When you think of Tesla, you’re probably thinking about Elon Musk. Elon Musk has created an empire, through clean energy, cars and SpaceX. He has dominated in his forward thinking designs and applications. Not only does Tesla go above and beyond the “go green” efforts in the motor industry, but also in the battery space as well. In 2015, Tesla introduced the world to a whole home battery called the Tesla Solar Powerwall.
Discover Energy Audits with Solar Energy and ONIT Home
Try our Free Energy Audit to make sure your home is performing at optimum energy efficiency. We’ll inspect every nook and cranny of your home to make sure it’s best serving your needs. We’ll also give you tips on lowering your energy bills, conserving energy, and creating a more efficient space. To learn more about how we can help you maintain a top performing home, visit us online to get started!
What to Expect During Installation
All your electricity that your home uses is transmitted through a service panel. This is provided through utility companies under the streets. Each of the panels have different circuits because of the limit that can be drawn through copper wire. Therefore, if you have a microwave and a television running at the same time, it won’t overload the circuit because it is spread out.
Tesla creates a new sub panel instead of a circuit. This is called the critical loads panel. During installation, everything from your circuits from your main panel are removed, except for the items that are not backed up through the Tesla Solar Powerwall.
This way, you can choose what energy source you want to backup in case of an outage. You’re not limited to just having one Tesla Solar Powerwall. You have the option to have as many as you’d like. This can be helpful in an area that experiences frequent blackouts, so you can have access to more items. With one solar powerwall, you might have to pick and choose what to backup depending on the capacity of the item. So, you might not be able to backup your oven or your heating/AC unit unless you want to have another powerwall.
How Does the Tesla Solar Powerwall Work With Solar Panels?
The Tesla Solar Powerwall works hand in hand with solar panel systems. If your utility has reduced or removed net metering, introduced time-of-use rates, or instituted demand charges, your Powerwall will continue to work. Installing a storage solution with a solar energy system allows you to maintain a sustained power supply during the day or night. This works as long as you store enough power from your panels when the sun is out.
When your solar panels produce more electricity than you can use in your home, you can store the excess electricity in the battery system. Otherwise, this excess energy is sent back to the grid. Later, when your panels aren’t producing enough electricity to meet your home’s needs, you can use the electricity stored in your battery instead of having to buy it from your utility company.
Having this backup energy storage is crucial for times when there’s an outage.
Wondering how the solar panels generate electricity? Read more here.
Monitoring Your Powerwall Through an App
Like any Tesla product, it’s easily monitored through an app. In this application, you can see the powerflow, showing you exactly what’s happening right now. For instance, how many kilowatts your solar panels are producing in that moment. It can show what the solar is powering in your home, and how much is going to the powerwall. There’s a backup history to show when outages happened and how long they lasted, something you won’t even register if you have the powerwall.
Another feature of the app allows you to customize options. If you want your powerwall to only charge fully in case of an outage, switch the powerwall to “backup only.” The second customization is called self powered. Therefore, when the sun is shining and you’re making too much energy, it will store in the battery. This way, you have enough energy without relying on the grid.
What you Should Know About the Tesla Solar Powerwall
Behind the Powerwall chic casing is one of the highest density residential and light commercial AC battery storage solutions. The Powerwall 2 is a 13.5kWh capacity rechargeable lithium-ion battery that flourishes on 7kW peak and 5kW continuous power. Each Powerwall holds 12.2 kWh of usable capacity and maintains a 10% reserve. That way, when the power goes out, the battery has enough power to turn your solar on. Therefore, your battery recharges when the sun comes up the next day. Should there be a continuous outage, count on the Tesla Powerwall to have seven or more days of continuous power.
Should you want to either live off-grid or prepare for hurricane season, the Tesla Powerwall is an excellent choice for a backup battery. Be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to your electricity.
Going Solar
Switching to solar energy is easier than it sounds! Luckily, with companies like ONIT, we take the stress out of the change. From top experts, customer service and installation, if you’re going solar, go with ONIT. To find out more about home batteries or about solar panels, visit our website or give us a call at 1-833-433-0331 today.
ONIT Home is your one-stop shop for all your bundled home needs. We’re currently offering $1,500 in vouchers to be used with security, water and solar. You can also get a free water filtration system and security system with the purchase of a solar panel system, or a $2,000 security system for only $1,000. Visit us online to learn more. With this bundling deal, you can protect your family from contaminated water and protect them with a safe home.