If theTexas power crisistaught us anything , it ’s that the res publica has some serious base number that not eventhe state ’s regulatorsare prepared to fixate . gratefully , everyone ’s favoritehigh - profile Twitter troll , Elon Musk , might have a programme : a giant bombardment ready to punch more than 16,000 homes ’ worth of power into the Department of State ’s electric grid .
Bloomberg first reportedthe news on Monday that a little - known Tesla subsidiary company named Gambit Energy Storage LLC had get work on a major energy repositing adeptness based out of Angleton , Texas , a minor suburb sitting just in the south of Houston . An Ercot functionary stated that the bombardment has a “ proposed commercial operation date ” starting June 1 .
The barrage fire in question is reportedly make to make about 100 megawatts of power . To offer some perspective here , the Solar Energy Industries Associationestimatesthat a single megawatt would be enough to power about 164 homes across the country — mean that the Gambit project could hypothetically power about 16,400 homes . That might not be enough to cover theclose to 3 million householdsthat lose power during last month ’s insensate gingersnap , but it ’s still a pregnant number of house with a significant act of masses who would n’t be left withicicles dripping from their ceilingsor stuck facinglife - threatening temperatureswithout waterthe next time a bitter cold patch hits the United States Department of State .
Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images)
Before Tesla took it over , the Gambit project was ab initio campaign by a non - Tesla entity , Plus Power LLC . Some of theinitial tar documentsthat Plus Power filed with the state say that the battery center would turn on with electricity offered from a connexion to a nearby 138kV substation , and discharge electrical energy onto the grid through that same connection . Per that slant , the battery would charge from this storage-battery grid when vim prices are low — i.e. , during peakwind and solar production — and then discharge when there ’s an DOE shortage .
When charged , the battery could help boot up the local galvanic system by “ providing Energy Department to ‘ jump-start start ’ electric generators , ” the auction pitch deck of cards explains . Not only that , but it would be emission - costless , and well out of thought from nearby house thanks to a smattering of oak tree tree and other “ substantial natural vegetation . ”
We have reached out to Tesla for comment and will update when we hear back .
While it ’s unclear when the Gambit project changed hands , we do know that Tesla ’s been trying to get into the mega - bombardment game for a while . In 2017 , the electric automakerrolled outa 100MW battery farm in Southern Australia that was thenheraldedas “ the world ’s big lithium - ion battery , ” which was power thanks to electrical energy engender by a neighboring current of air farm . Meanwhile , we ’ve seen Tesla ’s earnings off of battery and solar deployments reachrecord highsover the last year .
It ’s also worth mentioning that Musk has a reasonably personal stake in the Texas grid , sincehe moved himselfto Austin at the goal of 2020 and is cursorily start out to open new Tesla factoriesacross the state . At the height of Texas ’s power outages last calendar month , he rightfullycalled outErcot , the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , for “ not earning that R. ” Let ’s just trust the Gambit undertaking is a bit more dependable thansomeof the Tesla batteries we ’ve seen in the past .
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and refinement newsworthiness in your inbox daily .
News from the future , pitch to your present .
You May Also Like
