Energy
Tesla’s big battery in Australia is starting an energy storage movement
Tesla’s big battery in South Australia, officially known as the Hornsdale Power Reserve, has been supporting the region’s beleaguered energy grid since it went online last year. Over the past months, the Powerpack installation has been proving that large-scale battery storage solutions could be preferable alternatives to fossil fuel-powered backup plants.
Almost two years ago, SA experienced a state-wide blackout that highlighted the region’s need for a facility that can provide backup to the grid. A Twitter conversation between two billionaires, Australian software pioneer Michael Cannon-Brookes and Tesla founder Elon Musk, ultimately started the initiative that would eventually become the massive Powerpack farm. Musk even wagered that Tesla could complete the 100MW/129MWh facility in 100 days or it would be free.
The timeline was ambitious, and unsurprisingly, it attracted a slew of critics, some of whom claimed that batteries could not be built that big or that quick. In the same month as Elon Musk and Michael Cannon-Brookes’ conversation on Twitter, for example, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) issued a report suggesting that the maximum size of a utility-scale lithium-ion battery would be 1MW. The report was published not long after then-AEMO chairman Tony Marxsen stated that utility-scale batteries were about 10 to 20 years away from providing meaningful contributions to the grid. The Minerals Council of Australia, the country’s primary coal lobby, also suggested that a large-scale battery installation would take at least one year to design and two years to build.
Tesla completed the 100MW/129MWh Powerpack farm within Elon Musk’s ambitious timeline, six months after the “billionaire tweets” and just 62 days after Telsa signed the connection agreement with the market operator and network owner. Even as the battery started its operations, though, the facility still attracted a notable number of critics. Prime minister Scott Morrison ridiculed the Hornsdale Power Reserve, comparing it to tourist attractions such as the Big Banana in New South Wales. Resources Minister Matt Canavan also dubbed the big battery as the “Kim Kardashian” of the energy market.
Amidst the skepticism, the SA big battery has proven its worth many times over. Even before its official launch, the Powerpack farm was called into action, injecting 70MW of stored wind energy into the market. Two weeks after it was officially opened, it stepped in when a unit at Loy Yang coal generator in Victoria tripped. Just last month, twin lightning strikes caused widespread outages in three states, and the Queensland and South Australia grids had to be islanded. Queensland’s backup hydro plants and coal generators struggled to respond to the unexpected event, while South Australia, supported by the Tesla Powerpack farm, emerged from the incident unscathed.
The Hornsdale Power Reserve and its success so far has encouraged a series of similar battery storage projects in Australia. The Ganawarra battery, a Tesla installation paired directly with a massive solar farm, is set to start operations soon. Next to the Wattle Point wind farm, the Dalrymple North battery is expected to go online soon as well. Other battery storage installations are also set to be launched in Ballarat, Whyalla, and in Queensland. And these are just large-scale battery solutions. Initiatives such as the South Australia Virtual Power Plant, which would dwarf than the Hornsdale Power Reserve when completed, have also been given the green light.
It won’t be an overstatement to say that the Tesla big battery has become a project, possibly even the project, which ultimately proved that battery storage is an ideal alternative for fossil fuel-powered backup plants. This was emphasized earlier this month by Tesla CTO JB Straubel, who noted that the improvements in battery storage are starting to affect the market for traditional fossil fuel-powered peaker plants. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Straubel stated that even at this point, large battery installations are “already outcompeting natural gas peaker plants.”
Tesla Energy usually takes a backseat compared to the company’s electric car business in terms of news coverage, but its progress in battery storage has been notable. In the first six months of 2018 alone, Tesla’s deployment of stationary batteries, which are designed to supply power to residential homes, businesses, and power grids, surged 450%. During the 2018 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Elon Musk also announced that it is aiming to hit a cost of $100 per kWh at the pack level. Considering its recent growth and the success of high-profile projects like the Hornsdale Power Reserve, it won’t be surprising if Tesla Energy eventually catches up and surpasses Tesla’s electric car business in size.
Energy
Tesla Semi factory is getting a celebration nobody expected
Tesla will inaugurate its Nevada Semi factory September 24, five months after production quietly began ramping.
Tesla says it will officially inaugurate its new Semi factory in Nevada next month. The Tesla Semi account posted the announcement on X, sharing a graphic titled “Semi Rollout” with a date of September 24. No further details were given about the format of the event or who would attend.
While Tesla’s dedicated Semi plant in Sparks, adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada, opened back in April, with the first trucks rolling off the high volume line on April 29, the timing for the factory inauguration comes at a surprise. The ribbon cutting event five months into production is a break from how Tesla has usually handled its other factories, where the first truck or car off the line typically served as the milestone moment.
Inauguration of new Semi factory in Nevada next month pic.twitter.com/a8kAlxrOOn
— Tesla Semi (@tesla_semi) August 24, 2026
The 1.7 million square foot factory was built as part of a $3.6 billion expansion Tesla announced in early 2023, and it shares a site with the battery cell lines that feed the Semi’s structural pack, a decision meant to remove the supply bottleneck that delayed the truck for years. The plant is designed for 50,000 trucks a year at full ramp. Semi program director Dan Priestley has said production “is now ramping” rather than claiming it has reached scale.
Nine years passed between the Semi’s 2017 unveiling and this stage of production, with the truck slipping from an original 2019 target through hand built pilot units for PepsiCo and a slow build out of the Nevada plant. An inauguration event now gives Tesla a stage to talk up that ramp and reset expectations for how many trucks it can begin delivering at scale.
The September date also lines up with the Semi’s next milestone. Tesla confirmed the truck is heading to Europe with a full unveiling at the IAA Transportation trade show in Hannover, Germany, running September 15 through 20. Between the Nevada event and the Hannover reveal, Tesla has roughly a week and a half in September to make the case that the Semi is now a truck being built and sold on two continents rather than tested in a handful of fleets.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
Elon Musk
Inside Tesla’s secretive $10 Billion “Project Crystal Sun” filing
Tesla filed for a $10.1 billion Fort Bend solar factory, but the site isn’t confirmed.
Tesla has filed paperwork in Texas for a second massive manufacturing project in the same week it locked down its chip fabrication site, this time for a $10.1 billion solar cell plant in Fort Bend County. The filing, submitted July 22 under the state’s Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation Act and first surfaced by Sawyer Merritt on X, lists an internal project name of “Project Crystal Sun” and targets a site off FM 762 and FM 1994 near Richmond, about 40 minutes outside Houston.
Tesla is planning to build a $10.1 billion vertically integrated solar cell manufacturing facility in Fort Bend County, Texas, about 40 minutes from Houston, according to a new public application filing.
Tesla is aiming to start construction this year and finish in 2028, with… pic.twitter.com/f3HIK5HGST
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 7, 2026
The application, prepared by Kroll Tax Services on Tesla’s behalf, spans five parcels totaling roughly 3,000 acres within the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District. Tesla wants a 10 year property tax limitation in exchange for the investment, split as $1.5 billion in real property and $8.6 billion in equipment and personal property. The company projects 9,712 permanent jobs once the plant reaches full operation, with 1,147 peak construction jobs during a build window running from this year through 2028 and commercial operations targeted for the first quarter of 2029.
Tesla is not fully committed to Fort Bend County yet. The filing states the company is weighing the site against an unnamed out of state alternative, and frames the tax abatement as what would make Texas competitive against that option. If the district and county decline the incentive, Tesla says it may build elsewhere.
Tesla Megapack Megafactory in Texas advances with major property sale
The plant would handle the full solar cell production chain in one facility, according to the filing, covering wafer and ingot manufacturing, coating, metallization and printing lines, cell testing, automated material handling and cleanroom infrastructure. That scope points to Tesla vertically integrating a part of its supply chain it currently sources largely from overseas partners, mirroring the approach behind its expanding Megapack production in Brookshire, Texas, where Tesla has already built out two buildings for its grid battery business.
The timing lines up closely with Tesla and SpaceX’s other big Texas commitment this month. SpaceX confirmed its Terafab chip factory would land in Grimes County days before this filing surfaced, with construction on that $16.8 billion project starting almost immediately after local officials met with residents. Terafab is meant to produce the AI chips running Tesla’s Optimus robots and Full Self-Driving software, while a solar cell plant would feed a different part of the business, the panels and storage systems Tesla sells to homeowners, businesses and utilities, and increasingly needs to power its own data centers.
Musk has talked about building domestic solar manufacturing capacity before, tying it to the amount of power Tesla’s AI ambitions will require.
Elon Musk rips ABC News over fatal NYC Tesla crash report
Tesla’s two defunct flagship models are getting a big upgrade
