Supercharger - Kettleman City, CA (LIVE 15 Nov 2017, 24 V2 + 16 V3 stalls, lounge)

[Tyl]

Keep the photos coming. The changes are daily! Many thanks to those posting photos.


What is the size of the solar array? My unscientific estimate is that will be able to supply about 100 megawatts worth electricity monthly on average. (just my 'GUESS', based on my 21 panels giving me 800 kWh monthly on average ) Looks like there are about 600 solar panels going in here, further north than AZ, and less direct sun. Any solar experts out there able to determine the size accurately; anyone with knowledge of the size being built here relative to latitude and longitude etc.?

Another question ... does anyone know how many, if any, bi-directional battery packs will be installed here?

 

[PLUS EV]

Keep the photos coming. The changes are daily! Many thanks to those posting photos.


What is the size of the solar array? My unscientific estimate is that will be able to supply about 100 megawatts worth electricity monthly on average. (just my 'GUESS', based on my 21 panels giving me 800 kWh monthly on average ) Looks like there are about 600 solar panels going in here, further north than AZ, and less direct sun. Any solar experts out there able to determine the size accurately; anyone with knowledge of the size being built here relative to latitude and longitude etc.?

Another question ... does anyone know how many, if any, bi-directional battery packs will be installed here?

It isn't really that much further north than Phoenix. And it's also not much more cloudy.

 

[plugzinSD]

Keep the photos coming. The changes are daily! Many thanks to those posting photos.


What is the size of the solar array? My unscientific estimate is that will be able to supply about 100 megawatts worth electricity monthly on average. (just my 'GUESS', based on my 21 panels giving me 800 kWh monthly on average ) Looks like there are about 600 solar panels going in here, further north than AZ, and less direct sun. Any solar experts out there able to determine the size accurately; anyone with knowledge of the size being built here relative to latitude and longitude etc.?

Another question ... does anyone know how many, if any, bi-directional battery packs will be installed here?

Tyl, I think you mean 100 Megawatt-hours of energy (?). To get one Megawatt of power from PV panels, takes about 6 to 7 acres. The energy production will vary by latitude, season, configuration (I.e. Fixed or tracking), and of course long term climate with regards to cloud cover. I've only seem one site, personally, being built with energy storage included, at San Clemente. Don't know yet if PV is being planned there.

 

[plugzinSD]

Keep the photos coming. The changes are daily! Many thanks to those posting photos.


What is the size of the solar array? My unscientific estimate is that will be able to supply about 100 megawatts worth electricity monthly on average. (just my 'GUESS', based on my 21 panels giving me 800 kWh monthly on average ) Looks like there are about 600 solar panels going in here, further north than AZ, and less direct sun. Any solar experts out there able to determine the size accurately; anyone with knowledge of the size being built here relative to latitude and longitude etc.?

Another question ... does anyone know how many, if any, bi-directional battery packs will be installed here?

That's six to seven acres at a latitude of 32 degrees north.

 

[jimmy_d]

That's a lot of solar panels. Although my napkin estimate says it's probably only about 3MWh a day so only a fraction of what this site will be using when things really get going. This is from Wed late afternoon.

 

[Tyl]

Some red and whites are up! Daily progress.

Photos.

 

[depeche]

Some red and whites are up! Daily progress.

Photos.

Thanks for the pictures Tyl!

Again I have a quick panorama. This time from 2 of Tyl's pictures.

Makes the site look even bigger!

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

That's a lot of solar panels. Although my napkin estimate says it's probably only about 3MWh a day so only a fraction of what this site will be using when things really get going. This is from Wed late afternoon.

If it's late afternoon that's an interesting orientation of the solar canopy.

Not fully south facing?

 

[ohmman]

If it's late afternoon that's an interesting orientation of the solar canopy.

Not fully south facing?

Could be a TOU orientation.

 

[brucet999]

That's a lot of solar panels. Although my napkin estimate says it's probably only about 3MWh a day so only a fraction of what this site will be using when things really get going. This is from Wed late afternoon.

View attachment 256421 View attachment 256422 View attachment 256423 View attachment 256424 View attachment 256425 View attachment 256426

What is that big earthen berm? Raised freeway?

 

[RubberToe]

Sure hope Elon makes it out for the lighting of the Obelisk. Lots of time on his hands now, camping out and such, since the Model 3 is rolling out in volume...

RT

 

[jimmy_d]

What is that big earthen berm? Raised freeway?

The adjacent lot is about 15 feet higher. Seems like the lay of the land goes uphill in that direction anyway, but that other lot is just a giant mound of dirt, more or less. It had me wondering if maybe they'd put in a retaining wall or something.

Right now all that dirt is blowing around the site and the solar panels are already filthy.

 

[gaswalla]

Remember the original phallic obelisk?

 

[jimmy_d]

If it's late afternoon that's an interesting orientation of the solar canopy.

Not fully south facing?

Most of them face south but the ones along the west edge of the lot face west.

 

[Doug Martoccia]

West facing panels help with the duck curve. In a few years, I expect abundant supply of solar during the day and peak rates to shift into the sunset hour.
California ISO - Todays Outlook

 

[GoTslaGo]

I’m so used to seeing Supercharger installs in existing parking lots that it was jarring to see the superchargers “floating” in the bare soil. Makes more sense though to build it this way. Fascinating!

 

[miimura]

I’m so used to seeing Supercharger installs in existing parking lots that it was jarring to see the superchargers “floating” in the bare soil. Makes more sense though to build it this way. Fascinating!

It looks like the pavement was in such bad shape that they elected to re-grade the whole parking lot.

 

[rrosenbl]

Thanks for the pictures Tyl!

Again I have a quick panorama. This time from 2 of Tyl's pictures.

View attachment 256510 Makes the site look even bigger!

Amazing to see how dusty the PV panels are already (covered in dust within in days, significantly affecting energy production), maybe once construction is complete panels will stay clean longer.

 

[rrosenbl]

In the "Supercharger - Baker" thread the following was posted and I thought it applied to this thread as well (my reply is at the bottom):

I am getting this feeling that two key Supercharger openings in Baker and Kettleman City may enable some city pairs for Tesla Semi announcement on November 15.

190 miles Long Beach to Baker.

195 miles Long Beach to Kettleman City.

180 miles Fremont to Kettleman City.

rrosenbl: You're implying that some of the SC stalls would be Semi Truck accessable? Semis may require multiple plugs (2 or 4) for large battery packs and quicker turnaround. Such multi plug stalls may be in the expansion plans so would look out for extra SC cabinets/capacity.

 

[cpa]

Amazing to see how dusty the PV panels are already (covered in dust within in days, significantly affecting energy production), maybe once construction is complete panels will stay clean longer.

This is a noble goal, rrosnbl. However, Kettleman City is south of a large agricultural area (much of which is the former Lake Tulare.) There is always a lot of dust and dirt in the air from spring until harvest, which can be as late as mid-November for cotton. Almond trees are shaken to dislodge the nuts, swept into rows, and picked up by machines to load into trailers. Lotsa dust and dirt during almond harvest. Lotsa dust and dirt cultivating any row crops planted too.

We live in an urban setting 15 miles from most agricultural activity, and our panels get coated with dust and dirt within two weeks of cleaning. It would be nothing short of a miracle if those panels at Kettleman City stay clean for long periods of time on their own.

I would hope that Tesla would have a crew to clean off the panels on a regular basis.