Tesla Introduces a Home Battery

• May 1st 2015

by Lark Turner

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A new battery from Tesla could change the way people power their homes.

The Powerwall, which debuted at a news conference on Friday, comes in two versions: One, priced at $3,500, is designed to power a home during an outage, and the other, priced at $3,000, is designed to allow homes with solar panels manage daily changes in power supply. The Powerwall could also be used to avoid peak power charges, by storing energy when costs are low and drawing from the battery when costs are high.

Tesla, the high-tech electric car company, advertises the battery as “automated, compact and simple to install,” and says it offers “independence from the utility grid and the security of an emergency backup.”

The 220-pound units have to be attached to an either interior or exterior wall. (But for those in colder climes, the units stop working at -4 F.) The PowerWall, which comes with a 10-year warranty, has to be installed by a trained electrician. Homeowners can pre-order the batteries now, and they will ship out this summer.

Tesla also announced Friday its plans to provide a bigger version of the battery, called the PowerPack, to utilities and businesses. It has a much larger capacity, and CEO Elon Musk called it “infinitely scalable,” according to news reports.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/new_powerwall_from_tesla_powers_homes_with_a_battery/9836.