Have you ever noticed the gargantuan white Tesla-labeled box glaring down upon you in the parking lot? Meet the Tesla Megapack, an ultra powerful lithium-ion battery which is completely powered by solar energy. The Tesla Megapack has the capability to power a city with 4,000 homes for one hour, so why is it at Oakland Tech?
Following Tesla’s donation, construction on the Megapack began in the early days of August and is expected to be completed by December 2025, with a humble price tag of $1-2 million and a yearly maintenance fee of around $30,000. So, what’s the return? This hefty battery has left students and teachers alike confused as to its purpose.
The Megapack launched in 2019 to combat power outages, reduce utility costs, and to aid with large-scale commercial projects. Each unit is thermally regulated, making it a reliable choice for all climates worldwide. Demand for the Megapack was so high that Tesla quickly began producing even larger models with more power. Today, Tesla can churn out these ultra-powerful batteries every 60 minutes at their Megapack factory in Lathrop, CA.
In December 2021, the OUSD Board of Education approved the installation for three of these backup generators at Oakland Tech, Oakland High, and Castlemont. The district’s energy efficiency team is responsible for this and other sustainable energy projects, including the installation of solar panels in Oakland schools and water conservation plans which lower utility costs.
Despite the Megapack’s promises, it is not all peachy. Teachers and students are being impacted by noisy construction during class. This ear-ringing-steel-digging-jackhammeringpolooza takes place during school hours and causes a huge disruption.
Complaints also rise surrounding the obvious—it is a huge eyesore. “Most large installations like this would require some kind of visual remediation,” stated Mrs. Davidson, an ELA teacher here at Tech. “This thing is incredibly ugly. Also blank canvases for [future] graffitti!” Mrs. Davidson is one of the many teachers impacted by this construction, she explains that even with the windows closed, the constant drilling, beeping, and dropping of loud steel beams overtakes her classes completely.
PG&E is seldom reliable, with California averaging 25,000 blackouts per year. These outages affect everyone, but hit lower-income communities the hardest, where sudden losses of heating, cooling, and electricity can be especially disruptive. The Tesla Megapack could be the solution to these unfair blackouts. Or, maybe, it will stay sitting tall in our parking lot, reminding us all of Elon Musk’s ever-present omnipotence.