How Elon Musk got involved in South Australian SMEs’ power woes: A timeline

Elon Musk is a man famously too busy even to hold business meetings, but this year he’s found a moment to get involved in one of the key issues concerning business owners in South Australia: Power.

On Friday the billionaire Tesla founder was in Adelaide reiterating his promise to build the world’s biggest battery to solve the state’s power supply woes, promising to do it in 100 days or it’s free.

It’s not the only plan in the works: Renewable energy and infrastructure firm Lyon is also reportedly looking to start construction on a 100-megawatt battery later this year.

But how did we get to the point where an international, Mars-loving entrepreneur swooped in promising to solve a big problem so quickly? Here’s a timeline.

September 2016: Knockout storms drive home underlying concerns

Fierce storms in the last third of 2016 revealed intense frustrations from the South Australian business community about the state’s fragile energy situation, with businesses left without power for days after transmission lines were brought down in the Port Augusta region.

The situation, combined with concerns about rising costs and pressure on supply, put increased pressure on many SME owners in the region. Read more

Emma Koehn - Smart Company - 10 July 2017