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Tesla Gigafactory 1’s rooftop array expands with new solar panel clusters
Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada has always been intended to be powered entirely by renewable energy. Aerial images of the facility taken earlier this year revealed that the company began installing several clusters of solar panels on the factory’s roof, though construction of the solar arrays was halted after the sixth cluster was completed. That said, Tesla appears to have resumed work on Gigafactory 1’s rooftop solar array, adding six new clusters to the roof of the sprawling facility recently.
Teslarati recently obtained aerial images of the new rooftop solar panel clusters being installed in Gigafactory 1. Continuing from the work started earlier this year, the new clusters of solar panels are installed on the north end of the facility. Images of the recently built parking lot north of Gigafactory 1 also show a number of containers and semi-trailers.
- Aerial images of the Tesla Gigafactory as of August 28, 2018. [Credit: Joshua Mcdonald]
- Aerial images of the Tesla Gigafactory as of August 28, 2018. [Credit: Joshua Mcdonald]
Aerial images of the Tesla Gigafactory as of August 28, 2018. [Credit: Joshua Mcdonald]
Gigafactory 1 is designed to feature an expansive 70 MW solar array on its roof. A handout of the facility given to guests at a previous investor event stated that Gigafactory 1’s solar array would likely be the largest rooftop installation in the world, particularly when the planned 13-million-square-foot facility is completed.
“GF1 is an all-electric factory with no fossil fuels (natural gas or petroleum) directly consumed. We will be using 100% sustainable energy through a combination of a 70 MW solar rooftop array and solar ground installations. The solar rooftop array is ~7x larger than the largest rooftop solar system installed today,” Tesla’s handout read.
Elon Musk recently provided an update on Gigafactory 1’s transition to fully renewable energy, stating in a recent tweet that the facility will be 100% renewable and powered by Tesla Solar at the end of 2019. This aggressive timeline is classic Musk, and it was released roughly at the same time as work on the facility’s rooftop solar array resumed.
This is utterly false. Fossil fuel merchants of doubt have been pushing that bs for years. Tesla Gigafactory will be 100% renewable powered (by Tesla Solar) by end of next year.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2018
As impressive as the Nevada Gigafactory is today, the facility is actually still less than 30% complete. Gigafactory 1 currently has a 1.9 million square foot footprint, with roughly 4.9 million square feet of operational space across several floors. The footprint of the building itself has not changed over the past two years either, as the company has largely focused on growing and optimizing the facility from within since the Model 3 ramp took center stage.
That said, signs are emerging that Tesla might be looking to expand Gigafactory 1’s physical footprint soon. The construction of the new parking lot north of the factory, for one, suggests that the company might be making way for some construction work west of the facility, which happens to be a parking lot used by employees today.
Gigafactory 1 is one of Tesla’s most pivotal facilities. Tasked with the production of battery packs and powertrains for the Model 3, Gigafactory is responsible for ensuring that Tesla meets the demand for the electric sedan. Late last month, Panasonic, Tesla’s battery partner, also noted that it would be increasing its manufacturing capacity by 30% to address the increasing demand for batteries caused by the Model 3 ramp. According to a report from 103-year-old Japanese news agency Nikkan Kogyo, Panasonic will be adding three new cell production lines for lithium-ion batteries in Gigafactory 1 at the “end of 2018.”
Elon Musk
Tesla Full Self-Driving’s newest behavior is the perfect answer to aggressive cars
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
Tesla Full Self-Driving appears to have a new behavior that is the perfect answer to aggressive drivers.
According to a recent video, it now appears the suite will automatically pull over if there is a tailgater on your bumper, the most ideal solution for when a driver is riding your bumper.
With FSD’s constantly-changing Speed Profiles, it seems as if this solution could help eliminate the need to tinker with driving modes from the person in the driver’s seat. This tends to be one of my biggest complaints from FSD at times.
A video posted on X shows a Tesla on Full Self-Driving pulling over to the shoulder on windy, wet roads after another car seemed to be following it quite aggressively. The car looks to have automatically sensed that the vehicle behind it was in a bit of a hurry, so FSD determined that pulling over and letting it by was the best idea:
Tesla appears to be implementing some sort of feature that will now pull over if someone is tailgating you to let the car by
Really cool feature, definitely get a lot of this from those who think they drive race cars
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 26, 2026
We can see from the clip that there was no human intervention to pull over to the side, as the driver’s hands are stationary and never interfere with the turn signal stalk.
This can be used to override some of the decisions FSD makes, and is a great way to get things back on track if the semi-autonomous functionality tries to do something that is either unneeded or not included in the routing on the in-car Nav.
FSD tends to move over for faster traffic on the interstate when there are multiple lanes. On two-lane highways, it will pass slower cars using the left lane. When faster traffic is behind a Tesla on FSD, the vehicle will move back over to the right lane, the correct behavior in a scenario like this.
Perhaps one of my biggest complaints at times with Full Self-Driving, especially from version to version, is how much tinkering Tesla does with Speed Profiles. One minute, they’re suitable for driving on local roads, the next, they’re either too fast or too slow.
When they are too slow, most of us just shift up into a faster setting, but at times, even that’s not enough, see below:
What has happened to Mad Max?
At one point it was going 32 in a 35. Traffic ahead had pulled away considerably https://t.co/bjKvaMVTNX pic.twitter.com/aaZSWmLu5v
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 24, 2026
There are times when it feels like it would be suitable for the car to just pull over and let the vehicle that is traveling behind pass. This, at least up until this point, it appears, was something that required human intervention.
Now, it looks like Tesla is trying to get FSD to a point where it just knows that it should probably get out of the way.
Elon Musk
Tesla Megapack powers $1.1B AI data center project in Brazil
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
Tesla’s Megapack battery systems will be deployed as part of a 400MW AI data center campus in Uberlândia, Brazil. The initiative is described as one of Latin America’s largest AI infrastructure projects.
The project is being led by RT-One, which confirmed that the facility will integrate Tesla Megapack battery energy storage systems (BESS) as part of a broader industrial alliance that includes Hitachi Energy, Siemens, ABB, HIMOINSA, and Schneider Electric. The project is backed by more than R$6 billion (approximately $1.1 billion) in private capital.
According to RT-One, the data center is designed to operate on 100% renewable energy while also reinforcing regional grid stability.
“Brazil generates abundant energy, particularly from renewable sources such as solar and wind. However, high renewable penetration can create grid stability challenges,” RT-One President Fernando Palamone noted in a post on LinkedIn. “Managing this imbalance is one of the country’s growing infrastructure priorities.”
By integrating Tesla’s Megapack systems, the facility will function not only as a major power consumer but also as a grid-supporting asset.
“The facility will be capable of absorbing excess electricity when supply is high and providing stabilization services when the grid requires additional support. This approach enhances resilience, improves reliability, and contributes to a more efficient use of renewable generation,” Palamone added.
The model mirrors approaches used in energy-intensive regions such as California and Texas, where large battery systems help manage fluctuations tied to renewable energy generation.
The RT-One President recently visited Tesla’s Megafactory in Lathrop, California, where Megapacks are produced, as part of establishing the partnership. He thanked the Tesla team, including Marcel Dall Pai, Nicholas Reale, and Sean Jones, for supporting the collaboration in his LinkedIn post.
Elon Musk
Starlink powers Europe’s first satellite-to-phone service with O2 partnership
The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools.
Starlink is now powering Europe’s first commercial satellite-to-smartphone service, as Virgin Media O2 launches a space-based mobile data offering across the UK.
The new O2 Satellite service uses Starlink’s low-Earth orbit network to connect regular smartphones in areas without terrestrial coverage, expanding O2’s reach from 89% to 95% of Britain’s landmass.
Under the rollout, compatible Samsung devices automatically connect to Starlink satellites when users move beyond traditional mobile coverage, according to Reuters.
The service initially supports text messaging along with apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Maps and weather tools. O2 is pricing the add-on at £3 per month.
By leveraging Starlink’s satellite infrastructure, O2 can deliver connectivity in remote and rural regions without building additional ground towers. The move represents another step in Starlink’s push beyond fixed broadband and into direct-to-device mobile services.
Virgin Media O2 chief executive Lutz Schuler shared his thoughts about the Starlink partnership. “By launching O2 Satellite, we’ve become the first operator in Europe to launch a space-based mobile data service that, overnight, has brought new mobile coverage to an area around two-thirds the size of Wales for the first time,” he said.
Satellite-based mobile connectivity is gaining traction globally. In the U.S., T-Mobile has launched a similar satellite-to-cell offering. Meanwhile, Vodafone has conducted satellite video call tests through its partnership with AST SpaceMobile last year.
For Starlink, the O2 agreement highlights how its network is increasingly being integrated into national telecom systems, enabling standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites without specialized hardware.

