News In Brief Startups
News In Brief Startups

Tesla deploys new energy storage system in Alaska

Share Us

846
Tesla deploys new energy storage system in Alaska
04 Mar 2022
6 min read

News Synopsis

Tesla is planning to establish a more sustainable alternative to the gas turbines that power the region of Alaska four months out of a year. The company is bringing this project to the Pristine Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.

Electrek reported that 37 of Tesla's latest and largest energy storage products, the Tesla Megapack, are currently deployed. The project was first announced in 2019 by Homer Electric, a cooperative of Alaska-based utilities in collaboration with Tesla.

Homer Electric sees it as a more sustainable alternative to gas turbines that the community has used for a long time and helps prevent future power outages. The Cooperative has faced two major outages in recent months. This is of particular concern when the temperature on the peninsula can drop below -30°C.

Tesla has written on its website, “To reduce the community’s reliance on fossil fuels to power the turbines, Homer Electric has installed 37 Tesla Megapacks, that would provide grid stability even in freezing temperatures.” It also claimed to install it 10 times faster than other systems available in the market. 

Similar Tesla projects have been set up in California, Hawaii, Australia and American Samoa, using Tesla batteries to improve grid performance while reducing their reliance on fossil fuels. 

Some of the largest of these are from Australia, which includes the 129MWh power pack system, which Tesla claims to be the world's largest lithium-ion battery.