“This grid scale energy storage project is an example of a zero-emissions solution that is helping to reduce power outages and improving the reliability of South Australia’s electrical infrastructure,” Tesla says.

The company is not, however, emissions free. It says total emissions – direct and indirect – from its charging network, manufacturing and energy use total 282,000 tonnes of Co2=. It says it will set up specific targets to drive down its greenhouse gas footprint on a per- product basis.

It is, however, adding solar and battery storage to its own manufacturing facilities, although the solar array at Gigafactory 1 – promising to be the world’s largest rooftop solar installation – is still under construction. Tesla says it will include more than 200,000 solar panels.

One of the more controversial aspects of battery storage units is the sourcing of materials, particularly cobalt – mostly mined in the Congo in Africa, usually in appalling and exploitative conditions.

Tesla says it is using little cobalt, and tends to eliminate it entirely. In the meantime, it is seeking to re-use cobalt and has talked to suppliers and processors to eliminate child labor, illegal mining and other risks.

It also says that the fact that lithium-ion batteries are recyclable is a plus.