The ever-trending Elon Musk is working to better the environment once again—this time, it’s a partnership between Tesla and SolarCity to provide energy storage systems for commercial buildings.
The energy storage systems will be powered by batteries produced by Tesla, and are reportedly refrigerator-sized. The batteries were originally made to allow big commercial centers to store wind or solar power for, literally, rainy days. But this new partnership will instead allow commercial buildings to capitalize on short-term storage, saving up power and reducing their power demands during peak times.
What difference does it make what time of day energy is used? Essentially, because more people try to use power during “peak times,” the energy costs more. Commercial businesses get charged more during those hours
DemandLogic, as it’s been named, “could allow businesses to use stored electricity in times of highest demand, which would reduce their usage at peak periods and the associated fees, called demand charges.”
According to Lyndon Rye, CEO of SolarCity, the partnership provides “a solution to reduce their energy cost and demand cost.” It does not provide complete independence from the grid, but it would allow for more grid stability as a whole. The program will roll out first in California, Connecticut, and Massachussetts.
Solar City is one of the country’s leaders when it comes to clean energy for single homes, businesses, schools, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies—and “at a lower cost than they pay for electricity generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.” It was founded in 2006 and continues to expand each year, with customers across the nation.