Cargill installs Tesla battery at California beef plant

Cargill has installed an industrial battery from Tesla at its beef processing plant in Fresno, Calif.

Tesla, which makes a line of electric cars, announced Friday that it will start offering batteries for home, business and industrial use.

The Cargill plant will charge the Tesla Energy Storage battery from the electrical grid during off-peak hours when rates are lower and draw it down during peak hours when rates are higher. The battery will have a one megawatt capacity.

Cargill said it will save the company more than $100,000 annually, reduce the environmental impact of power generation to meet peak electrical demand, and learn about the potential use of the technology at its plants around the world.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Cargill installs Tesla battery at California beef plant."