Tesla - Smart Energy Decisions

Distributed Energy Resources, Energy Storage, Industrial, Distributed Generation, Industrial, Solar  -  May 31, 2016

Tesla's battery manufacturing facility will be net-zero energy

Tesla Motors is planning a grand opening ceremony for its new battery manufacturing facility in Nevada, which is expected to be a net-zero energy building. 

The facility is not yet finished — and likely will not be prior to the July 29 celebration, according to Fortune — but is already producing the highly publicized 'Tesla Energy' Powerpack energy storage system, aimed at utilities and businesses, and its Powerwall battery system, aimed at homeowners. The company began revealing pricing information for the Powerpack systems in April. 

In order to achieve net-zero energy status, Tesla's building will utilize both rooftop solar and array installations on hills surrounding the manufacturing site, according to Construction Dive, which also reported that the facility will also use an efficient heat pump technology in leu of natural gas. 

"In every single step of the process, we have been able to reinvent and come up with solutions," the publication quoted Tesla's chief technical officer as saying in November 2015. "There’s a heat pump technology that actually ends up way more efficient than just burning natural gas for steam. And, then, we have a facility that has basically no emissions. The only emissions are related to the vehicles that might go there that aren’t electric or things like that. But we’ll try to attack that one piece at a time.”

Construction Dive wrote May 31: 

The gigafactory has drawn international attention ever since crews began prep work at the site in May 2014. There are now nearly 350 Tesla employees already working at the factory, and its multiple interior stories, when complete, will total 5.8 million in square footage. In addition, Tesla has purchased surrounding land to accommodate any future expansion.


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