With our world starting to use electric vehicles (EVs) and solar energy more frequently than ever before, energy storage is also becoming an increasingly hot topic.
Tesla has made its first move into the Texas power market, with new developments showing hidden construction of a giant battery connected to Texas’s electrical grid, according to Bloomberg. The grid, which almost collapsed amidst a severe winter storm last month, is set to gain an extra 100-megawatt energy storage from the project, which is being run by Tesla subsidiary Gambit Energy Storage LLC.
The battery, which is being built 40 miles south of Houston in Angleton, Texas, could power up to 20,000 homes on a hot summer day. Despite the fact that workers at the site remained undercover and discouraged pedestrians from observing the project, a Tesla logo could be seen on one person’s hard hat, and the news was later confirmed by public documents.
Scoop! A secret battery project in Texas marks Tesla's first major foray into the epicenter of the U.S. energy economy. https://t.co/Q7tLdTW23k via @danahull + @naurtorious
— Simon Casey (@sjcasey) March 8, 2021
A filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lists Gambit as a subsidiary of Tesla. Property records on file with Brazoria County also show Gambit shares an address with a Tesla facility in Fremont.
Following the news of Tesla’s secret battery project, Tesla’s shares rose about 1.1% Monday to $604.41. The stock is currently down about 14% on the year, after about four days of consecutive declines last week.
Regardless, Tesla’s battery project through Gambit is likely to benefit the Texas electrical grid through backup, emergency energy storage – hopefully preventing anything like what happened last month from happening again.
