Elon Musk's giant lithium ion battery in South Australia has responded in record time to the first power failure since it was installed as a back up power source.
It comes just weeks after Musk won a $US13 million bet that he would supply South Australia with the Tesla battery within 100 days or it was free.
State Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis says the investment in the battery has already proved its worth, exceeding expectations in its first test.
Last week, when the coal-fired Loy Yang power plant in Victoria tripped and went offline, the Tesla battery delivered 100 megawatts into the national electricity grid in 140 milliseconds.
"That's a record," Koutsantonis told 5AA radio.
"The national operators were shocked at how quickly and efficiently the battery was able to deliver this type of energy into the market."
By comparison, South Australia's Torrens Island power station would take half an hour to an hour to energise and synchronise into the market, according to Koutsantonis.
Following a successful testing period in November, the battery, which is paired with French energy business Neoen's Hornsdale wind farm 230 km [143 miles] north of Adelaide, was turned on at the start of the month.
The project is part of a $550 million plan by the state government to guarantee energy supply following a statewide blackout last year that turned into a national political debate over energy security and costs.
The Tesla founder got involved with the infrastructure project after Atlassian's Mike Cannon-Brookes made a bet with Musk on Twitter last March.
juke-nukem on December 25th, 2017 at 02:23 UTC »
Lebanon could really use a system like this, electricity in Lebanon is a nightmare.
dragnansdragon on December 25th, 2017 at 01:41 UTC »
That's the best ping I've ever seen out of Australia
lughnasadh on December 24th, 2017 at 23:50 UTC »
As impressive as this is, I really want to see Elon Musk's efforts in Puerto Rico succeed
They are much more applicable to developing world applications. What he's demonstrating there, really seems a model for how renewables can be used in the poorest countries.
I realize Puerto Rico is in an emergency situation right now, and isn't what you would call the "developing world", as poorer parts of Asia/India & Africa are. That said, providing a way for the developing word to access wealth/energy & development, while by-passing fossil fuels - seems to me the best way we can combat climate change.
The best thing we could do for the planet, is provide a path for the developing world to access energy & development, without fossil fuels - ever little step like this helps.
It's great to see renewables in action, as the best solution possible compared to all possible solutions, becoming a reality.