Tesla Giga Berlin plans to increase the capacity of the solar installation on its roof to 97 MW. As with Giga Texas, the company also plans to install a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
Tesla expands Giga Berlin
Tesla has planned huge growth in Germany. The manufacturer has submitted documents for expansion, which are now available for public viewing on the internet or at local authorities. According to them, Tesla is not requesting an increase in the amount of water needed. At the same time, the company will be doubling the production capacity for electric vehicles and batteries. This means Giga Berlin’s demand for energy will increase significantly.
Giga Berlin already has a solar installation
At the moment, the German Tesla factory already has a solar installation. It is already registered and partially launched. According to the data, part of the solar installation was first launched on April 6, 2023, probably for testing. Its registration took place on June 20, and on that date, it was already active. The specifications state that the installation consists of 2,740 photovoltaic modules with a total capacity of 1,000 kWh. Useful rated power is at 880kW. In addition, it is stated that Giga Berlin does not use energy storage for excess energy. The description also states that the unit provides “partial power (including own consumption).”
97 MW solar plant planned
According to the documents, a solar installation with a capacity of 9 MW should already be installed on the roof of Giga Berlin. This is the power amount listed as the current status, according to documents reviewed by Teslamag.de. However, the planned capacity should be much higher. Elsewhere in the document, Tesla wrote about improving the efficiency of the factory, including through 50 MW of power from photovoltaic sources. Another water report from a service provider even says up to 97 MW.
Giga Berlin plans for a BESS
At the moment, Giga Berlin does not have an energy storage device for the existing solar installation. However, the factory’s own battery storage system is planned. Several places in the documents mention batteries that will help power the factory during peak periods and store surpluses. There was no more detailed information about this.
The expansion of the solar installation and the construction of the BESS will be possible only after the approval and completion of the transformations planned in accordance with the first partial application. Tesla said at an event last week that most of the planned changes are needed to bring actual production capacity close to the already approved 500,000 electric vehicles per year.
