Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk on Sunday said that fossil fuels could help bridge the gap left by solar power during winter months.

Musk Sees Role for Natural Gas

Taking to the social media platform X, Musk responded to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who said that China’s Carbon emissions had surged. Lee also accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of “weaponized climate alarmism.”

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Musk, in his response, pointed out that China’s biggest electricity growth stemmed from solar power, calling it the source with “by far the highest potential.”

However, the billionaire executive also acknowledged the seasonal limitations of renewable energy, supporting natural gas as a necessary backup.

“I am not against using natural gas power as a bridge to solar and even using it long-term to some degree to help with the dip in solar power during the deep winter months,” Musk said in his post.

Elon Musk on Solar Power

Musk has been a vocal proponent of solar energy, saying that harnessing its power could help the economy transition away from traditional currencies to energy and mass. He has also touted the idea of space-based AI compute via orbital data centers powered by the Sun’s energy on multiple occasions.

SpaceX also recently conducted the 13th flight test of the Starship rocket. Musk touted the launch as a “successful” test that helped deploy 20 Starlink V3 satellites in orbit. SpaceX also touted the Starmind satellite constellation, which is dedicated to orbital AI compute.

Tesla, Ford’s Energy Storage Push

The grid transition has turned utility energy storage into a fierce battlefield among major automakers. Tesla had earlier announced it was expanding its grid-scale Megapack footprint globally to help smooth renewable output fluctuations.

Meanwhile, traditional Detroit rivals are stepping up to challenge Tesla’s dominance in the Energy storage sector, with Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) entering the utility energy storage market to power industrial customers and data centers.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by a Benzinga editor.

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