The Irvine Company is fitting more than 20 buildings in Irvine and Newport Beach, CA, with battery systems from Tesla. The project is being undertaken in partnership with Advanced Microgrid Solutions and SoCal Edison. The batteries will provide 10 MW of power to the facilities and reduce energy costs by as much as 10 percent, according to ABC7.com.
The idea is to switch to the batteries – which can provide power for as long as six hours -- during the middle of the day when demand is high. A side benefit is that the batteries are ready in case of a power failure. Challenges that must be overcome include the space requirements and the weight of the batteries. They are too heavy for roofs so are being installed on the ground. The first system is expected to be installed by the end of the year, according to the story.
The Fortune story on the project points out that in the spring Tesla created an energy division that sells versions of its lithium-ion batteries that power its vehicles to utilities, battery project developers and residential customers.
