The project to build one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery storage systems started out as a bet—on Twitter. Last March, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted to Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, CEO of software company Atlassian, that Tesla could get a massive 100-MW/129-MWh energy storage system installed and working in 100 days, and he did.
The proposal was to help mitigate a chronic power shortage South Australia faced after the state shut down its last coal-fired power plant in 2016. The aging Northern power station in Port Augusta had been rendered uneconomical by an oversupply of generation, owing partly to a surge in renewables that was encouraged by the state. Though reeled by a series of blackouts—including during the summer of 2017—the state stuck doggedly to an energy plan introduced in March that sought to cut its reliance on an electricity interconnector with eastern Australia feeding it coal power, stressing it wanted to produce its own power from wind, solar, and natural gas (for more on South Australia’s energy plan, see “After Blackout, South Australia Wrests Control of Its Power Security” in POWER’s May 2017 issue).
A major facet of that energy plan entailed the construction of the country’s largest grid-connected battery. For Musk, who is known for his ambitious entrepreneurial style, the challenge was seemingly irresistible. In March, Cannon-Brookes asked Musk via Twitter how serious he was about the bet. Musk responded, “Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?” Cannon-Brookes replied, “legend! You’re on mate. Give me 7 days to try sort out politics & funding. [Direct message] me a quote for approx 100MW cost—mates rates!”
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