Tesla Megapacks keep airport and US Coast Guard station powered during natural disasters
A Tesla Megapack-powered microgrid in Northern California has helped keep an airport and US Coast Guard station, described as a lifeline for the region, powered during natural disasters.
Natural disasters such as earthquakes and winter storms can cause power outages, leaving communities without access to essential services. In the event of such occurrences, it is important to have backup power systems in place to ensure continuity of operations. This is exactly what the clean energy microgrid at the Arcata Airport and the US Coast Guard Station in Humboldt County, California, has done.
The microgrid consists of a 2.2 MW solar array system and a 2.3 MW/9 MWh energy storage system that is made of three Tesla Megapacks.
Megapack is quickly becoming the go-to energy storage solution for large-scale energy storage projects.
As we recently reported, Tesla has deployed a record 6.5 GWh of energy storage capacity last year – a new record primarily thanks to a ramp-up in Megapacks.
The Megapack-powered microgrid in Humboldt County had a significant test late last year in the immediate aftermath of the early morning magnitude 6.4 earthquake centered in Ferndale. It let thousands of PG&E customers in the Humboldt area go without power.
But the microgrid has kept its 19 customers online, including the Arcata-Eureka Airport and the adjacent US Coast Guard Air Base, which are critical to the region, especially in a natural disaster.
Dana Boudreau, director of infrastructure planning and operations, Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), commented:
RCEA is the local government owner-operator of the microgrid generation system and while we didn’t expect such rigorous real-world testing this winter, the system exceeded expectations. During a significant earthquake and multiple major storms, the microgrid reliably delivered power during grid outages so that our regional airport and coast guard could focus on their core missions. RCEA will continue efforts to prepare our region for future challenges and help our essential services to stay online when they are most needed.
According to RCEA, the Megapack-powered microgrid again proved itself useful in the last month as several usual winter storms hit Northern California.
The system islanded on several occasions including an eight-hour stretch on January 4.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded Monday through Thursday and again on Saturday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.
Stories we discuss in this episode (with links)
Why gas bikes just can’t compete with electric motorcycles in the summer
Tesla’s next-gen Dojo AI training tile is in production
The US just proposed 18 GW of new offshore wind sales
There’s a new trend making electric bike batteries safer
Toyota goes large on hydrogen with new US headquarters
Listen & Subscribe:
Share your thoughts!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.
Environment
Coterra’s smart pivot to oil from natural gas leads to an excellent first quarter and sweeter outlook
Environment
A fully-electric 10,000 ton container ship has begun service equipped with over 50,000 kWh in batteries
Chinese state-owned company COSCO Shipping has launched what it calls the “world’s largest” river-to-sea electric container ship. The Green Water 01 is a 10,000-ton+ fully electric vessel that sets a new benchmark in sustainability in the marine logistics industry.
China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, or COSCO for short, is a state-owned multinational conglomerate headquartered in Shanghai specializing in marine transport. Not to be confused with Costco, COSCO Shipping was founded as a subsidiary in 2016 following an approved merger between COSCO and China Shipping.
The COSCO Group is the largest liner carrier in China, transporting hundreds of container vessels daily while also providing ships to Chinese automakers to help them export their electric vehicles to new markets overseas, including Europe.
To adapt to the times, COSCO has developed a massive, fully electric container ship, which has now officially begun service in China.
COSCO’s electric container ship begins service in China
According to a WeChat post from COSCO Shipping, which features reports from China’s CCTV, the company’s Green Water 01 electric container ship arrived safely and was berthed in the Port of Yangshan by the local maritime safety administration.
The Green Water 01 sails at a total length of 119.8 meters, a molded width of 23.6 meters, a molded depth of 9 meters, a design draft of 5.5 meters, and a maximum speed of 19.4 km/h (12 mph). COSCO Shipping says the Green Water 01 electric container ship presents multiple firsts for the marine industry, including total length, width, container capacity, deadweight tonnage (10,0000 tons), and battery capacity (50,000+ kWh).
Speaking of batteries, the electric container ship is powered by a large-capacity battery combining for over 50,000 kWh. However, COSCO says the number of battery modules can be configured depending on the length of the voyage at sea. For example, additional 20-foot battery boxes offering 1,600 kWh of electricity can be loaded onto the container for extra range.
This ship’s captain, Wang Jun, told CCTV that when the Green Water 01 is equipped with 24 battery boxes, the electric container ship can complete trips that consume 80,000 kWh of energy, equivalent to approximately 15 tons of fuel for a similar journey in a traditional container ship.
COSCO Shipping also shared that the new Green Water 01 can save 3,900 kg (8,600 pounds) of fuel for every 100 nautical miles traveled, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 12.4 tons. Following the successful launch, the Green Water 01 has commenced weekly service between Shanghai and Nanjing.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment12 months agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports6 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Sports4 weeks agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Technology3 years ago
Game consoles were once banned in China. Now Chinese developers want a slice of the $49 billion pie