of the Emerald City initiative, which aims to build a city in the massive industrial area. Emerald City would include a man-made lake, a 500-acre town center, hotels, as well as thousands of housing units and apartments. Shopping centers that would be established in the area are expected to showcase Blockchains, LLC’s technology and services.

Gilman credits Tesla as a key driver in the influx of new, progressive companies that have invested in the industrial park in recent years. According to Gilman, the interest of firms such as Blockchain, LLC appears to have been triggered by Tesla’s decision to set up shop in the center. 

“When we met Tesla, that put us on an entirely different international platform. And when that platform started to grow, all of a sudden, here came Switch and others and we just had these corporate groups come in here, following Tesla all of a sudden. And so we’ve entered the tech world,” Gilman said, according to a Nevada Newsmakers report.

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Currently, the industrial center is dominated by structures from firms such as Tesla, Google, and Switch. Tesla, for one, has selected the area to be the site for its Nevada Gigafactory 1, which manufactures batteries for its fleet of electric vehicles and energy storage units. As we noted in a recent report, Gigafactory 1 appears to be growing from within, with the California-based electric car maker and energy firm not expanding the facility for the last six months. Once Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory is completed, however, the facility would be the largest building in the world by footprint.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Energy

Tesla Energy celebrates one decade of sustainability

Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Energy recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dedicated video showcasing several of its milestones over the past decade.

Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.

Tesla Energy Early Days

When Elon Musk launched Tesla Energy in 2015, he noted that the business is a fundamental transformation of how the world works. To start, Tesla Energy offered the Powerwall, a 7 kWh/10 kWh home battery system, and the Powerpack, a grid-capable 100 kWh battery block that is designed for scalability. A few days after the products’ launch, Musk noted that Tesla had received 38,000 reservations for the Powerwall and 2,500 reservations for the Powerpack

Tesla Energy’s beginnings would herald its quiet growth, with the company later announcing products like the Solar Roof tile, which is yet to be ramped, and the successor to the Powerwall, the 13.5 kWh Powerwall 2. In recent years, Tesla Energy also launched its Powerwall 3 home battery and the massive Megapack, a 3.9 MWh monster of a battery unit that has become the backbone for energy storage systems across the globe.

Key Milestones

As noted by Tesla Energy in its recent video, it has now established facilities that allow the company to manufacture 20,000 units of the Megapack every year, which should help grow the 23 GWh worth of Megapacks that have already been deployed globally. 

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The Powerwall remains a desirable home battery as well, with more than 850,000 units installed worldwide. These translate to 12 GWh of residential entry storage delivered to date. Just like the Megapack, Tesla is also ramping its production of the Powerwall, allowing the division to grow even more.

Tesla Energy’s Role

While Tesla Energy does not catch as much headlines as the company’s electric vehicle businesses, its contributions to the company’s bottom line have been growing. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Tesla Energy deployed 10.4 GWh of energy storage products. Powerwall deployments also crossed 1 GWh in one quarter for the first time. As per Tesla in its Q1 2025 Update Letter, the gross margin for the Energy division has improved sequentially as well.

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Tesla Energy shines with substantial YoY growth in deployments

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Credit: Tesla Megapack

Tesla Energy shined in what was a weak delivery report for the first quarter, as the company’s frequently-forgotten battery storage products performed extraordinarily well.

Tesla reported its Q1 production, delivery, and deployment figures for the first quarter of the year, and while many were less-than-excited about the automotive side, the Energy division performed well with 10.4 GWh of energy storage products deployed during the first quarter.

This was a 156 percent increase year-over-year and the company’s second-best quarter in terms of energy deployments to date. Only Q4 2024 was better, as 11 GWh was recorded.

Tesla Energy is frequently forgotten and not talked about enough. The company has continued to deploy massive energy storage projects across the globe, and as it recorded 31.5 GWh of deployments last year, 2025 is already looking as if it will be a record-setting year if it continues at this pace.

Tesla Megapacks to back one of Europe’s largest energy storage sites

Although Energy performed well, many investors are privy to that of the automotive division’s performance, which is where some concern lies. Tesla had a weak quarter for deliveries, missing Wall Street estimates by a considerable margin.

There are two very likely reasons as to why this happened: the first is Tesla’s switchover to the new Model Y at its production facilities across the globe. Tesla said it lost “several weeks” of production due to the updating of manufacturing lines as it rolled out a new version of its all-electric crossover.

Secondly, Tesla could be facing some pressure from pushback against the brand, which is what many analysts will say. Despite the publicity of attacks on Tesla drivers and their vehicles, as well as the company’s showrooms, it would be safe to assume that we will have a better picture painted of what the issue is in Q2 after the company reports numbers in July.

New Tesla Model Y was a best-seller in China in March 2025

If Tesla is still struggling with lackluster delivery figures in Q2 after the Model Y is ramped and deliveries are more predictable and consistent, we could see where the argument for brand damage is legitimate. However, we are more prone to believe the Model Y, which accounts for most of Tesla’s sales, and its production ramp is likely the cause for what happened in Q1.

In what was a relatively bleak quarter, Tesla Energy still shines as the bright spot for the quarter.

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Energy

Tesla lands in Texas for latest Megapack production facility

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has chosen the location of its latest manufacturing project, a facility that will churn out the Megapack, a large-scale energy storage system for solar energy projects. It has chosen Waller County, Texas, as the location of the new plant, according to a Commissioners Court meeting that occurred on Wednesday, March 5.

Around midday, members of the Waller County Commissioners Court approved a tax abatement agreement that will bring Tesla to its area, along with an estimated 1,500 jobs. The plant will be located at the Empire West Industrial Park in the Brookshire part of town.

Brookshire also plans to consider a tax abatement for Tesla at its meeting next Thursday.

The project will see a one million square-foot building make way for Tesla to build Megapack battery storage units, according to Covering Katy News, which first reported on the company’s intention to build a plant for its energy product.

CEO Elon Musk confirmed on the company’s Q4 2024 Earnings Call in late January that it had officially started building its third Megapack plant, but did not disclose any location:

“So, we have our second factory, which is in Shanghai, that’s starting operation, and we’re building a third factory. So, we’re trying to ramp output of the stationary battery storage as quickly as possible.”

Tesla plans third Megafactory after breaking energy records in 2024

The Megapack has been a high-demand item as more energy storage projects have started developing. Across the globe, regions are looking for ways to avert the loss of power in the event of a natural disaster or simple power outage.

This is where Megapack comes in, as it stores energy and keeps the lights on when the main grid is unable to provide electricity.

Vince Yokom of the Waller County Economic Development Partnership, commented on Tesla’s planned Megapack facility:

“I want to thank Tesla for investing in Waller County and Brookshire. This will be a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for their Megapack product. It is a powerful battery unit that provides energy storage and support to help stabilize the grid and prevent outages.”

Tesla has had a lease on the building where it will manufacture the Megapacks since October 2021. However, it was occupied by a third-party logistics company that handled the company’s car parts.

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