Tesla Reveals A New Virtual Power Plant In Japan

Tesla Inc TSLA had a successful virtual power plant event this month in California. Hundreds of Tesla Powerwall home batteries installed in customers' homes banded together to create a virtual power plant. Owners opted in, and during the event, Tesla and the local power company controlled these batteries to give some relief to a power grid that needed additional support. 

As shared by The Verge, Tesla revealed a new virtual power plant in Japan. Tesla had been installing Powerwall batteries in homes on the island Miyako-jima since 2021. There are now more than 300 installed and ready to go, making it the largest virtual power plant available in Japan.

Owners can opt into the program and set what percentage of their battery they would like to share. Before a power plant event, the batteries will charge to full to prepare and excess energy will then be used during the event to offset peak energy needs.

Tesla plans to have 400 Powerwall units installed on the island by the end of the year and 600 installed by the end of 2023. The company then plans to expand to the remainder of the Okinawa prefecture.

Photo courtesy of Tesla