Tesla uses solar power to generate electricity for the entire island, and it only takes 7 hours to fully charge

Recently, according to foreign media reports, Tesla just completed its $2.6 billion stock acquisition of solar company SolarCity on Monday and immediately announced a major solar project. SolarCity deployed solar panels and energy storage batteries on Ta'u Island in American Samoa, which can provide all the electricity for the island's residents.

Tau Island

SolarCity Project

SolarCity has deployed a 1.4-megawatt solar microgrid on the island, which can provide almost all the electricity needed for the island's 600 residents. The microgrid includes 5,328 SolarCity solar panels and uses 60 Tesla Powerpacks to store electricity.

The microgrid can provide all the electricity needs of the island residents in the absence of sunshine for three days, and the power in the entire grid can be recharged in seven hours. Local businesses and essential service departments such as hospitals, police stations, and fire stations all use solar power.

Previously, Tau Island used diesel generators. Tesla said that the deployment of the microgrid can reduce the use of more than 109,500 gallons of diesel per year on Tau Island, and it no longer has to bear the transportation costs of this diesel.

Tesla said in a blog post that “given the rising cost of diesel and the freight costs of shipping so much diesel to this small island, the economic benefits of a microgrid are significant.”

However, the acquisition of SolarCity is still a risky move for Tesla. The deal includes billions of dollars of SolarCity's debt. Moreover, SolarCity is still far from profitability, and the company spends $6 for every $1 of revenue it generates.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.