Elon Musk and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently had “an in-depth discussion on the value of storage and the future of the electricity system”, according to a statement from the PM’s office – and the pair’s twitter feeds.
This follows Musk’s promise last week to solve South Australia’s energy problems within 100 days of signing a contract (presumably to install a Powerpack battery farm like Tesla did in California recently) – or “it’s free”.
Thanks @elonmusk for a great in depth discussion today about energy storage and it’s role in delivering affordable & reliable electricity
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) March 12, 2017
You’re most welcome. Very exciting to discuss the future of electricity. Renewables + storage arguably biggest disruption since DC to AC. https://t.co/7uXoUQf29f
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 12, 2017
Thanks Elon. That’s why I asked our clean energy finance agencies to focus on storage – vital now w generation more distributed & variable. https://t.co/T81Zi7CSo4
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) March 12, 2017
This follows “positive” talks on Friday with South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, and an offer of financial backing from Atlassian founder Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Lyndon & @elonmusk – how serious are you about this bet? If I can make the $ happen (& politics), can you guarantee the 100MW in 100 days? https://t.co/av38xcizNo
— Mike Cannon-Brookes (@mcannonbrookes) March 9, 2017
@mcannonbrookes Just spoke with @JayWeatherill, Premier of South Australia. Very impressed. Govt is clearly committed to a smart, quick solution.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2017
While we still don’t know how much exactly the energy storage solution will cost (except for nothing, if it isn’t completed within 100 days of the contract signing), the fact that it has been jumped on by both State and Federal Government is an interesting sign.
The California battery farm consisting is made up of 396 Powerpack 2s, and can power over 2,500 households for a day.
We will, of course, keep you updated as this whole thing develops further.
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2017/03/elon-musk-guarantees-he-can-solve-south-australias-energy-woes-in-100-days/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/elon-musk-smug-410×231.jpg” title=”Elon Musk Puts A ‘Money Back Guarantee’ On Fixing South Australia’s Energy Woes” excerpt=”Tesla’s vice-president for energy products, Lyndon Rive, yesterday announced that Tesla would be capable of fixing South Australia’s electricity problems “within 100 days” if asked.
Today, Elon Musk himself has taken to twitter to put a money-back guarantee on the promise.”]