Energy
Tesla’s South Australia battery is ‘Kim Kardashian’ of energy, says minister
Tesla’s massive South Australia battery installation recently received some harsh words from LNP senator and Minister for Resources Matt Canavan, who likened the massive Powerpack system to reality TV star Kim Kardashian. According to Canavan, Tesla’s battery is not very useful at all, and that it is simply “famous for being famous.”
The Australian minister’s statements about the Tesla Powerpack installation in South Australia were spoken at the recently-held CERAWeek 2018 conference, an international gathering about the future of the energy industry, which was held in Houston, TX. During the event, Canavan optimistically talked about investments in Australia’s coal, gas, and other resource-driven industries.
As noted in a report from Renew Economy, however, the resource minister added a little extra to his talk, dismissing the success of Tesla’s big battery installation in South Australia. The Australia-based publication was able to get a transcript of Canavan’s comments about Tesla’s South Australia Powerpack installation in the CERAWeek 2018 conference. According to the resource minister, the big battery “really doesn’t deliver very much.”
“It’s the world’s biggest battery, I’m told. I think it can supply power for about five percent of the state that it’s in – South Australia, it’s a relatively small state – for about an hour.
“It’s not really a solution for the stability problems of South Australia… You’ll excuse me for a bit of rhetorical flourish – I’m a politician. I sometimes think this big battery is the Kim Kardashian of the energy world – it’s famous for being famous. It really doesn’t deliver very much.”
The resource minister’s comparison of Tesla’s big battery to the reality TV star reveals a dismissive attitude towards the Elon Musk-led firm’s initiatives in Australia, especially since Kim Kardashian is one of the entertainment industry’s most polarizing figures. Breaking into mainstream popularity by the viral spread of a leaked home video, Kardashian is usually bashed by her critics for becoming “famous for being famous.”
Canavan’s comments have drawn a significant amount of criticism from his followers on Twitter and in the online forum community, many of whom believe that Tesla’s Powerpack system is actually helping South Australia’s energy grid. The Tesla Powerpack system, after all, has already achieved several milestones since it was powered on in November 2017.
Since coming online, the SA Powerpack system, which gets its energy from the Hornsdale wind farm near Jamestown, has provided support for the region’s beleaguered grid. In December alone, the big battery installation provided backup energy to the region hundreds of times. It even supplied emergency power to one of Australia’s biggest coal-fired stations after the facility experienced an unexpected power loss on December 14.
Tesla’s 100 MW/129 MWh Powerpack system dubbed as the ‘World’s largest battery’ in Jamestown, Australia
Recent findings from Australia Institute’s latest national energy emissions audit also show that Tesla’s Powerpack battery in South Australia is working to serve the peak energy demand of the region on a daily basis. The Institute further noted that emissions from the National Electricity Market (NEM) continued to decline during January, hitting their lowest levels since 2004.
As stated in a report from The Guardian, Hugh Saddler, an expert in the energy industry, recently examined the charging and discharging patterns of the Powerpack installation. According to the energy expert, the South Australia Powerpack followed a consistent pattern of charging overnight when wind power is abundant, and discharging into the energy grid during the day when market prices and demand are at their highest levels. Only 30% of the big battery’s 100MW capacity is devoted to this charge and discharge cycle, however, as the remaining capacity of the Hornsdale Power Reserve installation is set aside for the task of keeping the energy grid’s frequency at a steady 50 Hz and 240 volts.
Comprised of approximately 640 Powerpack units, the 100 MW/129MWh system currently stands as the world’s largest lithium-ion battery installation. The success of the South Australia Powerpack has been so notable, Victoria has also expressed its desire to have a similar battery system installed. A residential virtual power plant, comprised of 50,000 homes fitted with solar panels and Tesla’s Powerwall home units, is also being planned.
Unlike Australia’s resource minister Matt Canavan, State premier Jay Weatherill has expressed his full support of the country’s clean energy initiatives, stating that he is looking forward to the time when the planned 250 MW/650 MWh virtual power plan would come online.
“My government has already delivered the world’s biggest battery, and now we will deliver the world’s largest virtual power plant. We will use people’s homes as a way to generate energy for the South Australian grid, with participating households benefiting with significant savings in their energy bills. Our energy plan means that we are leading the world in renewable energy and now we are making it easier for more homes to become self-sufficient,” the state premier said.
[This article is updated to show additional information on the daily performance of the South Australia Tesla Powerpack installation.]
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
Energy
Tesla starts hiring efforts for Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage.
Tesla has officially begun hiring for its new $200 million Megafactory in Brookshire, Texas, a manufacturing hub expected to employ 1,500 people by 2028. The facility, which will build Tesla’s grid-scale Megapack batteries, is part of the company’s growing energy storage footprint.
Tesla’s hiring efforts for the Texas Megafactory are hinted at by the job openings currently active on the company’s Careers website.
Tesla’s Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage, similar to the Lathrop Megafactory in California. Tesla’s Careers website currently lists over 30 job openings for the site, from engineers, welders, and project managers. Each of the openings is listed for Brookshire, Texas.
The company has leased two buildings in Empire West Business Park, with over $194 million in combined property and equipment investment. Tesla’s agreement with Waller County includes a 60% property tax abatement, contingent on meeting employment benchmarks: 375 jobs by 2026, 750 by 2027, and 1,500 by 2028, as noted in a report from the Houston Business Journal. Tesla is required to employ at least 1,500 workers in the facility through the rest of the 10-year abatement period.
Tesla’s clean energy boom
City officials have stated that Tesla’s arrival marks a turning point for the Texas city, as it highlights a shift from logistics to advanced clean energy manufacturing. Ramiro Bautista from Brookshire’s economic development office, highlighted this in a comment to the Journal.
“(Tesla) has great-paying jobs. Not just that, but the advanced manufacturing (and) clean energy is coming to the area,” he said. “So it’s not just your normal logistics manufacturing. This is advanced manufacturing coming to this area, and this brings a different type of job and investment into the local economy.”
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