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Tesla batteries could serve as back up for Massachusetts wind farm

Published

8 years ago

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Tesla batteries could be used as energy storage for a wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts.

Deepwater Wind LLC is looking to partner with Tesla for the 144-megawatt project, as reported by Bloomberg. The company will bid with the state of Massachusetts to build offshore wind turbines that would provide clean energy during peak hours.

The facility would help supplement the power grid by charging up late at night and delivering power during high volume times, according to Deepwater Chief Executive Officer Jeff Grybowski.

National Grid Plc, Unitil Corp. and Eversource Energy — three Massachusetts utility companies — are requesting $9.45 million of clean energy and have opened bidding from solar, hydroelectric and wind companies, as well as other forms of clean energy.

The power companies need supplemental power mainly during winter evenings.

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“Those hours are very valuable to the grid,” said Grybowski. “The battery will ensure that we can do that.”

A decision won’t be made until December, and bids are expected to be made public sometime this week.

For Tesla, this project falls directly in line with other Powerpack outfits around the world. The company already has a massive battery operation underway in Australia, and its massive solar plant in Hawaii was created to serve a similar function.

The Massachusetts project, should Tesla and Deep Water Wind win the bid, would only require a 40 MWh storage system. This storage capability would be smaller than the 52 MWh system Tesla has set up on Kauai and the 100 MWh system that will be installed in southern Australia.

Deepwater Wind issued the following press release:

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Deepwater Wind Proposing World’s Largest Offshore Wind, Energy Storage Combination

Revolution Wind Farm Bid into Massachusetts Clean Energy RFP

New Bedford, Mass. – July 31, 2017 – Deepwater Wind today unveiled plans for its newest project off the American coast: Revolution Wind, a utility-scale offshore wind farm paired with an energy storage system.

“Revolution Wind will be the largest combined offshore wind and energy storage project in the world,” said Deepwater Wind Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Grybowski. “People may be surprised by just how affordable and reliable this clean energy combo will be. Offshore wind is mainstream and it is coming to the U.S. in a big way.”

Deepwater Wind is proposing the 144-megawatt Revolution Wind farm – paired with a 40 megawatt-hour battery storage system provided by Tesla – in response to the Commonwealth’s request for proposals for new sources of clean energy in Section 83D of the Act to Promote Energy Diversity. Deepwater Wind also provided alternative bids for a larger 288 MW version of Revolution Wind and a smaller 96 MW version.

“Revolution Wind is flexible and scalable. That’s a serious advantage of offshore wind – we can build to the exact size utilities need,” Grybowski said. “We can build a larger project if other New England states want to participate now or we can start smaller to fit into the region’s near-term energy gaps. And our pricing at any size will be very competitive with the alternatives.”

Deepwater Wind also announced that it will be the first offshore wind company to base construction and operations in the City of New Bedford, Mass. The company will locate final turbine assembly and staging operations at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. In addition, Revolution Wind’s long-term operations and maintenance center will be in the City. Together, this project will create hundreds of local jobs in the Commonwealth.

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Revolution Wind’s offshore wind-battery storage pairing will allow the Commonwealth to meet two policy goals. First, by reliably delivering clean energy –  backed up with energy storage – during the times when the grid needs it most, Revolution Wind will help to defer the need to construct costly new peaking generating facilities and controversial transmission lines.

Second, Revolution Wind will advance offshore wind development in Massachusetts by providing an avenue to launch the new industry with an initial smaller-scale project, and phase in larger projects in close succession. This way, the Commonwealth’s ratepayers will benefit from increased competition and declining costs, and the regional supply chain will steadily mature.

At 144 megawatts, Revolution Wind could be built in a single construction season, and developed more cost-effectively, and with considerably less risk, than a larger project.

Deepwater Wind will build Revolution Wind in the company’s federal lease site off the coast of Massachusetts. The site is located 30 miles from the mainland and about 12 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. The wind farm will be adjacent to Deepwater Wind’s South Fork Wind Farm, a 90 MW project serving Long Island. Fully-built, the lease site has the potential to host 2 gigawatts of offshore wind energy.

If approved, local construction work on Revolution Wind would begin in 2022, with the project in operations in 2023. Survey work is already underway at Deepwater Wind’s lease area.

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Deepwater Wind also intends to submit an offshore wind proposal under Massachusetts’ separate 83C offshore wind RFP; those bids are due in December 2018.

About Deepwater Wind

Deepwater Wind is America’s leading offshore wind developer and the only company operating an offshore wind farm in the United States. The company’s 30MW Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island began commercial operations in December 2016. The company is also in the early stages of development of its South Fork Wind Farm – a 90 MW project scheduled to begin serving Long Island in 2022 – as well as the Skipjack Wind Farm – a 120 MW project on schedule to begin serving Maryland in late 2022. Visit www.dwwind.com for more info.

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I'm an East Coast reporter for Teslarati. Contact me at matt@teslarati.com

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Energy

Tesla lands in Texas for latest Megapack production facility

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 5, 2025

By

(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:

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“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:

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“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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Energy

Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024

Published

3 months ago

on

December 31, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla Energy has become the undisputed dark horse of the electric vehicle maker. This was highlighted by Tesla Energy’s growing role in the company’s overall operations in the past quarters. 

And as per Tesla’s year-end milestone posts on X, Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024.

Tesla Energy’s 2024 milestones:

  • As per Tesla on its official social media account on X, the company has hit over 800,000 Powerwalls installed worldwide. 
  • From this number, over 100,000 Powerwall batteries have been enrolled in virtual power plant (VPP) programs.
  • The Powerwall 3 has officially been launched in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • The Tesla Megapack hit over 22 GWh in operation across more than 60 countries across the globe.
  • The Lathrop Megafactory, which produces the Megapack, has been ramped to 40 GWh per year. 
  • The Lathrop Megafactory has also produced its 10,000th Megapack battery.
  • The Shanghai Megafactory was completed in just seven months, and it is ready to start Megapack production in Q1 2025.

Powerwall owners’ 2024 impact:

  • As per Tesla Energy, Powerwall owners generated a total of 4.5 TWh of solar energy globally in 2024. This was equivalent to powering a Model 3 for more than 17 billion miles.
  • A total of 1.1 TWh of energy was stored in Powerwalls in 2024. This protected homes from over 5.8 million outages during the year.
  • Tesla’s Storm Watch feature for Powerwall batteries covered 2.8 million severe weather events over the year.
  • Powerwall owners saw collective savings of over $800 million on utility bills.
  • Virtual Power Plants contributed over 2.2 GWh of power to the grid. This reduced the need for 2,200 metric tons of fossil fuel peaker plant emissions.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Energy

Utah’s rPlus Energies breaks ground on Tesla Megapack battery system

Published

6 months ago

on

September 24, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Utah-based rPlus Energies recently held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Green River Energy Center, a 400 MW solar PV and 400 MW/1,600 MWh battery storage project in Eastern Utah. Tesla Megapacks will be used as the upcoming facility’s battery storage solution. 

At 400 MW/1,600 MWh, the Green River Energy Center is expected to become one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects under development in the United States. Once operational, the facility would supply power to PacifiCorp under a power purchase agreement, as noted in a press release. 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared his excitement for the project during the Green River Energy Center’s groundbreaking event. As per the Utah Governor, the solar and battery storage system represents a notable step forward for the state’s sustainable energy efforts. 

“This project is being built in rural Utah, by rural Utahns, and for all of Utah. When rural Utah thrives, the entire state prospers. Today, we’re not just breaking ground—we’re building a future of affordable, abundant energy in Utah,” the official noted. 

The Green River Energy Center secured over $1 billion in construction debt financing earlier this year. The facility is also expected to create about 500 jobs, many of which will be filled by local workers. With this in mind, the solar and battery farm would likely prove to be a boost to Emery County’s economy, enhancing tax revenue, strengthening public services, and offering long-term employment opportunities for the area’s residents. 

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Sundt Construction will serve as the project’s contractor, EliTe Solar will supply the solar modules, and Tesla will provide the battery storage system for the project. Luigi Resta, President and CEO of rPlus Energies, noted that the Green River Energy Center is special because of the entities that have worked together to make the facility a reality. 

“It’s the partners that make this project special, that have made this monumental project possible. From our equipment providers to the onsite talent, and the support of the local and regional community, we owe this project’s success to each of you,” he stated. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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