Tesla 100 MW battery system will be installed at Hornsdale wind farm in South Australia

Tesla is to supply a 100MW energy storage system at Neoen’s 100MW Hornsdale 1 wind farm in South Australia.

South Australia will attempt to ease pressure on its crisis-prone electricity grid with a world-leading battery station more than three times the size of its nearest rival, to be built by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The Tesla Powerpack will charge using renewable energy from Hornsdale and then deliver electricity during peak hours to help maintain the reliable operation of South Australia’s electrical infrastructure.

The project is expected to be completd by the end of the year and will be the largest lithium-ion battery storage project in the world, Tesla said.

The company won the contract through a competitive bidding process launched by the South Australian government following state-wide blackouts caused by storms last year and extreme heat in early 2017.

Experts welcomed the announcement, saying the battery would take pressure off the strained grid during peak periods, but warning it was no panacea for the shortages that have crippled the state’s electricity grid.