Tesla Powerwall home energy storage system

Back in 2015, Tesla announced it was shifting gears within the industry with the launch of its home battery product, the Tesla Powerwall.

No stranger to making batteries, Tesla as a company had been praised for revitalizing the public interest in electric vehicles. Their Model S cars are powered by long-lasting lithium-ion batteries, so in many ways, the company’s push into home energy storage represents a natural next step in their evolution. Manufacturing a Tesla battery pack for home use is just another way for the company to market its existing tech to a broader audience.

Tesla founder Elon Musk likes to generate a lot of excitement around his company’s product offerings, and the Tesla Powerwall is no different. In fact, the buzz around the Powerwall is such that it has everyday homeowners excited about the potential of storing energy at their home.

What Is the Tesla Powerwall?

Tesla describes the Powerwall as a “rechargeable lithium-ion battery with liquid thermal control.” But what does that technical description mean? In layman’s terms, these are small-scale batteries designed for home energy storage.

Tesla battery packs are an ideal pairing for solar panel systems, especially in the case of property owners who want to go “off the grid” and achieve complete independence from their energy provider. A solar storage solution like the Tesla Powerwall allows you to maintain a sustained power supply during the day or night. But how does it do that?

How Does the Powerwall Work?

Like other electric auto manufacturers, Tesla has invested a significant amount of time, money and research into developing long-lasting battery technology, and the Powerwall is a logical offshoot of what they have learned. As with other energy storage products, the Tesla battery pack is sized to be practical for residential use, and is usually paired with a home solar panel system.

With a typical solar panel setup, any excess energy your solar panels produce goes back into the electric grid. However, when you have a Powerwall system, it stores the extra energy in the battery pack instead. That excess energy is then available on days when your panels aren’t keeping up with your energy needs, allowing you to take the stored energy from your Powerwall instead of having to buy it from your utility company.

Normally, you can expect a process like this to occur over the course of a day. When the sun is high in the sky and your solar panels are producing more electricity than you can use, your Tesla Powerwall is storing this surplus energy. After the sun goes down and your solar panel production decreases, you have available electricity that you banked during the sunniest hours of the day.

In other words, the Powerwall is designed to help youbalance out your electricity production and usage. The system also includes smart monitoring tools that track how much energy you use, which will help optimize how it stores energy as it “learns” from your habits.

Where Can You Buy the Tesla Powerwall?

While there has been a significant amount of hype around the Tesla Powerwall battery, the product is not widely available yet. Currently, you can reserve a unit for $500 on Tesla’s website, and a Tesla representative will follow up with you once they receive your reservation.

Whether you have decided to install a Tesla Powerwall or other home battery pack, your best bet is to work with a certified installer. Adding energy storage technology to your home is a complex process that requires electrical expertise, certifications and knowledge of the best practices required to correctly install a complete residential system. Contact us if you would like to receive your free no obligation quote!