Tesla’s East Austin Gigafactory is on track to feature the world’s largest rooftop solar installation, according to company representatives.
Logan Grant, Tesla’s senior manager of factory engineering, informed the Travis County Commissioners Court that the first phase, capable of generating 10 megawatts, is complete. Upon completion, the installation will produce 30 megawatts.
Responding to Precinct 2 Commissioner Brigid Shea’s query about the factory’s appearance in earlier photos, Walter Gonzalez from Tesla’s public policy team clarified that the solar panels had not been installed at that time. A recent rendering showcased a roof blanketed with dark solar panels, with clear spaces forming the Tesla logo.
Tesla officials revealed that the 10-million-square-foot factory’s roof will eventually be equipped with 70,000 solar panels, reports the Austin Monitor.
The factory, which currently produces the Tesla Model Y SUV, is poised to achieve several milestones.
“Giga Texas is home to the first large-scale battery manufacturing in the U.S., as well as the inaugural American cathode production, the battery’s priciest component,” stated Rohan Patel, Tesla’s senior global director of public policy and business development. Additionally, the factory, situated between State Highway 130 and the Colorado River, is slated to produce the much-anticipated Cybertruck, with the latter’s first deliveries slated at an event on November 30, 2023.