South Australia will push ahead with a plan to install battery systems built by Elon Musk's Tesla in 50,000 homes, Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Thursday.
The new state government, led by South Australia's Liberal Premier Steven Marshall, said it was committed to continuing the pro-battery agenda of its Labor predecessor, ABC News said.
The former government led by Jay Weatherill had announced the Tesla policy in February, declaring it would install battery and solar systems free of charge to create the world's "largest virtual power plant" and cut energy bills.
The plan shared similarities with a Liberal policy back in October 2017 allowing battery storage units in 40,000 homes, according to the report, which said it was unclear which of the two policies would be adopted following Marshall's election.
Speaking at the Australian Energy Storage Conference, Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan said the government would implement both, ABC News said.
"It's very important to be clear about this 鈥� we are honoring the existing commitments around the Tesla virtual power plant (VPP)," he said.
"The VPP project is currently proceeding with the two trial phases as planned. The trial phases involve installation of home energy systems on 1,100 Housing South Australian homes,鈥� the minister went on to say, adding these were supported by a AUS$2 million grant and a AUS$30 million loan from the state government.
"Subject to private finance, and the first two phases' success, the third phase could grow to up to 50,000 home batteries connected to new solar installations, and this is in addition to our government's 40,000 home election commitment,鈥� he said.
Van Holst Pellekaan noted his very first meeting after being sworn in was with Tesla, and he wanted the state to become a world leader in home battery installation.
"Very simply, a liberal government in South Australia means more, not fewer, batteries," he said.
"We'll show the world how the mass adoption of home batteries can and will work.
"This is a complicated task 鈥� I don't think that anyone has attempted to do what we're about to do at this scale relative to population and market size."
The minister also praised the world's largest lithium-ion battery built by Tesla near Jamestown last November.
"Within the first month of it being installed, it helped to smooth out two major trips," he said, adding gas would become a "less necessary" component of the state鈥檚 energy mix as storage technology evolved and improved.
AUS$1 equals US$0.75
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr