Tesla is supplying its Megapacks to support an expansion at the Coffeen substation in Watertown, New York. The new batteries will add 31 megawatt-hours to the existing capacity. The town needs the extra power supply as demand has been increasing.
Tesla’s solar division reported strongest quarter in four years for the 2nd quarter of 2022.
The expansion is carried out in conjunction with Nexamp and National Grid. The project covers solar installation and battery energy storage facilities. It means the substation does not need to upgrade its transmission lines to increase its power output.
This method is known as Non-Wires Alternative or NWA. It helps to reduce project complexities and costs and also distributes energy sources better.
The solar side of the expansion involves more than 20,000 panels, generating 8.4 MW of clean energy. Up to 31 MWh of excess energy will be stored in ten Tesla Megapacks on the site.
The project will supply residents that subscribe to the Nexamp Community Solar Program. It allows residents to save on energy costs by owning a part of a local solar farm that delivers energy to the local grid, as reported by Teslarati.
Tesla operates virtual power plants worldwide, including in Japan and California, and sometimes third parties use Tesla Powerwalls to operate one, like in Ontario.
The company has also recently installed Megapacks at the Dunamenti Power Plant in Hungary.
