Tesla Gigafactory

[Chickenlittle]

Does a factory that is net zero energy, need an $8 million break on its electric rates? Is it really net zero if it generates a high demand during the day?

I have not seen pictures of solar panels on the site yet. A lot of energy will be needed to build the factory.

 

[chickensevil]

Does a factory that is net zero energy, need an $8 million break on its electric rates? Is it really net zero if it generates a high demand during the day?

As long as the cost comes back out to zero in the end isn't that what counts? I guess it would depend on the symantics of net zero. Even if they have to exchange a decent amount of power back and forth this is light years beyond what anyone else is doing and the scale of this project... If they hadn't considered the power generation then I am willing to bet they would have drawn enough power to warrent their own power plant...

 

[Red Sage]

It may be that is for grid power for things around the factory, as opposed to the factory itself, perhaps? Auxiliary and administrative buildings, parking, street lamps, etc.

 

[Skotty]

Does a factory that is net zero energy, need an $8 million break on its electric rates? Is it really net zero if it generates a high demand during the day?

I suspect it may be the case that the offer of reduced electric rates was independent of the plan to use local electricity production. I also suspect it will use local renewables in the same way the Supercharger network uses local renewables...as in...added maybe a couple of years after being made operational.

 

[jerry33]

Does a factory that is net zero energy, need an $8 million break on its electric rates? Is it really net zero if it generates a high demand during the day?

At the Fremont factory they have stacks of batteries to offset the peak during the day. I imagine that they would do the same thing here.

 

[roblab]

Does a factory that is net zero energy, need an $8 million break on its electric rates? Is it really net zero if it generates a high demand during the day?

Just for interest's sake, that set of cooling ponds about a mile away from the factory site belong to a coal generating plant. At least it used to be coal. But it is an electric plant, and I suspect they can offer a discount. Whether TM uses it or not is another issue. I suspect TM will eventually not need the plant, and if all goes well, Nevada will increase their use of solar and wind and battery storage a la TM Gigafactory so that the fossil fuel generating plant will not be as needed.

Then they CAN be called the GigaState!

One can only hope.

I also plan to go on that factory tour!

 

[Zroiron]

The Nevada Legislature just approved the incentives package for the Tesla Giga factory near Reno! The governor is expected to sign the bill within the hour! Let's get this party started!

 

[chateauoaks]

Hi Guys, so with this be the thread that will post photos and chart the factories progress over the coming year?

 

[chateauoaks]

Will this be the thread to post photos to and chart the factory's progress over the coming year?

 

[TEG]

Some kind of FAQ was circulated a couple weeks back:

When will construction begin and when can we expect it to start producing batteries?
Site preparation began in July, 2014 at an industrial park along US Interstate 80 15 miles east of Sparks, a Reno suburb.

Pouring of concrete could begin at any time with actual construction underway by next year and continuing until 2017 when the factory is scheduled to open.
It is expected to reach full production the following year.
How big will the "gigafactory" be?

The factory itself is expected to cover up to 10 million square feet, an area equal to 174 football fields. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it will be the largest lithium battery factory in the world, producing more batteries annually than all the existing plants in the world did in 2013.
When and how many jobs will be produced?
The factory is projected to employ up to 6,500 workers by the time it's scheduled hit full production in 2018. In the meantime, the Governor's Office of Economic Development projects 3,000 construction jobs will be created, beginning with 700 in 2015. Another 1,000 direct jobs are forecast to be added in 2016 with an additional 3,000 by 2017. The state anticipates 22,000 jobs will be produced over 20 years as a result of the project.
Who will get the jobs?
Half of the 6,500 factory jobs and half the 3,000 construction jobs must be offered to Nevadans who have worked 30 hours a week the past year in a Nevada job covered by health insurance. The factory jobs are expected to average a minimum of $23 per hour. If Tesla cannot find enough qualified Nevada workers for specific jobs, it can appeal to the state for exceptions.

 

[TEG]

Seems like this location:

Is about here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.4833543,-119.4312282,945a,20y,81.21t/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[roblab]

Elon was interestingly specific when he stated the factory would be "diamond shaped", better able to fit into the desert valley at the location, and he stated that the building "faced north". There must be dozens of "diamond shapes", but a box standing on one corner (a la the playing card diamond) doesn't seem to fit this description. A side view of many of the diamond cuts shows a box on it's corner with the top cut off. A building as in the above picture could also be a "diamond shape", but no extension south into the valley.

This would have a corner stretching into the south facing valley, and still have a "north" side. I'd like to see how that would look as a photoshopped image superimposed on a satellite image of the desert. I will have to wait, though. Too many variables.

 

[Chickenlittle]

Elon was interestingly specific when he stated the factory would be "diamond shaped", better able to fit into the desert valley at the location, and he stated that the building "faced north". There must be dozens of "diamond shapes", but a box standing on one corner (a la the playing card diamond) doesn't seem to fit this description. A side view of many of the diamond cuts shows a box on it's corner with the top cut off. A building as in the above picture could also be a "diamond shape", but no extension south into the valley.

View attachment 60036

This would have a corner stretching into the south facing valley, and still have a "north" side. I'd like to see how that would look as a photoshopped image superimposed on a satellite image of the desert. I will have to wait, though. Too many variables.

depends on which type of cut. Pear shaped very different than round than oval

 

[TEG]

Looking more closely at that location, I don't think that picture is very representative of what they would actually do. It shows a massive flat building on top of a bunch of big hills. I think it must not be to scale, or the actual location is a little distance away.

- - - Updated - - -

Those two buildings at the bottom are for diapers.com & Zulily.com

 

[TEG]

Reno area has Tesla gigafactory — but can we keep it?

..."one of the largest grading projects ever in the U.S.," ..."We have finished a superpad to accommodate 5 million square feet. We moved several million cubic yards of material," ...

 

[AudubonB]

Roblab -
I posted the following on 17 Sept during one of the short-term thread's numerous veerings off topic - am not so good at pasting pix here but the appropriate link is below:

Originally Posted by jhm
So where's the other half of the diamond? What I see in the rendering is just a long rectangle. Could it be Elon sees more than is shown?



One man's diamond is another man's emerald.

More or less.

The cartoon's factory representation can be a fine example (a trifle large, I suppose!) of what is called an emerald-cut diamond. Here are some pix for you:
Diamond shapes in diagram drawings

Hope that helps

 

[roblab]

@AudubonB: Yup. Diamonds come in all shapes, so what does a "diamond shape" mean. But again, having one end point into a (south facing?) valley and the other end having a "north facing front so GPS can mark all locations" from Elon's words, the emerald shape shown doesn't fit. '

From a side view, most of the shapes shown in the "Diamond shapes in diagram drawings" have the flat top and pointed bottom, also considered a diamond shape.

The most commonly thought of as diamond is the ones in a deck of cards. That doesn't seem to fit.

So, here we are again, with little relevant information. I reject your diamonds and go for spades, and raise you two. How's that? I guess we wait (with poker faces?).

 

[AudubonB]

You're bluffing.
I can see it on that poker-faced avatar of yours.

 

[VolkerP]

Diamond shape

You've got it all wrong. But that's OK because the english wikipedia entry for cut gems is a bit concise and TEG got distracted by google maps. :wink:

The brilliant cut is mostly used for diamonds:

but the gigafactory design resembles the emerald cut as seen from atop:

So why didn't Elon say "shaped like an emerald?"

Only few would have a clue what he talks about. Let alone the translation by international media hides potential for major blunders (DE: Smaragd, Fr: émeraude, IT: smeraldo, ES: la esmeralda - you see?)

So by using the word diamond, even if it is the wrong cut, he clearly sets a high value association of the giga factory building with the best known gem stone mineral. Some times you have to lie in order to tell the truth. :frown:

 

[brianman]

So by using the word diamond, even if it is the wrong cut, he clearly sets a high value association of the giga factory building with the best known gem stone mineral. Some times you have to lie in order to tell the truth. :frown:

"Best" is an interesting choice for an adjective here. Setting that aside...

Some (me included) find emeralds quite appealing. I think associating Tesla with a "precious green commodity" is generally a good thing.

That said, "toughness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor" for Emerald vs. "Diamond is the hardest known natural material" makes Diamond a bit more compelling. [Quotes from wikipedia.]


Perhaps an "emerald cut diamond" fits Tesla well. "Everybody wants a diamond" and "everyone respects the hardness of diamond", but Tesla puts the "emerald" touch on the whole proposition of automotive transport.

[ I'm an engineer not a spinner. ]