(Bloomberg) -- Tesla Inc. batteries will help Squaw Valley Ski Corp. reduce carbon emissions and keep mountain lifts running when storms and trees knock out power lines around California's Lake Tahoe resorts.
Tesla will install lithium-ion batteries totaling 8 megawatts at Squaw Valley to store power from solar farms and other sources on the local utility's electric grid. The project may also be a key piece of a proposed micro grid that, if approved by regulators, could keep local power flowing even when the larger transmission system goes down, according to a statement Monday.
Squaw Valley expects to get all of its electricity from carbon free sources by the end of this year, thanks in part to a recent deal through a local utility to buy power from nearby solar farms. The resort operator now uses diesel generators to keep lifts and other critical equipment running during power outages.
“We had quite a few brownouts and blackouts last year,” said Andy Wirth, president of the company that operates both Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows recreation areas. “This system will provide four to six hours for the community and or the resorts.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Martin in New York at cmartin11@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Joe Ryan, Steve Stroth
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
