‘Tesla’ has unleashed the ‘Tesla Energy’, its great plan to create sustainable electricity more practical by putting rechargeable batteries into homes and businesses. ‘Tesla’ CEO Elon Musk has recently introduced at ‘Tesla’s Southern California Design Studio’ its new ‘Powerwall’ which is basically a two-battery system, one for homes and other for industrial use. Tesla Energy consists of a wall-mounted lithium-ion battery that can operate in several ways, including as a backup for power-outages, as a way to “stockpile” power when traditional energy suppliers are offering lower rates, or most interestingly store surplus solar energy, such as for use during the night.
Tesla Energy’s ‘Powerwall’ Home Battery offers a local alternative. Two versions will be offered, a 7 kWh unit intended for daily use, and a 10 kWh optimized for backup. Each will support being connected to solar or grid power, and each can provide backup energy. Tesla Energy envisages the 7 kWh ‘Powerwall’ being used by those with solar panels to store up energy for periods of darkness, while the 10 kWh ‘Powerwall’ is targeted at those still reliant on the grid but worried that their supplies might be interrupted. Both batteries also include a liquid thermal control system, along with software to integrate with a solar inverter. They can provide a continuous 2 kW supply or a peak of 3 kW, and measure 1300 x 8600 x 180 mm.
Meanwhile, Tesla Energy for Business will see the batteries spread into enterprise. Amazon Web Services will use it for server power, launching a pilot scheme to put 4.8 megawatts of batteries in the Northern California region. Target, too, will run a pilot using Tesla Energy Storage. Tesla is also planning utility-scale installations, with 100kWh battery blocks grouped to scale from 500kWh to 10MWh+. They will help iron out any peak demand issues, as well as help smooth periods where generator supplies are ramping up or down.
Charging an electric vehicle at home can be expensive, and while solar power offers a way to reduce those costs when the sun goes down owners have had no choice to charge their vehicles with power from the grid. A robust home battery system like Powerwall could allow owners to store that solar-generated power during the day even if they’re away, and then use it to charge their vehicle at night. Batteries can absorb surplus power and flow it back into the grid when needed, evening out supply and demand, something called load shifting. But the implications for Tesla’s own cars is just the beginning.
For residential use, the 7 kWh Powerwall will be priced at $3,000, and the 10 kWh Powerwall at $3,500. That excludes the cost of an inverter and installation.
