ANALYSIS: Tesla enters Australia’s battle for future energy
Elon Musk’s vow to deliver battery-powered electricity to state adds yet another player to the fraught mix
Launceston, Australia — There is a lot more riding on Tesla’s deal to install the world’s largest grid-scale electric battery in Australia than whether Elon Musk can meet his bold commitment to finish within the 100-day deadline. Under an agreement made public on July 7, Tesla must deliver the 100MW battery within 100 days of the contract being signed or the government of South Australia state will not have to pay the electric car, clean energy and space exploration company. On the surface, this is a deal aimed at providing back-up electricity to South Australia, a state that has been plagued by blackouts since it closed coal-fired power plants and moved to being powered mainly by renewables such as wind, and to a grid connection to neighbouring Victoria state. Certainly, if successful, the 100MW of Tesla lithium-ion batteries will be able to provide power to 30,000 homes in South Australia, which is home to about 1.7-million people and ranks fifth by population of Australia’s six s...
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