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Tesla Runs an Entire Island on Solar Power (engadget.com)

Posted by msmash on from the that's-how-we-roll dept.

Jon Fingas, writing for Engadget:Now that Tesla has officially acquired SolarCity, it's not wasting any time showing what the combined entity can do. Tesla has revealed that it's running the island of Ta'u (in American Samoa) on a solar energy microgrid that, at 1.4 megawatts, can cover "nearly 100 percent" of electrical needs. It's not just the 5,328 solar panels that are key -- it's the 60 Tesla Powerpacks that offer 6 megawatt-hours of energy storage. While Ta'u is normally very sunny, the packs can keep it running for three days without sunlight. They don't have to worry about a cloudy day leading to blackouts. The solar switch, which took a year to complete, has both its long-term environmental and immediate practical benefits. Like many remote communities, Ta'u previously had to run on diesel generators. That burns 300 gallons of fuel per day, which is neither eco-friendly nor cheap. Solar eliminates the pollution, of course, but it also saves the cost of having to continuously buy and ship barrels of diesel. And crucially, it provides a more reliable source of electricity.

5 of 191 comments (clear)

  1. Solar makes a lot of sense by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As indicated, shipping fossil fuel has high costs, and operation is noisy. Sunlight works even on cloudy days, and you can run desalination plants using solar, and it withstands weather effects fairly well.

    Many islands operate with a hybrid solar and wind system, especially in equatorial regions.

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  2. Mold by marklark · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While the idea of a sunny Pacific island may seem like an easy and ideal place for solar power, this may not be the case.

    When I worked for NOAA, I heard wild stories about how the molds in Samoa would destroy our scientific instruments. They would even eat glass... This should prove an interesting and challenging situation.

    1. Re:Mold by SubtleGuest · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It isn't eating the glass it is eating the coating on it. No organism eats glass as an energy source.

    2. Re:Mold by dwywit · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It doesn't "eat" it. The fungus grows between lens elements. It seems to like the glue. Lost a nice Nikkor 200mm lens that way. It's fixable, but not economic to do so.

      The PV frames would (unless pre-emptively treated) corrode in the salty, damp air, but as they sit in harsh sunlight for extended periods, I think fungus would be somewhat down on the list of problems. Salty air can kill domestic computers inside 1 year, so junction boxes, blocking diodes, micro-inverters, etc would all have to be treated with sealant before installation. Same with all the controller circuitry, chargers, inverters, etc.

      Today's price of diesel in Brisbane - AUD$1.13/litre
      300 litres/day x 365 days = AUD$123,735.00 per annum
      Transport and maintenance of fuel and gensets = ?

      The payback period needs to be shorter than the Panel/battery system's expected lifespan, but as someone else has pointed out, there are benefits other than economic.

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  3. Perfect Proof of Concept by powerlord · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is the perfect proof of concept that Musk is aligning all the pieces needed for Mars Base 1.

    SolarCity for the energy collection
    Tesla for the storage and local transportation
    SpaceX for the "long haul" to/from Mars, as an umbrella for the expedition and for the environmental pieces (habitat design, space suits).

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