Nova Scotia Power has installed Tesla Powerwall batteries at 10 of its customers’ homes in a trial that the utility says will help it meet a 40 percent renewables by 2020 goal.
The utility also said it is installing a larger Tesla Powerpack at a local substation. According to Nova Scotia Power, the batteries will be connected to and feed into an electrical line powered, in part, by nearby wind turbines. Wind power provides about 14 percent of the electricity used in Nova Scotia, according to the utility’s website.
Sensors on the powerline will monitor and gather data about local system activity and be fed back to Nova Scotia Power’s control center for analysis and planning of Nova Scotia’s future energy needs.
“Battery storage technology is the next big thing in terms of how Nova Scotia Power will be able to provide that reliable, ‘always on’ service to our customers,” Jill Searle, senior program manager with Nova Scotia Power, said in a statement. “Tesla Powerwalls and Powerpack will allow us to test the capability of providing customers with back-up power through a battery so they have electricity when they need it most. It will be a game changer for our industry and our customers.”
Homeowners will be able to keep the Powerwalls after the trial is completed.
MPOWER Energy Solutions, the Tesla Powerwall Certified Installer for the project, said that the Tesla Powerwall 2 installations are the first in Atlantic Canada.
Nova Scotia Power is working with Sustainable Development Technology Canada and Opus One Solutions on the project.
Lead image credit: Nova Scotia Power | Testing battery storage with the Intelligent Feeder Project | YouTube
