The Gigafactory

Tesla is making some major moves with its massive Gigafactory in Nevada. The approximately 455,225 square meter (4.9 million square feet) operational space is inching closer to completion. The space is already being used to manufacture Powerpack 3 and Powerwall 2 battery units. It will soon also start churning out Tesla Model 3 vehicles.

Thanks to a powerline project taking place near the factory, we now have an update on the progress of the its construction from an aerial photo provided by NM Group. The last look we had was taken at the beginning of the year and showed a partially incomplete exterior. The new photo appears to show a completed structure.

Here is a side by side view of the progress, thus far.

Renewably Powering Renewables

While the factory is helping to create products that promote and allow the proliferation of renewable energy, it is going to be doing so with sustainability in mind. Tesla is hoping to power the factory using “100 percent sustainable energy.” The roof will be outfitted with a 70 MW solar array and additional solar panels will be constructed on the ground.

Further, powering the factory isn’t the only place where Tesla is focusing on sustainability. The factory’s water will come from a closed-loop water supply system. According to Tesla, “Gigafactory’s closed-loop water supply system uses six different treatment systems to efficiently re-circulate about 1.5 million liters of water, representing an 80% reduction in fresh water usage compared with standard processes.” They are also working on a state-of-the-art climate control system to save even more energy.

By 2020, the plant is expected to reach full production with 150 GWh of battery pack output. This would go a long way to making the world much safer by providing the means to store renewable energy.