Tesla supplying Power Pack for SpaceX Starbase 8MWh BESS expansion
Tesla looks set to supply its Power Pack battery energy storage system (BESS) to sister company SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in Texas, which is expanding on-site storage by up to 8MWh.
The SpaceX facility’s vertical launch area (VLA) is currently powered by a 1MW solar farm and a 3.87MWh BESS. SpaceX is now seeking to add another 750kW of solar panels and an additional BESS of up to 8MWh, with construction expected to take 24 months.
That is according to a document from the United States Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service calling on Tesla to take steps to mitigate the impact of the expansion, which was first obtained by CNBC and is available for download here.
Neither Tesla nor SpaceX appear to have confirmed the story officially. The document cites concerns over hazardous material release in the event of a fire or damage to the solar and battery sites.
It says that Tesla will supply the additional BESS using its lithium-ion Power Pack batteries. However, the new solar panels will be supplied by Trina rather than Tesla, which has its own solar PV panel products. The document says the existing solar panels are ‘…SpaceX solar panels’.
