Tesla Executive Explains Plug-and-Play Microgrids

After a comment made by Tesla’s director of engineering and construction gained a lot of attention, Michael Snyder has now gone to LinkedIn to further explain his remarks. Earlier this week, Tesla executive Michael Snyder revealed Tesla’s efforts to deploy plug-and-play microgrids.

According to Snyder, Tesla is focusing on turning existing operational microgrids into plug-and-play power systems with a wide range of applications: “A plug-and-play microgrid has been a foundational element since the inception of the Powerpack platform. A microgrid has never been a separate “product” from an engineering perspective; it’s simply another application that folds into the Powerpack hardware, software, and system test ecosystem and product evolution. Because of this approach we have the same hardware and software used on large on-grid projects like Hornsdale and KIUC as we do on every microgrid around the world. We can leverage our full engineering horsepower across the entire product to improve all projects and applications, rolling them out like our over-the-air updates to the vehicle fleet. These microgrid projects range from providing resiliency to businesses in both strong and weak grids, to 80%+ renewable microgrids operating in remote rural and island locations around the globe supporting critical public and community infrastructure.”

As far as the wide range of applications that a plug-and-play microgrid can support, Snyder stated: “To put this into more specific context, this same platform was used to electrify critical sites in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, predominantly solar microgrids in Eritrea and Nigeria, an affordable housing community in Hawaii, backup power for substation/distribution feeders, backup power for a train in Japan in case of a utility power outage, providing more reliable and cheaper power for residents in Sabang, Phillipines, the list goes on. The variety and flexibility in application is staggering.”

Snyder went on to add that the focus is on simplifying microgrids and encourages anyone with and interest in the technology to seriously consider applying to join the Tesla team.

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