Elon Musk's Tesla plans to give thousands of homes batteries: here's how it would work

South Australia's Labor Premier Jay Weatherill has unveiled what he expects to be a vote-winning power policy before the March state election — 'free' solar panels and Tesla batteries for 50,000 homes.

Jay Weatherill and Elon Musk are changing SA's approach to power generation.

And it's all thanks to the guy on the right. Yep, it's the latest gift in the ongoing bromance between Mr Weatherill and billionaire Tesla boss Elon Musk, after the pair teamed up to help fund the world's biggest lithium-ion battery (which is already producing power in the South Australian grid).

"Free?" I hear you ask. They say nothing is certain but death and taxes.

This deal will involve some of the latter (a $2 million taxpayer-funded grant and $30 million loan to Tesla), plus a significant catch — the power generated by the solar panels and the batteries will not be owned directly by the households, but may well be sold back to them via a retailer.

Read Nick Hamsen’s story from ABC News - “Elon Musk's Tesla plans to give thousands of homes batteries: here's how it would work.”

Challenging weather conditions reduce Top End mango farmer's crop by 30 per cent.

A Top End mango farmer part-way through harvesting expects her crop will be down 30 per cent on what was originally forecast.

Tou Saramat Ruchkaew says her season
has been below average, despite a
good wet season.

Tou Saramat Ruchkaew started picking at her Acacia Hills farm, Tou's Garden, in August and is now about 65 percent of the way through.

Ms Ruchkaew said the weather had presented many challenges this season, which had impacted her harvest.

"We have had hot and cold, hot and cold [weather] about four times [which has caused] four flowering systems, so the picking has been very challenging," she said.

Read Lydia Burton’s ABC News story - “Challenging weather conditions reduce Top End mango farmer's crop by 30 per cent.”