In a move which will enable the American Samoa islands to go fossil-free and shift to renewable energy, Tesla has deployed two new large microgrid projects with Powerpacks in the country.

The sites of the deployment of Tesla’s two new Powerpack projects in Somao are --- the Fiaga Power Station and the Faleolo International Airport on the main island. The deployment of the projects cost $8.8 million.

Tesla’s deployment of the two new Powerpacks projects was supported by development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, the Government of Japan, Government of Australia, and Government of New Zealand.

The two new Powerpack energy storage systems deployed by Tesla in Somoa are bigger than an existing microgrid project with Powerpacks which the company had installed on the island of Ta’u in 2016. That system included a 1.4 MW solar array and a 6 MWh energy storage system with 60 Tesla Powerpacks.

In comparison to that project, the two new Powerpack projects are much bigger, and boast a total energy storage capacity of 13.5 MWh.

In reference to the two new Powerpack projects in Samoa, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi said, via Samoa Observer: “Without the new battery energy storage systems and micro grid controller, the system will not be able to operate efficiently with such a high percentage of solar penetration in Samoa of 55 percent.”