Tesla Motors announced plans to sell batteries for home energy storage. Elon Musk said that the batteries will help change the “entire energy infrastructure of the world.”
The battery packs essentially store energy from solar panels and serve as a back-up system in the case of a power outage.
This theoretically allow solar-powered homes to be completely independent of the traditional energy grid.
“If you have the Tesla Powerwall, if the utility goes down, you still have power,” Musk said, adding that “the whole thing is an integrated system that just works.”
According to Tesla:
“Powerwall is a home battery that charges using electricity generated from solar panels, or when utility rates are low, and powers your home in the evening. It also fortifies your home against power outages by providing a backup electricity supply. Automated, compact and simple to install, Powerwall offers independence from the utility grid and the security of an emergency backup.”
The average home consumes more electricity in the morning and evening than during the day – when solar energy is plentiful. This results in excess solar energy being sold to the power company and then purchased back in the evening.
Tesla says that “this mismatch adds demand on power plants and increases carbon emissions. Powerwall bridges this gap between renewable energy supply and demand by making your home’s solar energy available to you when you need it.”
Capacity of the Powerwall
There are two models, one comes in 10 kWh weekly cycle and the other in 7 kWh daily cycle. Multiple units can be installed together if more energy us required.
Powerwall is a wall mounted, rechargeable lithium ion battery with liquid thermal control.
Shipping begins summer and the units will require installation by trained electricians.
Karl Brauer, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, said:
“Elon thinks that there’s a long-term gain to be made not only in electric cars but also in electric energy storage -and he’s probably right. There’s a universal application for portable energy and storable energy that goes to everybody. It’s really just a matter of getting the *business model together.”
* A business model is a plan for making money.
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