The “Gigafactory” – the vast facility Tesla is building in Nevada to produce batteries for its electric vehicles – will itself be energy neutral, according to Treehugger.
The facility is particularly important as Tesla prepares to introduce a more affordable vehicle that could increase demand. The building, which the story says will be one of the largest on earth, was designed from the ground up to be net-zero, according to an interview at Treehugger with Chief Technology Officer J.B. Straubel.
For instance, he said that the roof was kept free of mechanical devices so that more solar capacity could be installed. The rooftop doesn’t provide enough area for the necessary solar panels, so nearby hills are being used as well.
In June, Tesla was selected by Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) to provide as much as 500 MWh of batteries for its storage projects. AMS also signed a master agreement with Black & Veatch for engineering and construction services.
