Tesla Motors will market energy storage systems to homeowners, businesses and utilities. The company’s foray into the stationary energy storage market will include rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs that can mount to a home garage wall as well as connected battery packs large enough to smooth out fluctuations in the grid, according to the New York Times.
Tesla will start producing its new energy storage battery, called the Powerwall, later this year and will sell it for $3,500.
Tesla says its Powerwall can be easily combined with solar systems at homes or businesses and customers can connect up to nine of the battery packs to store excess power and also be protected in the event of power outages.
Tesla has already been piloting its battery energy storage.
For instance, Jackson Family Wines in California has 21 Tesla stationary storage systems installed at several of its California wineries, accounting for 4.2 MW of total storage capacity. The energy storage allows for the smoothing out of spikes associated with energy use in four parts of the winemaking process that incur the most demand: refrigeration & cooling, lighting, compressed air, and process water treatment. Solar combined with energy storage is expected to provide Jackson Family Wines with a total savings of about $2 million next year on electricity costs, reducing the company’s electricity bill by nearly 40 percent.
The Sunrun Subsidiary AEE Solar also announced its collaboration with Tesla Motors. AEE Solar, a nationwide distributor of solar products, will sell Tesla’s Powerwall Home Battery.
Earlier this year, SolarCity unveiled GridLogic, a microgrid service that combines solar energy with Tesla lithium-ion batteries. SolarCity is targeting municipalities as well as critical service providers such as hospitals with the microgrid service that ensures resiliency against power outages. Elon Musk is chairman of SolarCity as well as CEO of Tesla Motors.
Tesla is building a $5 billion battery production plant near Reno, Nevada, called the Gigafactory.
Photo: A Tesla stationary energy storage system at a Jackson Family Wines location
