Tesla claims that upon installation, the system will be the largest lithium ion battery storage project in the world. It says that the battery storage can power more than 2,500 households for a day or charge about 1,000 Tesla vehicles.
The battery storage will operate by taking power during non-peak hours and deliver electricity back to the grid during peak hours to maintain reliable grid operations of Southern California Edison’s electric infrastructure which supplies power to about 15 million residents.
Tesla said the deployment of battery storage system at grids reduces the need for power generation through fossil fuels and makes the grid more resilient.
The tender notice for the energy storage has been issued in the backdrop of Aliso Canyon natural gas leak that occurred a year ago in California, where 1.6 million pounds of methane was released into the atmosphere.
This incident had its impact on electricity production and Los Angeles still faces issues with peak hour loads. The tender notice was issued in May this year with a condition that the storage system should be operational by 31 December 2016.
The electric car-maker said unlike conventional generators, batteries can be easily deployed, scaled up or down and they also do not require any water or gas pipelines.
Tesla also noted that the electric power industry has been the last great industry which has not come under the revolutionary effects of storage. The Powerpack system is a landmark project for the company and it signals the start of a new age of storage on the electric grid.
