Tesla Powerwall – Harnessing Solar Energy for Emergencies
I remember about 20 years ago, I was reading an article that said you’d be able to “hang your TV on the wall like a picture.” At the time, that was incomprehensible, since TVs weighed a proverbial “ton” and were at least a 2 or 3 feet deep! Well, now you can get an ultra-high definition TV and hang it right on the wall and enjoy mind-boggling clarity. It makes you wonder what the future holds and what the next big thing will be. Well, the future is already here with the Tesla Powerwall.
I recently stopped by the home of Mike Kelly, owner of Mass Renewables, one of the premier solar companies in Massachusetts. As you know, we always recommend hiring locally owned and operated companies, so if you are in the market for solar for your home, give Mike a call! Mike has been on the leading edge of solar design and installation for many years. Check out our latest video of Doug Masters and Mike Kelly talking about the Tesla Powerwall.
Recently, Mike became the first dealer of the Tesla Powerwall in Massachusetts. Yep, it’s “THAT” Tesla – the same company that makes the super-cool electric cars! So, what’s a Tesla Powerwall? The Tesla Powerwall is a wall-mounted lithium-ion battery pack designed to store energy from either grid or rooftop solar panels. Summed up, it’s a replacement for a generator that kicks in when the power goes out. The battery can also be used to maximize the use of the solar power by charging and discharging daily. The first generation, shown in the picture, is a gorgeous wall mount unit that’s just 7″ deep so it can fit almost anywhere.
For customers with solar panels, the Tesla Powerwall offers the ability to run off their own solar power during an electric outage. Usually, most solar panels typically must disconnect from the grid during an outage, leaving the customer without power. The Tesla Powerwall changes that, acting as a buffer between the power supplied from solar panels and the electricity demand from the home to provide firm, reliable power during an outage – effectively acting as a backup generator!
The first generation of the Tesla Powerwall will provide approximately 15 hours of back up for your refrigerator, heat, and other essentials that run off electricity (and more depending on what you want to run off it and which model you choose). The second generation, the Tesla Powerwall 2, which is coming to market now, has even more power storage capability and can offer backup power for an average two-bedroom home for a full day!
Anyone considering a backup generator or thinking about going solar should seriously consider the Tesla Powerwall as an option. The Tesla Powerwall is even eligible for tax rebates if it’s installed in conjunction with a solar array at your home. Even better, it looks awesome mounted on the wall, and like the Tesla cars, it will most definitely give you bragging rights in the neighborhood! When the power goes out during the next big storm, you’ll certainly be glad you installed a Tesla Powerwall battery.