Tag Archives: Tesla

Amazon Joins Walmart in Blaming Tesla Solar Panels for Fires

August 23, 2019 7:09 pm ,

By Dana Hull and Matt Day, Bloomberg

Walmart Inc. isn’t the only corporation that has seen its Tesla Inc. solar panels catch fire.

On Friday, Amazon.com Inc. said a June 2018 blaze on the roof of one of its warehouses in Redlands, California, involved a solar system that Tesla’s SolarCity division installed. The Seattle-based retail giant said by email that it has since taken steps to protect its facilities and has no plans to install more Tesla systems.

Tesla also said in a statement it worked with Amazon following the “isolated event” last year that occurred in an inverter at one of the sites. “Tesla worked collaboratively with Amazon to root cause the event and remediate,” it said. “We also performed inspections at the other sites, which confirmed the integrity of the systems,” adding that all 11 Amazon sites are generating energy and are monitored and maintained.

News of the Amazon fire comes days after Walmart sued Tesla, accusing it of shoddy panel installations that led to fires at more than a half-dozen stores. The claims threaten to further erode Tesla’s solar business as the company is fighting to gain back market share.

Read full article from Bloomberg

Related Article: Amazon Echoes Walmart’s Claims That Tesla Solar Panels Sparked Rooftop Fire (Gizmodo) – Aug. 24, 2019

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Local schools save with solar panels, batteries

December 16, 2015 4:23 pm ,

By Pat Maio, The San Diego Union-Tribune

With power rates skyrocketing for San Diego County school districts, Escondido’s has become the latest to agree to a power purchase agreement with a Silicon Valley-based solar company. The deal could help bring $9.8 million in savings over the next 20 years, a district official said.

Escondido Union High School District has dodged some of the larger power bills hitting school districts in San Diego County because of past initiatives to replace old heating and air-conditioning units, and replace light fixtures with more-efficient ones, said Michael Simonson, associate superintendent of business services with the Escondido school district. Over the past two school years, for instance, the Escondido school district has cut its demand for power by 958,000 kilowatt hours.

Meanwhile, its power bill from San Diego Gas & Electric Co. has risen by about $195,000, or 13 percent, from $1.43 million in the 2013-14 school year to $1.62 million, this past year. “The increased costs paid to utilities are dollars that we can’t spend on the classroom,” Simonson said. “We are trying to put that destiny in our hands and balance out some of those potential rate increases. When you look at what is in front of us, this is a good start for the next 20 years.”

San Jose-based SunPower Corp. hopes to begin construction of the solar panels by next summer at Del Lago Academy, and Orange Glen, San Pasqual and Escondido high schools. The panels will be situated atop carports planned for the student parking lots, and will provide shade during the day, and protection from rainy weather. The carports will be wide enough to shade two rows of cars.

The solar panels are just one part of the Escondido district’s energy-conservation plans. Tesla Motors Inc. also has a deal in place to build stationary battery storage systems for three of the Escondido school district’s high schools — a project that officials hope could save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in electricity costs.

Read full article in the San Diego Union-Tribune

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Tesla batteries to power office buildings in California

October 12, 2015 10:52 am ,

By Katie Fehrenbacher, Fortune

Tesla’s batteries aren’t just for cars anymore. They’ll be used in battery farms at buildings around California. A big real estate developer and a well-connected tech startup have a plan to install batteries from electric car company Tesla at office buildings in a Los Angeles suburb.

On Monday, developer The Irvine Company and startup Advanced Microgrid Solutions announced that they plan to build large battery farms —each the size of about five parking spaces—at buildings in Irvine, Calif. The startup’s software can switch the buildings to battery power when electricity demand on the power grid is high like during hot summer afternoons when air conditioners are blasting. This relieves some of the stress on the power grid during peak times.

The deal is part of Advanced Microgrid Solution’s work with the local utility Southern California Edison to provide it with the equivalent of 50 megawatts of battery systems. As part of that, Advanced Microgrid Solutions plans to install about 10 megawatts of batteries in Irvine in 2016. Ten megawatts is enough energy to power about 10,000 homes.

Read full article from Fortune

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