Tesla powers an entire island with solar energy to flex its mighty panels

Tesla completed its $2.6 billion buyout of SolarCity this week, but it’s already showing off the resources of its new acquisition.

In a new blog post, the company detailed an ambitious plan to wire up the entire island of Ta’u in American Samoa with solar panels to solve the island’s intermittent power problems.

While Ta’u previously relied on diesel generators for its power, Tesla has installed a microgrid of solar panels and batteries that will “supply nearly 100 percent” of the energy required by the island’s 600 residents.

The project will see Ta’u equipped with a microgrid of over 5,300 solar panels as well as 60 Tesla Powerpack batteries for storage.

While the acquisition of SolarCity has left critics in doubt, CEO Elon Musk believes the move is a “blindingly obvious” step towards his long-term goals of integrating clean energy generation and storage.

With its microgrid setup, Tesla hopes to help the island cut costs and showcase the benefits of solar energy in slashing consumption of diesel fuel.

“Factoring in the escalating cost of fuel, along with transporting such mass quantities to the small island, the financial impact is substantial,” the company further stated.

Watch the footage in the video section above to get a better idea how Tesla plans to implement its solar panel powergrid. You’ll find more details in the official statement SolarCity put out on its blog.

via The Verge