Tesla shows success of solar + Power Pack combo

Tesla has been touting its idea of sustainable, green energy for a while now, but its combination of solar energy and power storage doesn't necessarily have everyone convinced. To that end, it's shown off a project on an island in American Samoa, which has made its energy solution entirely clean, by using those two technologies.

Tesla might be mostly focused on electric car production, but it has also been involved with the development of the PowerWall/PowerPack concept, which allows for localised, high-capacity electricity storage. With its recent purchase of SolarCity, it will also take a greater interest in solar energy production. It's the combination of those two technologies which have made its Pacific island project such a success.

This island in American Samoa now runs on nearly 100% solar energy thanks to 5,300+ solar panels & 60 Tesla Powerpacks pic.twitter.com/65Jm8rvXs9

— Tesla (@TeslaMotors) November 22, 2016

In the video posted up by the Tesla twitter account, the island of Ta'u is said to have previously run generators for its electricity, which required as much as 300 gallons of diesel fuel a day – not to mention the costs of importing it to such a remote part of the world. Now though it's converted to solar, with the introduction of 5,328 panels, which generate up to 1.4 megawatts of power.

But the real jewel in this crown is the power storage. With enough space to store six megawatt hours, the island has enough power to not only keep things running during the day, but has enough storage to keep lights and other equipment running over night too. In-fact, thanks to the 60 Tesla power packs and the island's relatively low power requirements, it can last as long as three days without sunlight if needed.

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KitGuru Says: This seems like a pretty great project, even if it's a drop in the bucket compared to global usage. We're getting there slowly but surely and examples like this will no doubt help inspire other remote communities to look to solar and energy storage to meet their needs. 

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