Tesla Energy in Oz before year's end
EV specialist's renewable energy division will launch 3.3kW Powerwall in Australia late in 2015Tesla has announced that it will launch its Tesla Energy brand in Australia prior to the end of this year.
According to the company's press release yesterday, Australia is only the third market in the world where Tesla Energy has committed to commencing operations, selling its Powerwall home battery. Only North America and the German-speaking nations of Germany, Austria and Switzerland – collectively the DACH nations of Europe – will see Tesla Energy operating before Australia.
That's a sign of Australia's relatively well-established infrastructure and the early adoption of photo-voltaic (solar power) panels for domestic power supply. It also points to the rapid footwork of some energy suppliers in Australia, already offering consumers home batteries like Powerwall, but not supplied by Tesla.
In its press release, Tesla describes the 7kWh Powerwall battery as "a compelling option for Australian residential solar users, due to the unique structure of retail electricity and the feed-in-tariff solar pricing options across the country."
In other words, Australian consumers are beginning to heed the clarion call of cheaper electricity in the longer term, for a given start-up cost. Electricity suppliers in Australia will credit customers for (solar) power fed back into the national power grid, but potentially – with a storage unit like Powerwall – the household may not need to draw power from the grid at all.
The take-up of solar energy in Australia explains in part the reported 6.7 per cent decline in electricity demand from traditional power utilities since 2010, despite the national economy growing by nine per cent during the same period.
Tesla says the Powerwall, employing lithium-ion technology, can store up to 3.3kW for use after the sun has set. Cooling is managed by a 'liquid thermal control system' and input from the solar inverter is software-controlled. Two specifications will be available – 7kWh daily cycle and 10kWh weekly cycle – and the battery is guaranteed for 10 years.
The company is marketing the Powerwall to Aussie consumers through a number of 'partners', which include power utilities and solar panel installers. In addition, it is offering commercial users the Powerpack which can be scaled in battery blocks ranging from 500kWh to over 10MWh.
Pricing is yet to be announced, but more information will be revealed in coming weeks.
Pictured: Tesla founder Elon Musk introducing the Powerwall at the end of April this year
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