It appears Tesla wants to install a massive Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to help Giga Texas achieve its goal of becoming a net-zero energy facility.
According to a permit application filed with the City of Austin, Tesla is proposing to build “utility and associated improvements” on a 53.27 acre site at 12601 Tesla Rd, next to Giga Texas.
The application was filed on Friday March 25, 2022, with the project name – Giga Texas LCRA Permanent Switchyard & BESS – giving a few hints about what those utilities and associated improvements will be.
Although that’s the extent of the details provided in the permit, the description essentially means this 53 acre site will be covered with hundreds of Tesla Megapacks.
Those Megapacks will likely store energy from the thousands of solar panels that are currently being installed on the roof of Giga Texas to spell out the word T E S L A.
The factory would then be able to use that energy to power a large portion of its operations.
It would also provide a reliable source of backup power in the event of a power outage, something which the Texas grid is not unaccustomed to experiencing.
This won’t be Tesla’s first Megapack installation in Texas though.
Earlier this year the company released a video highlighting the 81 Megapacks providing 200MWh of energy in Angleton, Texas.
You can see the full permit application here. (h/t: @TeslaHype)
