Mercury takes on Tesla battery trial

Tesla will provide Mercury with a grid-connected battery as part of a new trial.

The battery will be able to store and return energy directly to the national grid, making energy supply possible even during an outage, the NZ Herald reports.

It is the same technology that Tesla is currently using in South Australia and Southern California.

It will be connected to the national grid at Mercury’s research and development centre in South Auckland by 2018.

“Technologies like battery storage have the potential to complement our country’s energy system as it supports moves towards greater sustainability across the building, transport and agriculture sectors,” Mercury chief executive Fraser Whineray says.

“Tesla has a proven track record in ground-breaking projects around the world.”