Tesla“Powerpack” battery systems will be used to power part of 24 office buildings in California, according to a recent announcement, as reported by Edie.
Real estate firm The Irvine Company, which has properties throughout California, will install Tesla battery systems the size of five parking spaces. It is expected that these will reduce peak grid energy consumption across the company's entire portfolio by 25 percent.
The storage system will aim to reduce electricity costs and lower the reliance on power plants by charging the batteries during nonpeak hours, Edie reports. The stored energy will be used when needed — or during power grid outages — and the batteries can last between four to six hours without grid support.
As part of the initiative, San Francisco-based Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) and renewable energy firm SunEdison will provide Southern California Edison's (SCE's) grid modernization plan with up to 10 megawatts of reserve capacity, Edie reports.
SunEdison will install and operate Tesla’s Powerback battery systems, which will help the buildings switch to battery power storage whenever SCE signals that grid demand is too high.
In May, Tesla unveiled the “Powerpack” alongside the smaller “Powerall” system, which stores solar energy and allow residential customers to cache grid electricity from non-peak periods to use during peak times, saving money. The development of advanced energy storage could help renewables such as solar and wind to finally be practical in the mainstream.