Tesla, SolarCity Power Entire Island

(RTTNews) - Tesla, which completed its acquisition of SolarCity on Monday, has announced that Ta'u, an island in American Samoa, is now entirely powered by solar energy.

The island, which depended on diesel generators, has been made self sufficient by Tesla after installing a solar power and battery storage-enabled microgrid that can supply nearly 100 percent of the island's power needs.

The microgrid - 1.4 megawatts of solar generation capacity from SolarCity and Tesla and 6 megawatt hours of battery storage from 60 Tesla Powerpacks - was implemented within just one year from start to finish.

The power from the new Ta'u microgrid, which is being operated by American Samoa Power Authority, provides energy independence for the nearly 600 residents of Ta'u.

The project was funded by the American Samoa Economic Development Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Interior.