A solar project in Riverside, California, is being lauded for using American-made steel, Golden State Megapacks, and plentiful sunbeams.
Intersect Power reports that it's Oberon Solar + Storage project is catching enough sunlight to power 207,000 homes a year, and the renewable energy is being stored in Tesla Megapacks, as Teslarati reports, which are made in Lathrop, California. Â
"The [Oberon Solar + Storage] project is much more than a new source of clean power for California. It is also a case study in how the clean energy industry can maximize project benefits by prioritizing domestic supply chains and union labor to ensure the rewards of the clean energy transition are felt by all Americans," project developer Intersect Power CEO Sheldon Kimber said in a press release.Â
Tesla has boosted production of the packs, with the ability to crank out 10,000 a year in Lathrop (per Reuters) as part of its plan to help store more renewable energy. Each pack can hold enough energy to power 3,600 homes for an hour, according to Tesla.
The project also took advantage of government incentives for cleaner power, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Intersect Power claims the project is an intersection of interests. For about six years, company officials worked with native tribes, government officials, utilities, and conservation groups to set aside 10 million acres of southern California desert for conservation and recreation. Renewable energy development was integral to the planning, per the company.
"This project is another example of the [Bureau of Land Management's] steadfast commitment to the furtherance of renewable energy and prioritizing a healthier planet," the Bureau of Land Management's State Director for California, Karen Mouritsen, said in the press release.
It's another feather in the cap for Tesla's Megapacks. Con Edison is using 11 of them in New York to store energy as part of a plan to reduce the risk of summer blackouts, supporting renewable energy use there, per the utility.
Teslarati reported on a large project in Australia, with enough Megapack "output to supply 240,000 homes with two hours of electricity during peak usage."
In the California desert, Oberon was constructed with U.S.-made steel. There were more than 930 union jobs filled during peak construction, per Intersect.
"This project demonstrates that Intersect continues to pioneer procurement standards for our industry that live up to the vision of the IRA and deliver transformative clean energy projects that move the needle on the deep decarbonization of our economy," Kimber said in the press release.
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