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Tesla Megapack batteries to crush anti-renewables FUD in Canada’s oil province

Tesla's Megapack as a utility grid. (Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla Megapack batteries are about to make a notable and symbolic impact in Canada’s fossil fuel province, with Calgary-based TransAlta Corp. expected to flip the switch on Alberta’s first utility-scale battery storage installation. Known as the WindCharger project, the initiative involves using Tesla Megapack batteries to store electricity from the nearby Summerview wind farm and discharge it to the grid as needed. 

The WindCharger project’s Tesla Megapack batteries are capable of distributing 10 MW and provide up to 20 MWh of storage capacity. The initiative cost about CAD 16 million to build, though it was also the recipient of a CAD 7.7-million grant from Emissions Reduction Alberta, which aims to determine if emerging sustainable technologies could be used on a commercial scale. 

According to executives from Alberta’s largest power generator, the WindCharger project has massive potential. If the Megapack batteries and wind farm combination proves successful, it could be a legitimate “game-changer” for the country’s power industry. It could even crush the long-standing criticism of renewables which argues that solar and wind are not viable because the systems are compromised when the sun is not shining or when the wind is not blowing. 

(Credit: @TransAlta/Twitter)

Quite remarkably, the Tesla Megapack batteries were installed rather quickly. Construction on the WindCharger project began this spring and the batteries are expected to go live later this month. This is quite impressive, especially considering the presence of the pandemic. John Kousinioris, TransAlta’s chief operating officer, expressed his optimism in a statement to The Vancouver Sun

“It is really cool. It was put together in a matter of months, in terms of construction. It was great when we saw the batteries coming up from Tesla and in place. It’s an opportunity for us to match storage and our renewable wind power generation. When the wind is blowing or prices are really low, what we will do is take power from the wind farm to actually charge up the batteries. We charge them up and wait until they’re needed from a value proposition, and then we discharge them,” he said. 

According to Sam Huntington, an associate director of energy storage with IHS Markit, battery storage projects like the WindCharger in Alberta are taking off as the energy industry leverages advancements currently being made in the electric vehicle sector. Amidst the rise of electric cars like Teslas, for example, battery prices continue to decline. These innovations could then be applied to grid storage installations. 

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“Grid batteries are really riding the coattails of the electric vehicle boom, so that is bringing costs way down and leading to a lot of innovation. We are about to hit this big boom and all these batteries will come on to the grid. We will learn a lot more about the economics of the projects,” Huntington said. 

In a way, the installation of Tesla Megapacks in Alberta is a symbolic win for renewables in the country. Apart from having the potential to crush anti-sustainability FUD, the batteries also mark the territory of sustainable solutions in a location that’s widely considered as Canada’s fossil fuel province. Alberta, after all, is Canada’s largest oil and natural gas producer, being home to a significant part of the country’s remaining conventional oil reserves and oil sands. 

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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Tesla Energy is the world’s top global battery storage system provider again

Tesla Energy captured 15% of the battery storage segment’s global market share in 2024.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Energy held its top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year, capturing 15% of global market share in 2024, as per Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings.

Tesla Energy’s lead, however, is shrinking, as Chinese competitors like Sungrow are steadily increasing their global footprint, particularly in European markets.

Tesla Energy dominates in North America, but its lead is narrowing globally

Tesla Energy retained its leadership in the North American market with a commanding 39% share in 2024. Sungrow, though still ranked second in the region, saw its share drop from 17% to 10%. Powin took third place, even if the company itself filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, as noted in a Solar Power World report. 

On the global stage, Tesla Energy’s lead over Sungrow shrank from four points in 2023 to just one in 2024, indicating intensifying competition. Chinese firm CRRC came in third worldwide with an 8% share.

Wood Mackenzie ranked vendors based on MWh shipments with recognized revenue in 2024. According to analyst Kevin Shang, “Competition among established BESS integrators remains incredibly intense. Seven of the top 10 vendors last year struggled to expand their market share, remaining either unchanged or declining.”

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Chinese integrators surge in Europe, falter in U.S.

China’s influence on the BESS market continues to grow, with seven of the global top 10 BESS integrators now headquartered in the country. Chinese companies saw a 67% year-over-year increase in European market share, and four of the top 10 BESS vendors in Europe are now based in China. In contrast, Chinese companies’ market share in North America dropped more than 30%, from 23% to 16% amid Tesla Energy’s momentum and the Trump administration’s policies.

Wood Mackenzie noted that success in the global BESS space will hinge on companies’ ability to adapt to divergent regulations and geopolitical headwinds. “The global BESS integrator landscape is becoming increasingly complex, with regional trade policies and geopolitical tensions reshaping competitive dynamics,” Shang noted, pointing to Tesla’s maintained lead and the rapid ascent of Chinese rivals as signs of a shifting industry balance.

“While Tesla maintains its global leadership, the rapid rise of Chinese integrators in Europe and their dominance in emerging markets like the Middle East signals a fundamental shift in the industry. Success will increasingly depend on companies’ ability to navigate diverse regulatory environments, adapt to local market requirements, and maintain competitive cost structures across multiple regions,” the analyst added.

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Tesla inks multi-billion-dollar deal with LG Energy Solution to avoid tariff pressure

Tesla has reportedly secured a sizable partnership with LGES for LFP cells, and there’s an extra positive out of it.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has reportedly inked a multi-billion-dollar deal with LG Energy Solution in an effort to avoid tariff pressure and domesticate more of its supply chain.

Reuters is reporting that Tesla and LGES, a South Korean battery supplier of the automaker, signed a $4.3 billion deal for energy storage system batteries. The cells are going to be manufactured by LGES at its U.S. factory located in Michigan, the report indicates. The batteries will be the lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, chemistry.

Tesla delivers 384,000 vehicles in Q2 2025, deploys 9.6 GWh in energy storage

It is a move Tesla is making to avoid buying cells and parts from overseas as the Trump White House continues to use tariffs to prioritize domestic manufacturing.

LGES announced earlier today that it had signed a $4.3 billion contract to supply LFP cells over three years to a company, but it did not identify the customer, nor did the company state whether the batteries would be used in automotive or energy storage applications.

The deal is advantageous for both companies. Tesla is going to alleviate its reliance on battery cells that are built out of the country, so it’s going to be able to take some financial pressure off itself.

For LGES, the company has reported that it has experienced slowed demand for its cells in terms of automotive applications. It planned to offset this demand lag with more projects involving the cells in energy storage projects. This has been helped by the need for these systems at data centers used for AI.

During the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja confirmed that the company’s energy division had been impacted by the need to source cells from China-based suppliers. He went on to say that the company would work on “securing additional supply chain from non-China-based suppliers.”

It seems as if Tesla has managed to secure some of this needed domestic supply chain.

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Tesla Shanghai Megafactory produces 1,000th Megapack for export to Europe

The Shanghai Megafactory was able to hit this milestone less than six months after it started producing the Megapack. 

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla Energy has announced a fresh milestone for its newest Megapack factory. As per the electric vehicle maker, the Shanghai Megafactory has successfully produced its 1,000th Megapack battery. 

The facility was able to hit this milestone less than six months after it started producing the grid-scale battery system. 

New Tesla Megapack Milestone

As per Tesla Asia in a post on its official accounts on social media platform X, the 1,000th Megapack unit that was produced at the Shanghai Megafactory would be exported to Europe. As noted in a CNEV Post report, Tesla’s energy products are currently deployed in over 65 countries and regions globally. This allows Tesla Energy to compete in energy markets that are both emerging and mature.

To commemorate the 1,000th Megapack produced at the Shanghai Megafactory, the Tesla China team posted with the grid-scale battery with celebratory balloons that spelled “Megapack 1000.” The milestone was celebrated by Tesla enthusiasts on social media, especially since the Shanghai Megafactory only started its operations earlier this year.

Quick Megafactory Ramp

The Shanghai Megafactory, similar to Tesla’s other key facilities in China, was constructed quickly. The facility started its construction on May 23, 2024, and it was hailed as Tesla’s first entry storage project outside the United States. Less than a year later, on February 11, 2025, the Shanghai Megafactory officially started producing Megapack batteries. And by March 21, 2025, Tesla China noted that it had shipped the first batch of Megapack batteries from the Shanghai plant to foreign markets.

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While the Shanghai Megafactory is still not at the same level of output as Tesla’s Lathrop Megafactory, which produces about 10,000 Megapacks per year, its ramp seems to be quite steady and quick. It would then not be surprising if Tesla China announces the Shanghai Megafactory’s 2,000th Megapack milestone in the coming months.

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