Tesla Megapack Catches Fire at Victorian Big Battery

Tesla Megapack caught fire during initial testing of the most awaited new utility-scale battery in Victoria, Australia. Luckily, there were no casualties within the facility and its surroundings, CNBC reported.

The fire did not pose any risk to the nearby community, according to Bloomberg. However, it did release toxic smoke, which triggered a warning for the residents to stay indoors.

The fire affected the facility named Victorian Big Battery. It spans nearly as big as a football stadium, which is said to be the largest in the world. It is scheduled to go operational by the end of this year. The 300MW battery should be enough to store energy to power for more than a million homes in Victoria for half an hour.

This facility was established to help prevent blackouts that have been affecting millions of homes in recent years, especially in summers when the demand for electricity is at its peak.

The giant batteries are also aimed to meet environmental and renewable energy goals.

The state of Victoria aims to get 50% of the electricity from renewable resources like wind and solar energy by 2030.

Batteries will play a crucial role in filling the gaps when sunlight is not available or the wind doesn’t blow.

The Victorian Big Battery is being developed by Neoen, a French renewable energy firm, in collaboration with Tesla and AusNet Services, a Victorian energy company. In 2017, Neoen and Tesla launched another grid-scale battery, which was the world’s largest lithium-ion battery at the time.

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