The Tesla Megapack is a large-scale rechargeable lithium-ion battery stationary energy storage product, intended for use at battery storage power stations, manufactured by Tesla Energy, the energy subsidiary of Tesla, Inc. Launched in 2019, a Megapack can store up to 3.9 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity.
The Tesla Megapack is a large-scale rechargeable lithium-ion battery stationary energy storage product, intended for use at battery storage power stations, manufactured by Tesla Energy, the energy subsidiary of Tesla, Inc.
Using Megapack, Tesla can deploy an emissions-free 250 MW, 1 GWh power plant in less than three months on a three-acre footprint – four times faster than a traditional fossil fuel power plant of that size. Megapack can also be DC-connected directly to solar, creating seamless renewable energy plants.
The Tesla Megapack debuted as a 1.2 GWh storage project in PG&E territory in California, at Moss landing on Monterrey Bay. The project (which was approved in late 2018) uses 449 individual Megapacks. A battery system of this size can help utilities handle peak electricity demand and replace gas peaker plants that currently support the grid
Back in 2019, Tesla launched the Megapack; it was Tesla''s third stationary energy storage product after the Powerwall and Powerpack. A single Megapack unit is a container-sized "3 MWh battery
Launched in 2019, a Megapack can store up to 3.9 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity. Each Megapack is a container of similar size to an intermodal container. They are designed to be deployed by electric utilities. The energy stored can be used as required, for example during periods of peak electricity demand or when grid power is disrupted.
On April 30, 2015, Tesla announced that it would sell standalone battery storage products to consumers and utilities.[1] Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the company''s battery storage products could be used to improve the reliability of intermittent renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind.[1]
Prior to the Megapack launch, Tesla used its 200 kilowatt-hour (kWh) Powerpack energy storage product to meet the needs of utilities with large-scale storage requirements. During 2015 and 2016, Tesla deployed a combined 300 MWh of Powerwall and Powerpack technology, including an 80 MWh deployment of Powerpacks at the Mira Loma substation in Southern California.[2] In 2017, Tesla used Powerpacks to deploy 129 MWh of battery storage at the Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia,[3] the biggest deployment of lithium-ion grid battery storage in the world at the time.[4]
Design work, at Giga Nevada, began on the Megapack project at least as early as the first half of 2018.[5]
In July 2019, Megapack launched.[6] It was described by Tesla as a utility-scale energy storage product, suitable for power stations and utilities.[6] Tesla claimed that Megapacks would be compatible with Tesla power station monitoring and energy control software, Powerhub and Autobidder.[6] The company stated that Megapack was designed to meet the needs of large-scale battery storage projects, as with the Hornsdale Power Reserve.[6]
Tesla acquired a former JC Penney''s distribution center in Lathrop, California, in 2021 and converted it into a battery plant called Megafactory,[7] with a target capacity of 40 GWh/year when finished.[8] Next-generation Megapacks use prismatic lithium iron phosphate cells,[9] for example in the 585 MWh Kapolei, Hawaii facility.[10]
Tesla''s record energy deployment was achieved in Q1 2023, adding 3.9 GWh in a single quarter, a 360% year-over-year increase.[11][needs update]
In 2023, Tesla announced a new "Megafactory" in Shanghai to manufacture Megapacks, with the goal of producing about 10,000 packs per year.[12]
Megapacks are assembled at the Tesla Megafactory in Lathrop, California.
Each Megapack comes with a 15-year "no defect" and "energy retention" warranty.[15] A 10 or 20 year "performance guarantee" is available for an additional cost.[15] Once a Megapack has reached the end of its useful life, Tesla says they can be returned for recycling.[16]
Megapacks are pre-assembled, including "battery modules, bi-directional inverters, a thermal management system, an AC main breaker and controls."[17]
Tesla requires customers to purchase a maintenance service agreement. Each Megapack receives a minor annual service, and a major service every ten years. The annual maintenance includes inspections and cleaning. The ten-year maintenance includes activities such as replacing the pump and fan for the thermal management system and refilling the coolant fluid.[18] Maintenance is expected to take about an hour per Megapack.[16]
The Megapack thermal management system is located at the top of each unit.[16] It uses coolant fluid, made of an equal-parts mixture of ethylene glycol and water, to keep the battery at operating temperature.[16]
Each Megapack weighs approximately 51,000 pounds (23,000kg) and the enclosure is built to a similar size as an intermodal container and includes twistlock fittings to allow automated handling.
Megapacks are designed for large-scale energy storage. Megapacks are used by utilities to replace peaker power plants,[20] which generate energy during periods of peak demand. Megapacks store grid energy rather than generating it from fuel.[21]
Powerpacks continue to be used by utilities to meet smaller-scale grid energy storage requirements. For example, a 25 MW / 52 MWh deployment of Powerpacks is in use at the Lake Bonney Wind Farm in South Australia.[22]
Energy storage has become a requirement to help convert intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar into firm power.[23]
Other energy storage solutions, such as pumped hydroelectric storage, dominate the time-shift market. As of 2019, pumped hydroelectric storage accounted for 96% of global energy storage capacity.[24] Pumped hydroelectric storage systems have lower efficiency, but longer lifetimes than battery storage.[24]
Megapack can be deployed more quickly than other storage technologies.[25]
Megapacks have been installed at Tesla Supercharger stations that also have solar canopies to help power the Megapacks.[26] Megapacks can smooth out electric demand on the local power grid and use the stored Megapacks electricity during peak demand so there aren''t excessive surcharges on electricity to charge the electric vehicles.[27]
In November 2019, Tesla used a Megapack to power a mobile recharging station for Tesla electric vehicles in California.[28] The mobile Supercharger delivered 125kW, and was transported on a flat trailer attached to a truck between deployment locations.[28]
In December 2019, Tesla delivered a 1.25 MW/2.5 MWh Megapack to the Millidgeville Substation in Saint John, Canada for peak shaving.[29][30] The battery is estimated to save owner Saint John Energy CA$200,000 per year.[31] It became operational on April 3, 2020.[32]
The 300 MW/450 MWh Victorian Big Battery near Geelong, Australia,[33] constituted the largest battery in the southern hemisphere at the time.[34] The commissioning process was halted due to a fire (see "Safety" section), and the lessons learned were applied to other batteries.[35] The battery was commissioned on time in December 2021, a year after contract,[36] with an estimated return on investment of 2.4.[37]
In December 2021, Strata Solar, an American commercial solar services provider, deployed a 100 MW/400 MWh energy storage facility in Ventura County, California, using 142 Megapacks.[38] The deployment replaced a natural-gas peaker plant.
As of June 2022, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) operates a 182.5 MW/730 MWh 256-Megapack system at Moss Landing, in Monterey County.[39][40][6][41]
TransAlta owns and operates a 10 MW/20 MWh Megapack system near Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada, which was completed in October 2020.[42] As of July 2024, it is one of ten active storage sites in Alberta,[43] and all are Megapacks.
Grid-scale battery standards and fire containment practices are at an early stage of development.[44]
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