Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Elon Musk promises Australia a huge new battery farm in less than 100 days or it’s free

"ANU: Wind, solar and hydro grid cheapest option for Australia"

What are the odds?

by Rich McCormick Mar 10, 2017, 2:25am EST


Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Elon Musk has promised .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/10/elon-musk-i-can-fix-south-australia-power-network-in-100-days-or-its-free?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco .. to solve ..

Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2017

.. ongoing power problems in the state of South Australia by committing to build a 100MW battery storage farm, and promising that if he couldn’t provide the system within 100 days, he would give it to the state for free.

The Tesla CEO made the promise on Twitter, replying to Atlassian CEO and Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes. The conversation came after similar remarks .. http://www.afr.com/news/tesla-battery-boss-we-can-solve-sas-power-woes-in-100-days-20170308-gut8xh .. from Lyndon Rive, Tesla’s vice president for energy products, who said earlier in the week that his company would commit to solving South Australia’s energy issues with 100 to 300 megawatt-hours of battery storage. Like Musk, Rive said Tesla could install the required batteries within 100 days. "We don't have 300MWh sitting there ready to go,” he said, “but I'll make sure there are.”

-
Mike Cannon-Brookes @mcannonbrookes
Lyndon & @elonmusk - how serious are you about this bet? If I can
make the $ happen (& politics), can you guarantee the 100MW in 100 days?

Holy s#%t https://t.co/I0Kiw3wZsd

— Mike Cannon-Brookes 👨🏼‍💻🧢🇦🇺 (@mcannonbrookes) March 9, 2017

…
-
-
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
@mcannonbrookes Tesla will get the system installed and working
100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?
1:50 PM - 10 Mar 2017
-

Musk said Tesla would get the system installed and working within 100 days of signing a contract. For his part, Cannon-Brookes requested seven days to “sort out politics and funding,” and asked the Tesla CEO to DM him an approximate quote for a 100MW battery farm — at “mates rates.” Musk replied a short time later specifying that Tesla would charge $250 per kilowatt-hour for 100MWh systems like the one discussed, and that the company was moving to a fixed, open pricing structure for its battery farms.

-
Mike Cannon-Brookes @mcannonbrookes
@elonmusk legend! ?? You’re on mate. Give me 7 days to try sort out politics & funding. DM me a quote for approx 100MW cost - mates rates!
-
-
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
@mcannonbrookes $250/kWh at the pack level for 100MWh+ systems. Tesla is moving to fixed and open pricing and terms for all products.
6:05 PM - 10 Mar 2017
-

Assuming Musk can indeed secure a deal with the Australian government, it seems that Tesla has the capabilities to make good on its founder’s promise: the company built a similar 80MW farm in California .. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jan/31/tesla-battery-farm-california-energy-elon-musk .. last year in just 90 days.

-
"The last blackout took place in February"
-

The Australian state has suffered from a spate of blackouts over the past six months, with the most recent taking place in early February .. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-08/sa-heatwave-forces-rolling-blackouts-angering-government/8252512?utoken=413647.75865.324c64c29e383e1b3ac9bbd2cc52692f , during a 104 degree heatwave. The Australian Energy Market Operator has blamed the blackouts on a number of factors, including higher-than-expected demand, but the topic has become a political battleground, with the Australian government pointing to the failure of renewable energies to cover usage.

Coal-fired power plants have been closing .. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/09/australias-coal-fired-power-stations-will-need-to-shut-at-rate-of-one-a-year-hearing-told .. across Australia in recent months, hiking .. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/energy-bills-soar-in-shift-from-coal-power-stations/news-story/f04ff69323c798fc05097e98defa858e .. energy bills and contributing to blackouts like those suffered in South Australia. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has pushed .. http://www.afr.com/news/malcolm-turnbulls-coal-embrace-will-leave-critics-cold-20170131-gu2q6r .. for a return to the fossil fuel as part of a “coal-fired future,” but Tesla’s battery technology may help wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources persist in Australia. Musk’s battery farms can store huge amounts of energy generated by these renewable sources and siphon it off during busy times, theoretically eliminating blackouts.

Next Up In Transportation

California is warming up to self-driving cars without a human driver
http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/10/14881640/california-dmv-self-driving-car-rules-human-driver

.. with more bottom links .. http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/10/14879246/elon-musk-tesla-battery-farm-australia-blackouts

I remember, initially anyway, South Australia was adamant the black-out could have been averted if the national grid had been managed properly.

What caused South Australia’s state-wide blackout?
September 29, 2016 12.21pm AEST •Updated September 29, 2016 4.06pm AEST
https://theconversation.com/what-caused-south-australias-state-wide-blackout-66268

How about it Australia? Gut feeling, Go with Musk! LOL.