Energy
Tesla’s “World’s biggest battery” in Southern Australia is raising questions
Tesla and CEO Elon Musk sparked major discussion after they announced they would solve South Australia’s power crisis with the world’s largest battery. The 100 megawatt, 129-megawatt-hour battery will consist of Tesla Powerpacks hooked up to a wind farm produced by partner Neoen.
It seems like a fair deal for all parties involved — South Australia needs power, Musk needs to build up infrastructure to reach sustainable energy goals.
But as with other recent announcements from Musk, the question still remains: How exactly is this going to work?
In fact, some energy analysts are saying that the project may have been motivated by political gains as opposed to providing a realistic and practical energy option for the people of Southern Australia, according to Greentech Media.
“The project is politically driven by the South Australian government, which needs to demonstrate that (it’s) working to resolve the issues that led to the Black Grid of September 2016 and the load shedding of summer 2016-2017,” said Jill Cainey, global applications director for energy storage at S&C Electric in Melbourne.
-->The motivations of the battery are being questioned because of the overall business model of the project. Essentially, experts are scratching their heads as to how Musk intends to make money from providing power.
“There’s no genuine business case for storage in Australia at the moment, and no genuine business case for the Tesla project,” Cainey said. “The technical requirements — that is, the role the battery will have on the system — were not well described or understood” when the project was issued.
One of the main ways the battery pack would make money is through providing backup energy for a power grid. This, however, requires specific specifications in order to produce revenue — specifications that Tesla’s new plant may not live up to.
According to Bruce Miller, a principal consultant for Advisian, the 80-minute discharge time for Tesla’s system isn’t in line with 10-megawatt- and 20-megawatt-hour systems that could produce $2.1 million a year from supplying backup energy.
Essentially, while the capacity of Tesla’s system is significant, the discharge time is not in line with the systems that can produce millions for backup energy. This means that while the project has raised eyebrows, it may not have the practical impact on users and profits in the way that Musk hoped.
-->But perhaps Tesla is not looking to make a big splash in Southern Australia. Tesla did say that its main goal would be nothing more than network stabilization.
“Tesla Powerpack will charge using renewable energy from the Hornsdale Wind Farm and then deliver electricity during peak hours to help maintain the reliable operation of South Australia’s electrical infrastructure,” the company said in a press release.
With the major Model 3 delivery event slated for Friday, Musk and Tesla haven’t been pressed on its solar roof roll out expected in the coming months. The company initially said that it would begin installations sometime soon, but there hasn’t been any indication recently as to specifics.
As debate over how practical Musk’s transportation and energy sustainability goals continues, Tesla Solar buyers hang in the balance.
-->
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.”
Energy
Tesla and Samsung SDI in talks over new US battery storage deal: report
The update was related by industry sources and initially reported by South Korean news outlets.
Recent reports have suggested that Tesla and Samsung SDI are in talks over a potential partnership to supply batteries for large-scale energy storage systems (ESS).
The update was related by industry sources and initially reported by South Korean news outlets.
ESS batteries to be built at Samsung’s Indiana plant
As noted in a report from Korea JoongAng Daily, the demand for energy storage systems has been growing rapidly in North America, thanks in no small part to the surge in AI investments across numerous companies. With this in mind, Tesla has reportedly approached Samsung SDI about a potential battery supply deal.
The deal is reportedly worth over 3 trillion Korean won (approximately $2.11 billion) and will span three years, according to The Korea Global Economic Daily. A battery supply deal with Samsung SDI could make sense for Tesla as the company already has a grid-scale battery, the Megapack, which is perfect for industrial use. Samsung SDI could simply supply cells for the EV maker.
Production of the batteries would reportedly take place at Samsung SDI’s joint venture factory with Stellantis in Indiana, which is currently under construction. Samsung SDI recently announced plans to use part of that plant’s EV lines to produce cells for ESS, with a targeted capacity of 30 GWh by the end of next year.
-->Tesla and Samsung’s partnership
At present, only a handful of manufacturers, including Korea’s LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, SK On, and Japan’s Panasonic, are capable of producing energy storage-scale batteries domestically in the United States. A Samsung SDI official issued a comment about the matter, stating, “Nothing has been finalized regarding cooperation with Tesla.”
The possible energy storage system deal adds another layer to Tesla’s growing collaboration with Samsung, which is already in line as a partner in the upcoming production of Tesla’s AI5 and AI6 chips. Early sample manufacturing of the AI6 is expected to begin in South Korea, with mass production slated for Samsung’s Texas-based Taylor foundry when it starts operations.
The AI6 chip will power Tesla’s next wave of high-volume projects, including the Optimus humanoid robot and the autonomous Cybercab service. Musk has called the partnership with Samsung a “real collaboration,” adding that he personally plans to “walk the line” at the Taylor facility to speed up progress.
Energy
Tesla VP hints at Solar Roof comeback with Giga New York push
The comments hint at possible renewed life for the Solar Roof program, which has seen years of slow growth since its 2016 unveiling.
Tesla’s long-awaited and way underrated Solar Roof may finally be getting its moment. During the company’s Q3 2025 earnings call, Vice President of Energy Engineering Michael Snyder revealed that production of a new residential solar panel has started at Tesla’s Buffalo, New York facility, with shipments to customers beginning in the first quarter of 2026.
The comments hint at possible renewed life for the Solar Roof program, which has seen years of slow growth since its 2016 unveiling.
Tesla Energy’s strong demand
Responding to an investor question about Tesla’s energy backlog, Snyder said demand for Megapack and Powerwall continues to be “really strong” into next year. He also noted positive customer feedback for the company’s new Megablock product, which is expected to start shipping from Houston in 2026.
“We’re seeing remarkable growth in the demand for AI and data center applications as hyperscalers and utilities have seen the versatility of the Megapack product. It increases reliability and relieves grid constraints,” he said.
Snyder also highlighted a “surge in residential solar demand in the US,” attributing the spike to recent policy changes that incentivize home installations. Tesla expects this trend to continue into 2026, helped by the rollout of a new solar lease product that makes adoption more affordable for homeowners.
-->Possible Solar Roof revival?
Perhaps the most intriguing part of Snyder’s remarks, however, was Tesla’s move to begin production of its “residential solar panel” in Buffalo, New York. He described the new panels as having “industry-leading aesthetics” and shape performance, language Tesla has used to market its Solar Roof tiles in the past.
“We also began production of our Tesla residential solar panel in our Buffalo factory, and we will be shipping that to customers starting Q1. The panel has industry-leading aesthetics and shape performance and demonstrates our continued commitment to US manufacturing,” Snyder said during the Q3 2025 earnings call.
Snyder did not explicitly name the product, though his reference to aesthetics has fueled speculation that Tesla may finally be preparing a large-scale and serious rollout of its Solar Roof line.
Originally unveiled in 2016, the Solar Roof was intended to transform rooftops into clean energy generators without compromising on design. However, despite early enthusiasm, production and installation volumes have remained limited for years. In 2023, a report from Wood Mackenzie claimed that there were only 3,000 operational Solar Roof installations across the United States at the time, far below forecasts. In response, the official Tesla Energy account on X stated that the report was “incorrect by a large margin.”
-->
Tesla Cybertruck welcomed with open arms in South Korea
Tesla China delivery centers packed as Q4 2025 enters its final month
