SA Premier Jay Weatherill during the launch of Tesla's 100 megawatt lithium-ion battery at Jamestown. Credit:AAP The 100-megawatt battery system provides 129-megawatt hours of energy, reduces intermittency issues, and manages increased demand during summer peak loading periods, potentially providing enough energy to power 30,000 homes for eight hours, or 60,000 homes for four hours. It is paired with French energy firm Neoen's Hornsdale wind farm, located near Jamestown, about 200 kilometres north of Adelaide. Mr Musk was not in attendance at the switch-on. Mr Desrousseaux said the launch is a major achievement in Australia's energy landscape.

Tesla Powerpacks used to form the mega battery.. Credit:Carla Gottgens "Neoen is pleased to be able to reinforce its Australian footprint through the achievement of the Hornsdale Wind Farm & Battery and is extremely proud to contribute further to the development of renewable energy in Australia," Mr Desrousseaux said. Tesla said this battery will support the state and provide increased security for summer, helping South Australia meet heavy demand. The batteries are co-located with Neoen's wind farm, storing energy generated by wind power. Credit:David Mariuz "The South Australian government should be congratulated for ensuring their energy supply is not only sustainable, but will help solve power shortages, reduce variability, and manage summertime peak load," a Tesla spokesman said.

Public debate over the battery's potential has become intense. Federal politicians who favour fossil fuels argue that its impact is being exaggerated, while supporters gush that the state's embrace of Musk could change the future of energy in Australia - and the world. Regardless, experts say, the moment of disruption is here. It all started with some tweets The state and Tesla's ambitious plan started with a single series of tweets. Mr Weatherill was days away from announcing a new energy strategy for his state after a once-in-a-century storm had wreaked havoc on South Australia, bringing down power lines and infrastructure, causing a state-wide blackout when he got the news that Tesla chief Elon Musk wanted to solve the state's energy woes.

Musk had offered to build the most powerful battery ever made, and do it faster than ever imagined. Recalling that moment, Weatherill said he started to sweat. If he embraced Musk's proposal, would it look like a billionaire American entrepreneur was strong-arming his state into redefining its energy policy? Was Musk's offer real, or merely a publicity stunt? Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes asked if he was truly serious. "Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free," Musk tweeted. "That serious enough for you?" The plan quickly snowballed.

"Of course, the whole thing then exploded, and everyone's piling on me, saying 'Grab it!'" Weatherill said at a conference in Adelaide, in September. Ashlee Vance, the author of a 2015 biography of Mr Musk. said it was of little surprise Mr Musk would take on such a transformational project. "This fits into his MO of doing these big, grandstanding things to get attention for the company and the technology that he's building," Mr Vance said . "Tesla's at this really critical stage where they're trying to be both a car company and an energy company at the same time." The day after Mr Weatherill and Musk spoke on the phone about the proposal, the SA Premier had only one demand: If Tesla were to win the contract, Musk would appear in South Australia to announce it to the world.

"He usually doesn't come for announcements of winning a tender," Mr Weatherill said, "but he said he'd come." Musk nearly broke his promise, after a rocket launch by his company SpaceX was delayed. But in September, Musk arrived in Adelaide to announce the $50 million deal and to start the 100-day countdown to the project's completion. "What this serves as is a great example to the rest of the world of what can be done," Musk said at the time, adding that half the battery had already been finished. Successful test run The battery had its first real test a day before its launch, providing 59 megawatts of power into South Australia's grid in order to meet Thursday's peak demand period.

Speaking today on Radio National, Mr Weatherill said it has proved it is flexible technology. "It does two things: One - it provides what are FCAS services, which are frequency control ancillary services, which at the moment provided in the system by thermal generation," Mr Weatherill said. "It also provides reserves shortfalls in circumstances where there needs to be more power brought on. It can do a couple of different things." While the future baseload contract prices are significantly higher for South Australia, reaching nearly $173.25 per megawatt hour in the March 2018 despite the battery's installation, AEMO stated this is due to upcoming heatwaves set to hit the region, driving up prices for the quarter.

The new battery comes as the Australian Energy Market Operator forecasts a Lack Of Reserve 1 for South Australia due to the hotte-than-expected November. This means AEMO has indicated power generators in South Australia's market should generate more to provide a buffer for increased energy demand ahead. "This scenario is exactly what AEMO has planned for in our summer readiness plan," AEMO chief executive Audrey Zibelman said. As part of its wider energy storage push, South Australia has also green-lighted more than $8 million in support of four new projects through the Renewable Technology Fund.

These include two major solar and battery storage projects, a thermal storage that holds heat generated from waste water, and a hydrogen production project. "We are seeing major international businesses like Tesla and SolarReserve investing in South Australia because we have world-class renewable energy resources," South Australian Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said. "The Renewable Technology Fund is harnessing this momentum so we can drive new projects and establish South Australia as a global hub for the storage of renewable energy." The coming weeks and months will be crucial for judging the battery's success. "Summer is when Australia gets its peak demand," said Wood, the energy researcher. "It will be a very important and high-profile demonstration in the role that batteries can play."

But some experts said the stakes would be even higher for Mr Musk. He could shop the idea globally - if it works. Loading "He needs these battery packs to really become effective," said Mr Vance, Musk's biographer. "He needs this to justify the entire reason of Tesla's existence." With the New York Times