Tesla to build 250MW "virtual power plant" in South Australia
South Australia unveils plans to build 250MW "virtual power plant", linking household rooftop solar and battery storage, in what it says will be world's biggest. It will involve 50,000 homes, each with 5kW rooftop solar and a Tesla Powerwall 2.
From article, (The South Australia Labor government has unveiled plans to build a 250MW “virtual power plant”, linking household rooftop solar and battery storage, in what it says will be the world’s biggest.
The project aims to connect at least 50,000 households, beginning with low-income Housing Trust (social housing) properties, which will be each fitted with 5kW of rooftop solar and one 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 battery system.
The involvement with Tesla further strengthens the links between the US solar, storage and Electric vehicle company, but this project will be significantly bigger than the s0-called Tesla big battery next to the Hornsdale wind farm.
The $800 million project (see more details here) will ultimately bring together 250MW of capacity and 650MWh of storage, allowing the combined resource to be pooled to help provide grid stability and extra capacity when supply is short.
Tesla said it will install Powerwall and solar panels on up to 50,000 homes in South Australia by June 2022, starting with 600 homes in 2018.
“Residents will enjoy lower bills and backup storage from their Tesla Powerwall battery, and the broader community will benefit from a more reliable grid that can better cope with peak demand.”
The government said on its website that the virtual power plant could add up to a new 250MW/650MWh, dispatchable power plant “that can meet around 20 per cent of the state’s total average daily energy requirements,” adding competition to the market and putting downward pressure on everyone’s energy bills.
“In addition, the virtual power plant will provide security services through the distribution network (like the Tesla Powerpack ‘Big battery’), helping keep the power on during events or disturbances in the network,” it said.
It noted that if the batteries were charged when a blackout occurred, the households would not lose power, but be able to operate their lights and appliances from the battery.
The key objectives of the virtual power plant are to:
- Provide significant cost savings to consumers participating in the program
- Demonstrate the ability of a virtual power plant to deliver savings to households and improve the resilience of the grid
- Introduce competition into the South Australian energy market, placing downward pressure on energy prices
- Establish a new, dispatchable renewable energy power plant, providing energy when it is most required.)
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