Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Inc. currently holds the trophy for the world’s largest lithium ion battery, but he will soon be knocked off the number one spot by Sanjeev Gupta, a British Billionaire, who has plans to create a battery with 120 megawatts in Southern Australia, which will power Whyalla Steelworks with solar energy.
Tesla surpasses expectations
Since development of the Tesla battery was completed in December 2017, this amazing technology has surpassed all beliefs, by frequently supplementing the power network preventing major energy blackouts. The Tesla battery based north of Adelaide, in the rural location of Jamestown, is operated by Neoen, a French energy firm.
Gupta’s new storage battery
After securing a loan of almost $8 million from the Government in Southern Australia, to fund this new project, Simec Zen Energy have reported that the battery will provide renewable energy on a new 200 megawatt solar farm. Liberty House, Gupta’s business, purchased the site at Port Augusta, 186 miles north of Adelaide, on the plot of a former steelworks plant. It is expected that the new project and development will provide employment for 100 construction workers. Although no timeline has been reported, the new 120 megawatt lithium-ion battery will exceed the 100 megawatt size of Elon Musk’s, which currently holds the record.
Mr Jay Weatherill, the State Premier, quoted in an interview that South Australia is one of the world leaders in renewable energy matter. The region has lesser access than the rest of Australia, to traditional fossil fuel products like gas and coal, which makes the battery storage industry even more important. The region uses renewable energy from solar and wind sources, to provide 50% of its energy.
