Tesla delivered a new Powerpack system to Nova Innovation’s tidal power station in Scotland – creating “the world’s first grid-connected ‘baseload’ tidal power station.”
Nova Innovation is deploying underwater turbines to produce electricity from the energy of the tides on the shores.
Tidal energy is extremely reliable since tides are easily predictable, but tides don’t consistently create energy throughout the day.
That’s where Tesla’s Powerpack comes in. The battery packs can store excess energy from the tides to be delivered when the turbines can not produce electricity.
“By storing the clean energy generated by the natural ebb and flow of the tide, we can control the supply of electricity to the grid to match demand. This creates a consistent source of completely predictable power from a clean, sustainable resource. Nova’s expertise in smart grid control, renewable generation and energy storage has delivered this game-changing innovation. We now look forward to expanding our services to other markets and renewable projects.”
They didn’t confirm the size of the Powerpack project linked to the 600 kW tidal power system, but they said that it is now connected to the grid.
Scotland’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, was present at the launch, which is backed by £272,606 of Scottish Government funding and commented:
“This project will utilise both renewable tidal technology and battery storage from one of the World’s pioneers of battery storage, Tesla, to overcome the challenges of current grid constraints and to enable the improved, uninterrupted, provision of low carbon energy not only in Shetland but in other small island communities across Scotland. Crucially, however, by undertaking this work in Scotland, we can also play a key role in helping inform the sustainable decarbonisation of energy for communities across the World.”
Tesla’s Powerpacks have already been deployed at many renewable projects, like solar and wind farms, but it’s the first time that it has been installed at a tidal power station.
The company’s CTO, JB Straubel, recently confirmed that the company has now installed over 1 GWh of energy storage and they aim to deploy another GWh of energy storage in just the next 9 to 12 months.
The Powerpack is likely to account for the vast majority of the capacity deployed thanks to several big projects coming up – including the massive ‘up to 1.1 GWh’ Powerpack battery system that Tesla and PG&E are working on.
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