Huge Tesla battery in South Australia primed for big upgrade

The largest lithium-ion battery in the world – Tesla's big battery in South Australia – will undergo a 50 per cent expansion in a move its owners hope will increase the stability of the grid and reduce power bills.

French energy giant Neoen has announced plans to expand the capacity
 of the huge Tesla battery installed at the Hornsdale Power Reserve in
South Australia by 50 per cent.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla built the huge battery in a remote area of South Australia in 2017. The battery system has the capacity of 100 megawatts and can store 129 megawatt-hours of energy from wind turbines nearby – enough to supply 30,000 homes for eight hours.

The battery system's capacity will now be increased to 150 megawatts under an expansion plan put forward by French energy giant Neoen, the owner of the site, with the support of Tesla and the state and federal governments.

Paired with the adjacent Hornsdale wind farm, Tesla's grid-scale battery, known as the Hornsdale Power Reserve, has helped reduce intermittency and manage increased demand during summer when the grid is under the most strain. In its first year of operation, it saved consumers more than $50 million, according to Neoen.

Read the story from The Sydney Morning Herald by Nick Toscano - “Huge Tesla battery in South Australia primed for big upgrade.”