Making a killing in an area which is unpopular with the White House Swasticar maker Elon [look at me] Musk is in a bit of a bind as new numbers show that his firms are making a fortune out of clean energy and now can store it. Tesla Energy, the company's clean energy division, has been developing new ways of developing solar energy generation systems and battery energy storage technology and is finding many buyers worldwide. It all made sense at the time. Electricity output from clean energy sources has steadily increased in the last few years, and companies have considered the value these technologies can bring to those interested in developing and purchasing them. Homeowners have also enjoyed the benefits of clean energy and can now store it. Tesla's Powerwall—a compact home battery that stores energy generated by solar or from the traditional grid—can power homes during outages or serve as a backup energy source, and it has been making a fortune. In a post on X, the company announced that it had installed 800,000 Powerwalls globally. Tesla Megapacks — large-scale battery systems — also reached over 22 gigawatt-hours of storage in operation across more than 60 countries. Tesla has also expressed excitement about other milestones, including the increase in production for the Megapack, reaching 10,000 units made, and the newest Megafactory coming online in Shanghai. The range of impacts created by the Tesla Powerwall — from generating 4.5 terawatt-hours of solar energy worldwide in 2024 to protecting homes from over 5.8 million outages during the year — is a step forward in the clean energy transition. However, Musk has been backing President Donald Trump, who is pushing an oil-only policy. Trump has not only rolled back all the subsidies for clean energy but also called for a shift back to oil. He plans to increase oil production to make it cheaper and start a move away from the clean production that has made Tesla’s value. In short, Musk’s Trump advocacy is incredibly bad for Tesla and its future. It is bad enough that Musk’s shift to the right has alienated rich yoghurt-knitting hippies who usually buy his products, but now it appears that his future cash cows will be sacrificed on the bonfire of his vanity. Last modified on