Tesla sold a giant battery to an electric co-op in Alaska

• An electric cooperative in Alaska has purchased a 93 MWh battery from Tesla.
• The Homer Electric Association announced the deal on December 3, saying the battery will improve "grid stability, electric power reliability, and system efficiency."
• The battery will likely begin operation in the fall of 2021.
• While energy products account for a small percentage of Tesla's business (energy storage and generation made up just 6% of the company's revenue during the third quarter of this year), its energy-storage deployments have grown in recent years.
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An electric cooperative in Alaska has purchased a 93 MWh battery from Tesla.

The Homer Electric Association announced the deal on December 3, saying the battery will improve "grid stability, electric power reliability, and system efficiency." The battery will reduce power outages and the use of greenhouse gases while creating more opportunities to implement renewable energy projects, the cooperative said.

The battery will be able to send 46.5 MWs of power to the grid each hour and will likely begin operation in the fall of 2021.

The Homer Electric Association did not specify which of Tesla's energy-storage products it will use, but Tesla unveiled a utility-scale battery, called the Megapack, in July. Tesla has previously used its industrial-size Powerpack batteries for large-scale projects.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Alaska project.

Utilities in California, Hawaii, Australia, and American Samoa have used Tesla batteries to increase the stability and reliability of their energy grids while reducing their reliance on fossil fuels. The Australia project featured a 129 MWh Powerpack system that Tesla has called the world's largest lithium-ion battery.

While energy products account for a small percentage of Tesla's business (energy storage and generation made up just 6% of the company's revenue during the third quarter of this year), its energy-storage deployments have grown in recent years. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in October that he expects the company's energy business to one day approach the size of its automotive business.

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