Elon Musk’s promise to fix Aussie power problems gets Prime Minister’s attention

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has spoken with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to discuss the future of battery technology and the possibility of a 100 megawatt battery farm in South Australia, according to ABC’s morning radio program AM.

This news comes after Musk’s electric car manufacturing company Tesla offered to install a multi-million dollar battery solution to SA’s recent power issues, and promised it “will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free.”

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According to AM, Elon Musk was “very impressed” after having spoken to South Australian premier Jay Weatherill, who himself described the discussion as “positive”, although it seems Musk’s latest talk with Turnbull only “touched on” the specific solution for SA's problems,and instead took the form of a broader discussion regarding battery technology and its future.

While Tesla’s battery proposal isn’t the only one on the table at the moment, we can hope the high-profile nature of this offer and the added exposure it's produced will give the government a good reason to consider all alternatives before regressing to a coal-fired power solution.

Harry Domanski
Harry is an Australian Journalist for TechRadar with an ear to the ground for future tech, and the other in front of a vintage amplifier. He likes stories told in charming ways, and content consumed through massive screens. He also likes to get his hands dirty with the ethics of the tech.