World over, modern homes rely on electricity for just about anything; from lighting, water heating, fridges and freezers to heating and cooling, you name it. In fact, powering your home is more like a basic need than it is a want.
While this is true, there are three main challenges facing homeowners today.
I. The ability to maintain a continuous power supply in homes; unpredictable power outages/blackouts can be disappointing.
II. The high Carbon Footprint. Australian households account for 20% of the total greenhouse emissions nationally, according to the Department of the Environment and Energy website.
III. The high energy cost, which continues to rise even further as time goes by. Particularly in Australia, the average annual electricity bill may vary between$1900 and $3500 more or less depending on the following factors,
● Number of households
● Lifestyle
● Type of home, among other things
But in general, the percentage of energy consumption in Australian homes is as follows,
● Water heating 25%
● Heating and cooling 38%
● Fridges and freezers 7%
● Other appliances 16%
● Lighting 7%
● Cooking 4%
● Stand-by Power 3%
To fix these three issues, homeowners need to acquire energy independence. That means powering your home using your own sources with very little or no reliance on the grid. Although
installing a solar battery is a smart move, you will still have some dependence on the grid for power supply. You will need to accompany your solar panels with a battery storage system to achieve complete energy independence in your home. And this is where the
Tesla Power Wall comes into play. The system allows you to take charge of your power supply to protect your home from blackouts, lower the annual energy costs and CO2 emissions, and maximize your benefits from solar in your home.
If this is your first time hearing about Tesla Powerwall, you are in luck because in this article, you will learn more about it and how to use it to backup your home power. Read on to the end.
➢ What is Tesla Powerwall?
Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and a product of Tesla, Inc designed to store solar power energy for home use. The system provides an affordable way to continually power your home even during an outage and while at it, protecting the environment from pollution.
Each Tesla Powerwall system has at least one Powerwall and a backup gateway, which allows you to monitor, meter, and manage your consumption using the Tesla app. The backup gateway also learns and adjusts to your usage over time and can handle multiple Powerwalls but not more than 10.
Please note: Although Tesla Powerwall mostly uses solar, it can also work without, but the benefits are much less in that case.
➢ The Specs
➔ Size 45.3 (1150mm) X 29.6 (753mm) X 5.75 (147mm)
➔ Weight 114kgs
Note: these may vary depending on model and date of manufacture
➢ Performance Specs
➔ AC Voltage 120/240V
➔ Grid Frequency 60Hz
➔ Total Energy 14kWh
➔ Capacity 13.5kWh 100% depth of discharge
➔ Continuous Power 5kW
➔ Peak Power 7kW
➔ Round Trip Efficiency 90%
➔ Internal battery DC Voltage 50V
➔ Installation mounted on wall or floor, indoor or outdoor, max of 10 Powerwalls
➔ Warranty 10 years
➢ How Does It Work?
As stated above, Powerwall can work both ways, with solar and without.
★ With Solar
During the day when the sun is present, the solar powers your home. If it's not enough to support all your appliances, your home will pull the rest of it from the grid. Your Powerwall will only start charging when the solar panels produce more than what your home is consuming. You will use it later in the night when there is no sun or in the case of an outage. The Powerwall will charge again on the following day from sunrise to sunset.
★ Without Solar
Powerwall works best without solar when the electricity rates keep fluctuating throughout the whole day. It will automatically charge when the costs are low and discharge when they are high. And if it detects an outage, Powerwall will provide perfect backup power by making itself the main power supply in your home.
➢ Consumption Modes
Tesla Powerwall allows you the flexibility to set four different consumption modes from the app depending on your priorities and preferences. These are
● Backup Only
● Self Powered
● Cost-saving Time-Based Control
● Balanced Time-Based Control
➢ What Makes Tesla Powerwall Battery So Different from Other Energy Storage Systems?
Indeed, Tesla Powerwall is just like any other energy storage system when it comes to capturing and holding backup energy power for your home. So, what makes it so different? Of all the options you will find in the market, Tesla Powerwall has the highest capacity to sustain much bigger loads. That means you have more freedom to support your needs for home power, and that's what makes it the best.
➢ Purchase and Installation Cost of Tesla Powerwall in Australia
Although Tesla Powerwall launched at $8000, the cost has increased due to the challenges faced in the production. Right now, it will cost you anything between $12000 and $14000 to buy and install Tesla Powerwall. That does not include the Solar PV or any discounts that may be available depending on your state.
Conclusion
Tesla Powerwall is the ultimate solution to all your
home power needs. It is the safest, easy, and most affordable way to backup your home power and avoid unnecessary disappointments that come with power outages. What more could you ask?