Will Tesla Solar power Ta'u in American Samoa?

Tesla has announced their solar panels are nearly entirely powering the island of Ta'u in American Samoa. The island used to depend entirely on imported diesel fuel for its electricity, but a new initiative has seen the islanders build a 1.4-megawatt microgrid that absorbs and stores solar power for all their energy needs.

Does American Samoa have a solar microgrid?

The island of Ta'u in American Samoa now boasts a solar microgrid from Tesla's SolarCity. Join us in The People v. Climate Change and share an environmental portrait of someone taking positive steps to protect the Earth on YourShot or social media. Use #MyClimateAction to share a first-person perspective on how we as humans face climate change.

Can solar power power the island of Ta'u?

The island of Ta’u in American Samoa, located more than 4,000 miles from the West Coast of the United States, now hosts a solar power and battery storage-enabled microgrid that can supply nearly 100 percent of the island’s power needs from renewable energy.

Does Ta'u island have a solar microgrid?

This seven-acre solar plant now provides all the power used on Ta'u Island. The island of Ta'u in American Samoa now boasts a solar microgrid from Tesla's SolarCity. Join us in The People v. Climate Change and share an environmental portrait of someone taking positive steps to protect the Earth on YourShot or social media.

Does Maui have a solar-energy microgrid?

Now, the island runs on a completely renewable microgrid that meets 100% of residents’ energy needs through solar power and battery storage. In 2016, the founders of Maui, Hawaii-based company Mana Pacific helped design and implement Ta’u’s solar-energy microgrid composed of over 5,300 solar panels.

How many people live in Samoa?

(The island's population varies with the season but usually falls between 200 and 600 people.) The solar project was installed by SolarCity, a California-based company recently purchased by Elon Musk’s Tesla. The $8 million project was funded by the U.S. Department of Interior and the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA).