Following its deployments to Australia, California and Texas, Tesla’s utility-scale battery storage system has quietly entered Taiwan, just in time

First Tesla Battery in Taiwan’s Grid: Who Leads The Charge Now?

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2021-05-27 12:00:06

Following its deployments to Australia, California and Texas, Tesla’s utility-scale battery storage system has quietly entered Taiwan, just in time for a major power outrage across the country.

The introduction of the Tesla battery also marks a new era in Taiwan’s energy industry, when utility-scale storage has grown in importance, thanks to the country’s extremely power-hungry semiconductor industry and the Taiwanese government’s pledge to generate 20% of the country’s electricity from renewables by 2025.

The government’s ambitious renewable energy goal has made frequency control a top priority for Taipower, the state-owned utility company. In order to maintain a stable utility frequency at 60 Hz, Taipower’s traditionally centralized grid system has faced growing challenges from the distributed and volatile nature of renewable energy sources as more of them are connected to the grid.

In response, Taipower has targeted to boost its storage capacity to 590 MWh by 2025, a dramatic increase compared to its 5 MWh target in 2019. While Taipower will build 160 MWh of capacity on its own, the remaining 430 MWh capacity will be filled by the private sector, and it has kicked started Taiwan’s energy storage industry.