Green energy storage

The Tesla Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery designed to store energy at a residential level for load shifting, backup power and self-consumption of solar power generation. The Powerwall consists of Tesla’s lithium-ion battery pack, liquid thermal control system and software that receives dispatch commands from a solar inverter. The unit mounts seamlessly on a wall and is integrated with the local grid to harness excess power and give customers the flexibility to draw energy from their own reserve.

The battery can provide a number of different benefits to the customer including:

Load shifting – The battery can provide financial savings to its owner by charging during low rate periods when demand for electricity is lower and discharging during more expensive rate periods when electricity demand is higher
Increasing self-consumption of solar power generation – The battery can store surplus solar energy not used at the time it is generated and use that energy later when the sun is not shining
Back-up power – Assures power in the event of an outage
The Powerwall Home Battery increases the capacity for a household’s solar consumption, while also offering backup functionality during grid outages.


The Powerwall is available in 10kWh, optimized for backup applications or 7kWh optimized for daily use applications. Both can be connected with solar or grid and both can provide backup power. The 10kWh Powerwall is optimized to provide backup when the grid goes down, providing power for your home when you need it most. When paired with solar power, the 7kWh Powerwall can be used in daily cycling to extend the environmental and cost benefits of solar into the night when sunlight is unavailable.

Tesla’s selling price to installers is $3500 for 10kWh and $3000 for 7kWh. (Price excludes inverter and installation.) Deliveries begin in late Summer.

Tesla’s new energy storage systems could become a bigger business for the company than selling cars, Elon Musk has said.

The company has taken 38,000 orders for its Powerwall, which was first announced last week, meaning the devices are sold out until mid-2016.

The two versions of the “Powerwall” – a 7kWh and a larger 10kWh unit – cost $3,000 (£1,975) and $3,500 (£2,300) respectively.

Around 2,800 business orders were for the commercial version called the Powerpack. Musk, founder and chief executive of Tesla, said that he had been surprised at the scale of demand from consumers rather than industrial customers.

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Wasn't Nikola Tesla the founder and proponent of Alternating Current?