The Malmsbury Fire Brigade recently welcome their newest member to the team, a brand new Tesla Powerwall 2.
Along with the Powerwall, the fire station also has a 10.48kW solar installation, which will help keep it running during power outages in the community. With both the solar and the battery, Malmsbury fire captain Tony Stephens says the station will be able to operate and serve the community with stored power for more than a day.
“The battery ensures we can operate and respond from the fire station during a power outage and it can also be a hub for the community at the same time.”
Stephens notes that extended power outages in the area are becoming more common with climate change, and as a result telecommunication services can go down too. If that happens now, members of the community can go to the fire station and use it for “communication, storage of medicines, food refrigeration and internet in extreme circumstances.”
The Powerwall, which cost $30,000 AUD, was funded in part by donations to the fire department and the rest through a grant from Bank Australia and the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance’s Community Solar Bulk Buy program (via PV Magazine).
h/t [PV Magazine]
