tesla launches powerwall home battery with aim to revolutionize energy consumption - home battery system
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is trying to bring battery technology from his electric vehicle company into homes and businesses, part of a detailed plan to reshape the grid as a small power plant built with millions of solar panels is on the roof of the garage and on the electric pool.
Musk announced Tesla's expansion to the home battery market in a party atmosphere at design studios near Los Angeles International Airport.
Festival scenes with drinks
A group of fanatic enthusiasts seem to be suitable for flashy billionaires who pursue ambitious goals. out projects.
Mars colonization, for example, is one of Musk's targets in space X, and he also runs rocket makers.
Tesla's home battery announcement could trigger an energy revolution. He is now working on another ambitious task.
Musk told reporters gathered in Hawthorne, California: "Our goal here is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy . "
While Tesla will make a battery called Powerwall, it will be sold by a variety of other companies.
The list of partners includes SolarCity, a solar installer created by Musk's cousins Lyndon and Peter Ryf.
Musk is the chairman and largest shareholder of SolarCity.
How to read a large-
The battery based on vanadium battery technology can realize the transformation of the power grid.
Like Tesla's electric vehicles, this battery may be too expensive for most consumers. Tesla's electric car starts at about $70,000.
When it goes public, the proposed price for the system will be $3,000 to $3,500 depending on the required capacity.
This may prevent widespread adoption, especially for products with limited use.
"I don't believe that the first incarnation of this product will interest ordinary people," acknowledged SolarCity CTO Peter river . ".
However, Ryf still expects that there will be enough demand to significantly increase the number of home batteries.
Musk, inspired by initial demand, believes Tesla and other future market entrants will be able to sell 2 billion battery packs around the world --
The number of vehicles already on the road is roughly the same.
While this may sound like a "super crazy" goal, Musk insists it's "something that humans can do ". "The long-
The long-term goal is to reduce the world's dependence on the energy generated by fossil fuels, while creating regional networks of home batteries that can be controlled like power plants.
This will provide another way for utilities to ensure that they are able to provide electricity at peak demand.
At present, the battery is mainly to provide expensive backup systems for customers such as David Cunningham, aerospace engineer in Foster, California during the blackout.
At the end of last year, he installed Tesla batteries, paired with his solar panels, as part of a pilot project for the California Utilities Commission to test household battery performance.
It can be charged with solar panels, although Cunningham's home has no power outage for six months when he has a battery, it is able to run key household appliances such as lights and refrigeration, which can be charged through solar panels during the day.
"As long as one person has solar panels, the two naturally fit together," says Cunningham, 77 . ".
"I think this is a complete power system in my home.
"Cunningham got a battery price of up to $18,300, but he took advantage of state incentives to bring the price of the battery down to $7,500.
"The value proposition now is reliability and backup power supply, not savings, but it may change over time," said Shayle Kahn, an analyst at GTM Research . ".
If, as expected, more utilities and regulators allow electricity prices to change throughout the day depending on market conditions, batteries may become more useful.
In this way, the software that controls solar and battery systems will allow customers to use their homes-
Power generation-
Not expensive power grid
When the price of the grid soared
Many commercial customers have purchased electricity in this way, and Tesla has also announced the design of battery systems for them, as well as larger battery packs that utilities can use to manage the grid.
Analysts say these utilities and commercial markets may be more promising for Tesla than residential customers in the coming years.
Several businesses, including Amazon.
Plans to use Tesla's battery storage system on a limited basis.
Edison in Southern California is already using Tesla batteries to store energy.
Tesla will set up a large plant in Nevada and start producing batteries in 2017, so Musk needs to start soliciting customers now.
The spotlight could help Musk push policy makers and utilities to consider reformulating regulations so that solar and battery storage can be more easily integrated into larger power systems, Kahn said.
Tesla's ambition has drawn interest from homeowners like Mike Thielen, who has installed a prototype battery with SolarCity panels on reddondo Beach, California.
Home last year.
Although he does not need a backup power supply yet, he has accepted the concept.
"I think it's great," he said . "
"If they can figure out a way to get me out of the grid completely, I'll consider upgrading to a more powerful home battery.