Work has been underway for some time to make the US state of Hawaii’s energy supply sustainable in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Among other things, it is planned to close the last remaining coal-fired power plant on the island of Oahu and put a large Tesla megapack battery system into operation in its place. And now the past and the future met there almost directly: according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the latest coal delivery for Hawaii and megapacks for the new plant arrived at the same time.
Tesla boss shows change in Hawaii
According to the Kapolei Energy Storage (KES) battery project website in Oahu, the fossil fuel power plant on the same island was due to be closed in early September. Like Tesla’s battery installation, which appears to be delayed but is now approaching. This is supported by the arrival of the latest coal delivery, according to Musk, as well as the arrival of the megapacks.
One of the photos released Thursday by the Tesla boss shows a long ship in the harbor where coal is likely to be. A smaller image is inserted with an enlarged section of the background. “The latest coal shipment arrives in Hawaii, the KES site in the background,” reads the text above. The small photo doesn’t show much, even if it’s zoomed in, but Musk posted another one with the structure in the foreground.
The latest coal shipment arrived in Hawaii at the same time as Tesla Megapack batteries that will enable sustainable energy 24/7 pic.twitter.com/zlqJHLsAQq
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2022
About 40 white blocks can be seen from the air on a triangular level area similar to the computer plans for the project (see photo above). It should be a Tesla Megapack each and around 30 of them are available at the limit. Following the initial announcement of the KES project in May 2020, a total of 158 megapacks with a combined power of 185 megawatts and 565 megawatt-hours of capacity have been reported. To complete it, you should need the same number of modules as Musk’s photo.
Megapack restarts in the event of a power failure
When they arrive and are installed, and the last of the coal has been burned not far from them, Tesla’s battery could play a central role in the island’s clean energy supply. Like other systems of this type, it is designed to store electricity from renewable sources when it is available in abundance. Additionally, it should also be used for a reboot if the entire network collapses – according to a report by local publication Canary Media, this happened in 2006 and 2008 due to earthquakes and a storm. Furthermore, the rapid response capability of the Megapack system should prevent such cases from the start. The electricity supply in Hawaii is not only getting cleaner, but safer as well.
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