page_title: Tesla Megapack
section_title: Competition
hierarchical_section_title: Tesla Megapack / Competition
caption_attribution_description: English: Overhead View of Tehachapi Energy Storage Project, Tehachapi, CA
context_page_description: The Tesla Megapack is a large-scale lithium-ion battery storage product manufactured and installed by Tesla, Inc.
  Launched in 2019, each Megapack can store up to 3 megawatt-hours of electricity. Designed to be deployed by utility companies, Megapacks can be used to store energy generated by intermittent renewable power sources, such as solar and wind. The energy stored can be used by the grid as required, for example during periods of peak electricity demand.
  In February 2020, Pacific Gas and Electric Company received approval to deploy 449 Megapacks at the Moss Landing substation in Monterey County, California, to provide 182.5 MW of power and 730 MWh of energy storage capacity, which will be the world's largest by a significant margin.
context_section_description: AES Corporation, an American energy company, has been deploying utility-scale lithium-ion batteries since 2007. In 2017, AES Energy Storage, a subsidiary of AES, deployed 30 MW / 120 MWh of lithium-ion batteries in Escondido, California. In January 2018, Fluence Energy, a joint venture of AES and Siemens, announced plans to deploy 100 MW / 400 MWh of batteries at the Alamitos Energy Center in Long Beach, California. Construction began in June 2019, and the project is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2020.
  LG Chem, a Korean chemical company, has been producing lithium-ion batteries since 1999. The company now produces batteries for both consumer and utility-scale use. In 2014, LG Chem supplied 32 MWh of lithium-ion batteries for the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project in Tehachapi, California. At the date of commission, this was the largest battery energy storage facility in North America. In 2017, LG Chem announced that it had more than doubled capacity at its manufacturing plant in Nanjing, China, demonstrating a renewed focus on electric vehicle battery production.
  BYD Company Ltd, a Chinese manufacturer of batteries, vehicles, and other battery-powered products, supplies a utility-scale lithium-iron phosphate battery storage product, known as BYD ESS. BYD supplied batteries that were used at the 31.5 MW / 12.2 MWh Grand Ridge Battery Storage Facility in LaSalle County, Illinois.
  Greensmith Energy, an American supplier of energy storage products, deployed 20 MW / 80 MWh of lithium-ion batteries at the Altagas Pomona Substation, in Los Angeles County, California in early 2017. Prior to completing the Pomona Substation project, Greensmith had already deployed 180 MW of grid battery storage in the USA. In May 2017, Greensmith was acquired by Wärtsilä Corporation, a Finnish provider of marine and energy equipment. Wärtsilä continues to advertise grid energy storage solutions under the Greensmith trading name.
  Toshiba, a diversified Japanese technology company, supplies utility-scale lithium-ion batteries, described by the company as "battery energy storage systems" or BESS. In 2015, Toshiba deployed 40 MW / 20 MWh of batteries at the Nishi-Sendai Substation in Sendai, Japan. In 2016, Toshiba deployed a further 40 MW / 40 MWh of battery storage capacity at the Minami-Soma Substation in Minamisōma, Japan. 
  NGK Insulators, a Japanese ceramics manufacturer, supplies a utility-scale sodium-sulphur battery storage product. This type of battery is known as a NaS battery, an abbreviation derived from the chemical compounds used in production - sodium (Na) and sulphur (S). In May 2008, 34 MW / 204 MWh of NGK NaS batteries were commissioned for use at a wind farm in Rokkasho, Aomori, Japan. In March 2016, a further 50 MW / 300 MWh of NGK NaS batteries were commissioned at the Buzen Substation in Buzen, Japan. 
  In comparison to lithium-ion battery technology used by the Tesla Megapack, NaS batteries can allow for cheaper energy storage. The downside of NaS compared to lithium-ion batteries is the chemicals inside the battery must be kept at 350 °C at all times, which can be dangerous. In 2011, NGK-made NaS batteries caught fire at the Mitsubishi Materials carbide manufacturing plant in Tsukuba, Japan. The fire was fully extinguished two weeks later. Megapacks do not come with a fire suppression system, because Tesla believes that a Megapack fire could be extinguished with water.
  Beginning in April 2016, Japan commenced a process of energy market deregulation, at the same time as the country's consumers were demanding a transition to more renewable energy sources. In February 2020, Tesla representatives attended the International Smart Grid Expo, in Tokyo, Japan, to promote the company's grid energy storage products.
caption: The Tehachapi Energy Storage Project.
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