American automaker and energy storage behemoth, Tesla, has made new strides in the field of renewable energy by powering a whole island using just solar energy.
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur behind Tesla and SolarCity, has a master plan to propel the world into using clean energy. His automaker company, Tesla, along with SolarCity, the largest American provider of solar energy services, are the realization of his dream.
Fresh off the $2.6 billion acquisition of Solar City by Tesla, the company has lifted the curtains from one of its biggest solar projects yet; powering a whole island with nothing but solar energy.
The island of Ta‘ū, a part of the American Samoa, is home to over 600 people and has an area of 44.31 square kilometers. It previously received its energy from diesel generators and consumed more than 109,500 gallons of diesel per year. Over the past year, Tesla has been working on a microgrid of solar energy panels and batteries on the island.
“One of the world’s most advanced microgrids.”
The Ta‘ū microgrid, comprising of 5,328 solar panels and 60 Tesla Powerpacks batteries, now supplies “nearly 100 percent” of power needs for the whole island. The microgrid is capable of recharging fully in seven hours and can keep the island fully powered for three days without sunlight.
The whole project will have a substantially financial impact for the island of Ta‘ū and will also result in decreasing the carbon footprint created by the island.
Tesla’s initiative shows the promise of renewable energy. Not only is it financially viable, but also less harmful to the environment. Pakistan has been embroiled in its own energy crisis since ages, and despite recent initiatives in reducing the energy shortfall, a lot still needs to be done.
Image Credits — OorjaSolar
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