Tesla-Backed Solar Farm Provides Power Day or Night
The new 13-megawatt solar farm also includes 52 megawatt-hours of battery storage.
By Avery Thompson
Energy from the sun will now be powering homes on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, even in the middle of the night. This is thanks to a recently-completed Tesla project that installed Tesla Powerpack batteries next to a 13 megawatt solar farm to help power the homes of the island's inhabitants day or night.
The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, which provides electricity to more than 20,000 islanders, initially contracted with SolarCity back in 2015 to construct a solar farm on their Kapaia facility. When Tesla merged with SolarCity in November it took over completion of the project.
The finished solar farm can generate 13 megawatts of power during the day, and also has 52 megawatt-hours of battery storage for supplying power at night. The Powerpack installation is designed to output around 13 megawatts of power during peak evening times.
The completion of the solar farm makes Kapaia the first utility-scale solar farm able to store and release its energy at will. The new farm will drastically reduce the island's dependence on natural gas and other fossil fuels for nighttime electricity generation.
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