Workers at the facility keep the equipment secret and keep outsiders out, but the Tesla logo could be seen on the worker’s helmet, and official documents helped confirm the company’s role.
When an ice storm hit Texas in February and left millions of people without electricity for days, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted the Texas Electricity Reliability Council, or Ercot, a non-profit group that manages the supply of electricity to 26 million consumers. Musk, 49, recently moved to Texas and his various companies are expanding their operations in the state.
The battery storage system, created by Tesla subsidiary Gambit, is registered with Ercot. Warren Lasher, senior director of systems planning at Ercot, said commercial operation of the project is scheduled for June 1. The site is adjacent to the Texas-New Mexico substation.
While Tesla is known for its battery-powered electric vehicles, it has always been more than a car company: its official mission is to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” Utility batteries are necessary to store electricity generated by wind and sun, but they can also become profitable. By keeping surplus electricity at low prices and low demand, battery owners can sell them back to the grid at high prices.
Tesla has spent years mastering household energy technology. Tesla batteries are connected to the Mira Loma substation in southern California, Edison, east of Los Angeles. The 20 megawatt system, which has been in operation since December 2016, keeps the grid operational during peak hours and helps the utility make the most of its renewable resources. In the San Francisco Bay Area, PG&E Corp. and Tesla are building an 182.5 megawatt system at an electrical substation in Moss Landing, due to be operational by August.
– .
