Energy Efficiency, Industrial, Solar  -  February 28, 2018

Tesla begins construction on Gigafactory 1 solar array

Tesla has begun construction on what is expected to become the world’s largest solar rooftop array at its Gigafactory 1 in Storey County, Nevada.

According to a report in Electrik, Tesla’s plans call for Gigafactory 1 to be powered entirely from renewable energy, including that 70MW rooftop array. A statement from Tesla noted that this "solar rooftop array is ~7x larger than the largest rooftop solar system installed today.”

The Nevada location, says Electrik, "is where Tesla produces battery cells with Panasonic, energy storage products for Tesla Energy, as well as its own Model 3 battery packs and drive units.”

Tesla already operates Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, where solar products are manufactured in partnership with Panasonic; that plant is powered by hydro-electricity.

Electrik notes, "To be fair, there are much bigger solar farms out there that are installed on the ground, but Tesla is talking about rooftop solar arrays. The Gigafactory 1 has a giant roof in the middle of the desert so it makes sense to install a giant solar array on top of it."

Tesla announced plans for the solar array more than a year ago, but it is only now, according to Electrik, that “the latest satellite imagery of the Gigafactory 1 construction site shows that solar panels are finally coming up on the north side of the factory."

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