Tesla Powerpack 2.26 MWh Installed In Abuja, Nigeria

 

The solar plant, which will generate 2.45 GWh of energy per year, and 2.26MWh Tesla Powerpacks have been installed in Abuja, Nigeria to cut expenditure and reduce the Federal Ministry's energy dependence on fossil energy sources and reduce CO2 emission by 2,600 tons.

A solar station using Tesla Powerpack energy storage was installed in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. EM-ONE Energy Solutions has signed a contract with the Federal Ministry of Energy and Housing of Nigeria to design and install a 1.52 MW solar power plant with a 2.26 MWh battery capacity in 2019. The solar plant has been installed on carports and rooftop sheds and will generate 2.45 GWh of energy per year. The solution is fully integrated and scalable, so capacity can grow over time as demand grows.

EM-ONE also completed the electrical upgrades of four office buildings at the headquarters of the Department of Energy, Works and Housing to improve energy efficiency. During the modernization, old electrical appliances and connections were replaced with energy-efficient ones, which will reduce the energy consumption of the complex by 40%.

The Enhanced Microgrid and Energy Storage System (ESS) for this project was provided by Tesla and the energy efficiency components were provided by Schneider Electric. This project was the first of the office complexes of the federal government of Nigeria to use renewable energy as the main source of energy. The system will now save thousands of dollars annually on a cleaner, more reliable power supply. The project is part of the federal government's commitment to renewable energy and mini-grid policies.

NASA Astronauts visit SpaceX South Texas Starship Launch Site

SpaceX is developing a technologically advanced spacecraft that will enable humans to return to the lunar surface. The aerospace company is working on the development of Starship at the SpaceX South Texas Launch Facility located in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville, TX. NASA awarded SpaceX a contract under the Artemis program to develop a Starship Lunar Lander to launch astronauts and cargo to the Moon by 2024. The agency announced last year Starship is eligible for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) NASA program to deliver payloads between Earth and the Moon. “The SpaceX human lander design is a single-stage solution with Starship, their fully reusable launch and landing system designed for travel to the Moon, Mars and beyond,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said last year. Bridenstine shared that SpaceX’s Starship Lunar Lander “proposal included an in-space propellant transfer demonstration and uncrewed test landing.”

Boca Chica visitors captured a photograph of the first prototype of the lunar-optimized NASA Starship at the rocket assembly facility, shown below. A notable difference between the Mars Starship design versus the lunar-optimized Starship is that it does not feature the aerodynamic fins, nor an extra heat-shield coat like the Mars’ vehicle design. "A lunar optimized Starship can fly many times between the surface of the Moon and lunar orbit without flaps or heat shielding required for Earth return. With large habitable and storage volume, Starship is capable of delivering significant amounts of cargo for research and to support robust operations on the lunar surface to enable a sustainable Moonbase," SpaceX stated. 

Today, January 15, NASA astronauts Jonny Kim and Bob Hines traveled to the southernmost tip of Texas aboard the agency's Northrop T-38 jet, they conducted a fly over above Boca Chica Beach and took aerial photographs of the SpaceX Starship assembly facility and launch pad, where the shiny stainless-steel SN9 prototype of the spacecraft awaits a flight test. –“Great day for a training flight with Bob Hines. Caught a nice view of the launch pad at SpaceX Boca Chica,” Astronaut Kim captioned the set of aerial photographs via Twitter. The astronauts landed at the SpaceX facility and happily greeted spaceflight enthusiasts in front of the Starship SN9 vehicle at the launch pad, photos below.

The sandy piece of land has been rapidly transformed into a rocket factory, with massive vehicle assembly buildings and the on-going constrution of the first orbital-class Starship launchpad. SpaceX envisions transforming Boca Chica Beach into a '21st century spaceport and resort' where employees can enjoy living and working towards making life multiplanetary. Multiple stainless-steel Starship prototypes are simultaneously under assembly. Each will undergo testing that will provide engineers insight towards the development of a space-ready launch vehicle.