On Friday, the 1st of December, the world's largest lithium-ion battery was launched in South Australia. This was all due to the people of Twitter challenging Elon Musk, a billionaire, entrepreneur and Tesla Boss, to see if he was serious about helping the energy issues in South Australia. Musk responded by promising to have the battery built within ‘100 days or it’s free’ and as work began on the 30th of September 2017; he fulfilled his promise. Tesla completed the battery within 60 days. South Australia has experienced many electrical problems recently and installing this battery would prevent any further serious issues; including the whole state losing power in September 2016.
The battery is situated in Jamestown, around 200km north of Adelaide, and is connected to a wind farm; run by French energy company Neoen. The battery is made up of a grid system that runs on the same technology that powers Tesla's cars. The battery can power up to 30,000 homes for an hour, when it is fully charged, but it’s main use will be to support and stabilise the existing electricity supplies. Tesla quoted that their work "shows that a sustainable, effective energy solution is possible" and they added “we are proud to be part of South Australia’s renewable energy future, and hope this project provides a model for future deployments around the world.”
Digital First applaud Tesla's actions, especially coming from a Twitter thread, and think more companies should look to create a more sustainable future. We're not quite as big as Tesla, and I'm guessing you won't be either, but adopting their ideologies is a great first step!