Tesla Motors unveils solar power storage system

A collection of batteries for homes and businesses was unveiled by Elon Musk.

Tesla Motors, the well-known manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles, has revealed that it is venturing into the solar power storage market and is working toward meeting the challenge of how to use solar energy when the sun is not shining via a suite of solar battery backup systems designed for utilities, businesses, and homeowners.

The Tesla Powerwall consumer battery was derived from the batteries Tesla uses in is Model S EVs.

A spokesperson from Tesla, Khobi Brooklyn, said that “We’ve obviously been working on building a world-class battery, a superefficient and affordable way to store energy.” Brooklyn added that “It’s just that we’ve been putting that battery in cars most of the time.”

With a statement such as this, it should not come as a surprise that Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk revealed in a news conference late last week that the consumer battery that the company designed for solar storage, was derived from batteries that the automaker uses in its Model S electric vehicles (EVs).

Musk also revealed that the consumer battery is called the Powerwall and that it would cost $3,500 and would need to be installed by a licensed technician. Tesla is set to begin producing these battery devices later this year.

The solar power storage battery system connects to the Internet.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs can be mounted to battery blocks that are big enough to smooth out grid fluctuations or to a home garage. They connect to the Internet and Tesla can manage the batteries from far away.

Musk explained that consumers who have Tesla Powerwall do not need to worry if the utility goes down because they will still have power. Musk added that “The whole thing is an integrated system that just works.”

SolarCity will be the first solar supplier to incorporate Tesla’s new Powerwall batteries. SolarCity has said that compared to previous solar power storage systems, it is offering this “turnkey residential solar battery backup system” at a cost that is over 60% less. The company has already begun taking orders for the Tesla batteries and installations are set to start in the fall.