tesla powerwall: 5 things you need to know - energy storage devices
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced at an event in California on Thursday night that the company is using residential and commercial building energy storage equipment to enter the energy market.
"Our goal here is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy," Musk said . ".
CBC News answered five questions about the newly released battery. What is it? The wall-
The installed Powerwall is a charging device
Ion batteries that can be used for home storage of electricity.
There are two models, one for the $3,000 version of 7kWh and the other for the $3,500 version of 10kWh.
However, these costs do not include installation costs.
Up to nine of them can be used together.
Musk also said that there is a commercial version called Powerpack that provides 100kwh power to power companies and companies.
The device is "infinitely scalable," he says, and a utility company wants a 250 MW
Hourly facilities consisting of 2,500 power supplies.
What can be run with Powerwall?
It really depends on what kind of electrical equipment you plan to use because the power of each device is different. A kilowatt-hour (kWh)
According to BC Hydro, it is the most common unit when measuring electricity consumption.
It is equivalent to 1,000 watts of energy consumed in an hour. A 100-
For example, 10 hours of Watt lighting will use 1 KW hours.
According to the Ontario Department of Energy, a typical family of four uses about 800 KW hours a month, or about 27 KW hours a day.
Therefore, a 10 kWHPowerwall can provide power for a family for several hours (
Depending on the type of device being used)
But if you don't limit your electricity, it won't be possible to last the whole day. What does it do?
Musk said that Powerwall's design takes into account household solar equipment, and owners can store energy when the sun shines but the energy consumption is low (
For example, in the middle of the day
For evening use.
"The obvious problem with solar energy is that the sun doesn't shine at night," he joked at a news conference . ".
In Tesla's view, this storage system may become part of the fossil. fuel-
Free lifestyle where people can install solar panels on the roof to power their homes.
The device can also be used for load sharing--
Store energy during shutdown
Peak times with lower energy prices for later use in more expensive periods.
In Ontario, for example, electricity prices vary by time.
In the summer months, electricity consumption per kilowatt hourpeak hours (7 p. m. to 7 a. m. )
Eight cents.
The price is more than double during on-
The peak of 11. m. to 5 p. m.
Powerwallcan can also be used as a backup during power failure.
Some analysts questioned the cost savings through load sharing, given the higher initial price of the unit, suggesting that its main benefit was as a backup power supply.
When can it be used?
Tesla plans to ship a limited number of Powerwall batteries in the United StatesS.
Start in the summer and then enter the international market next year.
The company is building a plant in Nevada that will start producing batteries in 2017.
While Tesla is making powerwall, it will actually be sold by some other companies.
Is this the beginning of the energy revolution?
It is obviously too early to say what impact this will have.
Some analysts question whether the battery is too expensive for most consumers, which may hinder widespread adoption.
However, research firm ihs cera expects the energy storage industry to grow significantly over the next few years, from $0. 2 billion in 2012 to $19 billion in 2017.
Deutsche Bank estimates that sales of fixed-cell storage systems for home and commercial use could be as high as $4.
Tesla's revenue is 5 billion.