Energy Efficiency
Tesla is looking to change how we power our homes and we are very excited to see this in action.
Tesla is looking to change how we power our homes and we are very excited to see this in action.
With the focus increasingly on sustainability in the modern industrialized world, it’s no wonder that attention has turned to one area where great strides have yet to be made: your own home.
One idea that would drastically cut back on the amount of power grid energy used in residential homes is coming from Tesla-owner Elon Musk, the same man who brought the world Space X and battery-powered cars. Now, Musk would like to make homes battery powered, as well.
Musk said the battery could be available in 2015.
“We are trying to figure out what would be a cool stationary (battery) pack,” Musk told reporters during a conference in February, adding the battery would be “something flat, 5 inches off the wall, wall-mounted, with a beautiful cover, an integrated bi-directional inverter, and plug and play.”
So why all the fuss? Because homes that generate as much energy as they consume – or zero energy homes – are finally beginning to become a reality. As reported by iSustainableearth.com, builders are now making such homes feasible for middle-income Americans, not just the rich.
These largely self-reliant homes contain features such as:
The price tag for such homes can be as much as $35,000 more than a similar, traditional house. But the energy savings make the zero energy home much more efficient in the long run.
And now, Tesla is hoping to add battery power to the list of options for homeowners who want their homes to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
J.B. Straubel, Tesla’s chief technical officer, told reporters in a February conferenced call that the “long-term demand for stationary energy storage is extraordinary. We’ve done a huge amount of effort there and have talked to major utilities and energy service companies.”
Tesla has been testing the home batteries in about 200-250 homes in California. The stationary energy storage unit could power private residences or business offices. The exact details are expected to be announced by Tesla at the end of April.
The batteries may also help utilities store large amounts of energy, according to the Washington Post. Consumers also could save on their power bills and avoid the frequent black outs that can happen when the only source of power is energy from the grid purchased from a utility company.
Some also predict the battery could grow in popularity as cheap solar panels become more popular and utility rates for the remaining customers rise.
Whatever the case, Tesla seems ready to make batteries available on the market, meaning consumers may soon have the chance to decide if off-the-grid living is better than living on the grid.
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