A Tesla Megapack in Moss Touchdown, California
Andrew Evers | CNBC
No less than one Tesla Megapack stuck hearth early Tuesday morning on the power garage facility operated through software PG&E in Monterey, California.
Today Tuesday morning, there have been no energy outages for PG&E consumers, nor any accidents to on-site body of workers because of the fireplace, consistent with PG&E spokesperson Jeff Smith. The California software turned into acutely aware of the fireplace at 1:30 a.m. on September 20, 2022, Smith stated in an electronic mail.
The hearth used to be now not but absolutely extinguished sooner than newsletter.
PG&E commissioned the 182.5-megawatt (MW) Tesla Megapack machine, referred to as the Elkhorn Battery at Moss Touchdown, in April this 12 months.
Gigantic batteries just like the Megapack, in addition to the ones manufactured through ABB and Northvolt, permit grid operators to transport additional capability between counties or states, and make sure that energy from intermittent resources can also be saved and used when call for is upper, or when there are unplanned outages in a transmission community.
The fires within the power garage methods at Moss Touchdown are paying homage to incidents involving Tesla Megapacks in Australia. Additionally they underscore the demanding situations of adopting new era to fortify the potency of the ability grid, and to make better use of electrical energy from intermittent, renewable assets like wind and sun.
There are two distinct power garage initiatives at Moss Touchdown in Monterey. One is operated through PG&E and the opposite through Texas-based Vistra. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Vistra informed CNBC their facility used to be now not impacted through this tournament. Then again, the Vistra facet of Moss Touchdown has skilled two overheating incidents prior to now.
California Freeway Patrol closed a piece of Freeway 1 and redirected site visitors clear of the power for hours following the fireplace.
Following the fireplace, some citizens close to the Elkhorn Battery substation at Moss Touchdown had been informed to safe haven in position because of emissions.
In keeping with Richard Stedman, an air air pollution keep an eye on officer for the Monterey Bay Air Assets District (MBARD), lithium ion battery fires can emit poisonous constituents, together with hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid. MBARD didn’t have any quick knowledge about air high quality affects from the Elkhorn Battery hearth, he stated, however will paintings with native government to review the problem after the fireplace has been absolutely extinguished.
PG&E’s Jeff Smith famous, “Protection methods on the facility labored as designed when the problem used to be detected, and routinely disconnected the battery garage facility from {the electrical} grid.”
Correction: Prior to now, Vistra’s power garage methods on the Moss Touchdown website overheated.
It is a creating tale. Please test again for updates.