Tesla Switches on Giant Battery to Shore up Australia’s Grid

Warning signs adorn the fence surrounding the compound housing the Hornsdale Power Reserve, featuring the world's largest lithium ion battery made by Tesla, during the official launch near the South Australian town of Jamestown, in Australia, Dec. 1, 2017. (Reuters/David Gray

HORNSDALE, Australia–Tesla Inc switched on the world’s biggest lithium ion battery on Friday in time to feed Australia’s shaky power grid for the first day of summer, meeting a promise by Elon Musk to build it in 100 days or give it free.

“South Australia is now leading the world in dispatchable renewable energy,” state Premier Jay Weatherill said at the official launch at the Hornsdale wind farm, owned by private French firm Neoen.