A Tesla Megapack caught hearth at this time throughout preliminary testing of a extremely anticipated new utility-scale battery in Victoria, Australia. Fortunately, there have been no accidents or disruptions to the native electrical energy provide, CNBC studies. The blaze posed no danger of spreading to the close by neighborhood, in keeping with Bloomberg, nevertheless it did set off a poisonous smoke warning for residents who have been instructed to remain indoors, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The reason for the hearth remains to be unclear.
The hearth affected the aptly named “Victorian Massive Battery.” Spanning an space practically as massive as a soccer stadium, it’s one of many largest on this planet. It’s scheduled to be operational by the top of this 12 months, and the 300MW battery ought to be capable of retailer sufficient vitality to energy greater than one million properties in Victoria for half an hour.
That’s supposed to assist stop blackouts which have affected a whole lot of 1000’s of properties within the area in recent times, particularly in the summertime when demand for electrical energy spikes. Large batteries are additionally essential to assembly environmental and renewable vitality targets. The state of Victoria goals to get half of its electrical energy from renewable sources like wind and solar energy by 2030. Batteries can fill within the gaps in vitality provide when the solar doesn’t shine and winds don’t blow.
French renewable vitality firm Neoen is creating the Victorian Massive Battery alongside Tesla and vitality firm AusNet Providers. Neoen and Tesla introduced one other grid-scale battery on-line in 2017, which was the biggest lithium-ion battery on this planet on the time. Neoen didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from The Verge.
Source link