humble3d Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Tesla makes moves into energy sector unveiling of new battery... Tesla is making inroads into the energy market with plans to sell "home batteries" utilizing solar panels and cheap electricity to power houses and businesses. The electric car manufacturer - which last month announced it sold 10,030 of its Model S vehicles in its best quarter of sales - will sell its battery, called Powerwall, that uses electricity generated from solar panels, or from the grid at times of the day when prices are lower. The batteries will come in two sizes with a 7kWh unit costing $3,000 (£1,954) and a 10kWh unit $3,500 (£2,275). With average daily household energy usage in the UK at around 30kWh, it's a welcome announcement for the renewable energy sector according to Frank Gordon, a senior policy analyst at the Renewable Energy Association in the UK. "It's fantastic to have Tesla's marketing muscle behind it, and expertise," he says. "There are some similar products in the UK, and we think it's a really exciting area primed for future growth." There are currently around 600,000 homes and businesses with solar panel installations in the UK, as well as millions more across Europe. Gordon adds that big energy companies should be taking the opportunity to get involved early on in the development of energy storage and renewables. "The crucial thing is it's a way to get more renewable energy onto the grid, and lowers the need for dirty expensive old fossil fuel power stations." The Tesla home batteries will initially go on sale in the US in late summer. By buying electricity from the grid for storage at times when prices are lower, and by allowing customers to sell their spare energy back into the grid, Tesla will be hoping to woo customers with the financial incentive, as well as the environmental. The company said in a statement announcing the batteries that it was fostering "a clean energy ecosystem and helping wean the world off fossil fuels", adding "Tesla Energy is a critical step in this mission to enable zero emission power generation".http://europe.newsweek.com/tesla-makes-moves-into-energy-sector-unveiling-new-battery-326773 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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