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Tesla Powerwall: Is It The Most Efficient Solar Battery?

Tesla Powerwall: Is It The Most Efficient Solar Battery?

Solar storage was initially a topic about the future distant however, Elon Musk’s Tesla Powerwall battery system changed the conversation to one about the present. There have been a number of variations that have been made of Tesla Powerwall, including its current version, which is called the “Powerwall+”.

The Powerwall is, without a doubt, an excellent home energy storage system. It is packed with amazing features and is available at a fair cost. However, is it the most efficient solar battery for your home to use with solar panels? The answer could be surprising to you.

Important lessons to learn from the Tesla Powerwall

The Tesla Powerwall costs $11,000 with installation included when purchased through Tesla.
Tesla Powerwalls aren’t offered for sale on an individual basis through Tesla however, the standalone Powerwall can be purchased through an installer who is Tesla-certified.
The Tesla Powerwall comes with the capacity to store 13.5 milliwatts. It also has a constant output of 9.6 kW and three modes of operation including Solar Self-Consumption and Backup Only along with Time-Based Mode.
The Powerwall is a fantastic battery However, there are many other options available to offer superior value and service, such as LG Chem Prime. LG Chem Prime.

How much will this Tesla Powerwall cost in 2022?

In February 2022. The total expense of installing a Tesla Powerwall+ battery system is $11,000..

Despite Tesla boasting, they would ensure that Tesla Powerwall costs would fall by half within about three years’ time, the reality is that we’ve observed the cost of the Powerwall rise three times, before finally reaching the current cost.

In addition, Tesla no longer sells their Powerwalls by themselves, meaning the amount you’ll need to pay will include the cost of a Powerwall as well as the cost of the new solar panel If you’d like to purchase your Powerwall straight from Tesla. It is possible to purchase the Powerwall by itself from local businesses, however, the disadvantage is that purchasing the Powerwall from an outside source other than Tesla isn’t a guarantee to receive the $11,000 cost.

Tesla might also require upgrading your electric panel prior to when you install the Powerwall and this could increase the cost by $2,500 on the cost of your installation (an expense that Tesla doesn’t even mention in their initial cost estimates).

Is Tesla Powerwall Tesla Powerwall qualify for any rebates or incentives?

Yes, it is true that the Tesla Powerwall does qualify for the incentives for battery storage that are available within the U.S.

The most significant reward comes from an incentive called the Federal solar tax credit which can reduce the price of the Powerwall setup by about 26% provided it’s connected to solar panels.

In addition to the tax credits offered by federal law, certain states and utilities provide additional incentives and rebates. In certain instances, these rebates, including the California incentives for SGIP as well as Green Mountain Power’s Bring Your Own Device Program in Vermont will cover nearly 90 percent of the cost of installing the Powerwall.

The key characteristics of the Tesla Powerwall

The Tesla Powerwall comes with some impressive specifications, and one of the more amazing innovative monitoring and management capabilities in the solar battery industry.

Tesla Powerwall+ features

Feature	Tesla Powerwall+ specification
Usable energy capacity	13.5 kWh
Continuous power rating	On grid: 7.6 kW full sun/5.8 kW no sun, Off-grid: 9.6 kW full sun/7 kW no sun
Peak power rating	Off-grid: 22 kW full sun/10 kW no sun
Round trip efficiency	90%
Depth of discharge	100%
Dimensions	62.8 in x 29.7 in x 6.3 in
Weight	343.9 lbs
Operating modes	Solar Self-Consumption, Time-Based Control, Backup Power

Lifespan and Warranty

The powerwall’s life span is fairly normal for lithium-ion batteries. They will be operating with 70% initial capacity within 10 years. The operating mode you select will determine the length of time your Powerwall battery lasts.

The details of how you use your battery affect the battery’s life are detailed by Tesla’s warranties.

Capacity

The capacity of a battery tells you the amount of electricity it is able to store. The greater capacity, the more the battery will power your home. With the capacity to store 13.5 Kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power the Powerwall is able to store enough power to provide about half of the typical American household’s regular energy consumption.

A single charge of the Powerwall is likely to power all the necessities within your home, such as your fridge and WiFi, a few outlets, and even a couple of lights for around 24 hours.

Continuous power rating

The introduction of Powerwall+ brought one major modification: a greater power rating. The power rating continuously of a battery will tell you what number of appliances it is able to run.

Powerwall batteries hooked up to the grid provide 7.6 kW of power even when there is sun and 5.6 5 kW without sun. This means that one Powerwall can power electric outlets, lights, and 120-volt appliances, like the fridge in your home. If you’re looking to power large appliances, like cooling systems, such as air conditioners, you’ll require additional Powerwalls.

The unique thing with the Powerwall is the fact that it can release more power when it’s off grid, with a range of 7 kW to 9.6 kW, dependent on the weather conditions. Also in the event that the Powerwall isn’t linked to the grid for instance during power outages it is able to power a number of appliances within your home.

Peak power rating

Apart from being rated for continuous power capacity, batteries have the capacity to deliver peak power that is the highest quantity of power a battery can produce within a relatively short amount of duration (usually around 10 seconds). The peak power rating evaluates the battery’s capability to withstand short power surges, such as when appliances require more power to power up.

There isn’t any peak power rating available for the Powerwall when linked to grid. However, when operating without grid connection, the power peak can range from 10 kW up to an impressive 22 kW if there is sun.

The numbers are significantly more than the industry standard for peak power rating which is typically approximately 7 kW of output. But, you’ll get to the full potential of your solar system if you possess a minimum of a 12 kW solar array in order to have enough power to get to the output.

Operating modes

The Powerwall also comes with three modes of operation that are standard for the Powerwall:

Solar Self-Consumption
Time-Based Control
Backup Power

These modes let you select when and how you discharge and store energy into your battery. In the Solar Self-Consumption mode, you can provide your home with solar energy, even when it doesn’t shine by storing solar energy to use in the future.

In Backup Power mode, you can decide to let your Powerwall only serve as an emergency backup battery in the event of a blackout.

Time-Based Control is useful when your utility is using time-of-use (TOU) rates, which means that your utility charges different electricity rates based on the time of the day. If your Powerwall is operating in the Time-Based Control mode it will charge the battery whenever electricity is the most affordable and discharge the battery when electricity costs are at their highest and will allow you to reduce the cost of your utility bills.

AC-coupled

Tesla Powerwall is an AC-coupled battery, which means that the battery has its own built-in storage unit (which is essentially an inverter integrated into the battery). The primary benefit that AC-coupled batteries have is the fact that they’re simple to connect to solar panels already in use. Additionally, in the event that something is wrong with your solar inverter battery will function as normal in the opposite direction.

But AC-coupled battery systems are less efficient than DC-batteries. Also, the addition of hardware means that there are more components which could fail.

Find out more about the distinctions among AC battery and DC-coupled ones in our comparison guide.

How long will it take to purchase a Tesla Powerwall?

Tesla Powerwalls come with a significant waiting time due to the fact that the demands for solar cells is large as more and more homeowners seek access to secure backup power. Tesla’s production capacity simply cannot keep up with. It was discovered the fact that Tesla has an influx of 80,000 Powerwall orders which have yet to be completed.

You can buy Powerwalls Powerwall through Tesla directly through an investment in a solar roofing system for solar panels. You can also purchase a Powerwall through a Tesla Partner Installer. Customers who purchase the Powerwall units directly through Tesla will have shorter waiting times generally several months. Customers who purchase a Powerwall via Tesla installers have had to wait for nearly a year before getting their batteries installed. It seems like Tesla has placed a priority on fulfilling the direct orders first and abandoning their installers to empty.

So, if you’re searching for a new battery to be added to your installed solar system, and you do not want to wait for an entire year to have an solar battery You’ll need an alternative to a Powerwall replacement.

Do you require solar panels to operate a Powerwall?

Tesla Powerwalls are able to be operated without solar panels and simply draw electricity from the grid, which can serve as backup power in case of grid failure. The problem is that Tesla does not sell Powerwalls on their own, so for you to purchase an Powerwall straight from Tesla you will need to purchase an Tesla solar panels as well as a the solar roofing system.

If you’re looking to purchase a Powerwall without paying to install a total solar power system it isn’t possible to purchase it directly through Tesla. Instead, you’ll need purchase the Powerwall to sell it on your own through an authorized Tesla Powerwall installer.

As we’ve said before that using an Tesla partner usually means more wait times, and it’s not easy to locate an installation that will set up a battery it’s own without solar since it’s not as lucrative to the contractor. It’s possible to do it but it’s difficult to find one and you’ll need to be prepared for a long waiting time.

In order to obtain a Powerwall directly from Tesla quickly it is necessary to purchase an electric system on Tesla’s website. Tesla web site.

Does this Tesla Powerwall worth it?

Our opinion is that the Powerwall is an excellent battery. It comes with advanced features and impressive technical specifications for reasonable prices.

What is it? Is the Powerwall worth the price? In truth, no at all. The battery we have put on top of our checklist is called the LG Chem Prime due to its power-capacity in terms of operating modes, as well as its low price.

Unfortunately the decision of Tesla to sell Powerwalls with the latest solar panels makes it more difficult for home owners to obtain one. This is an enormous disappointment for a number of reasons.

First, those who have solar panels but want to add a battery not get an Powerwall directly from Tesla however, they will have to find an authorized installer willing to offer the Powerwall to homeowners. In addition, they could need to endure long wait times.

In addition with regards to solar panels, Tesla is notorious for being known for poor after-sales support. Therefore, for homeowners who are interested in to purchase a Tesla Powerwall and want to install it, they are at the risk of having to deal the poor customer service Tesla is well-known for. This isn’t just a problem when you’re having the system set up, it’s something you’ll need to confront throughout the lifetime of your solar panels for a total of 25 years!

In addition the fact that Tesla fulfilling their own orders prior to taking on projects which their installers have entered into contracts, it’s hard to tell which one you’ll get. Powerwall from a different company than Tesla. Tesla has changed contracts signed previously for their solar roofs however there’s no chance of it happening when it comes to their Powerwalls.

Verdict

With that said, if you do not already have solar, you must be willing to take the risk of receiving poor customer service for the next 25 years you’ve got Tesla panels up on the roof of your home, or you are happy with the possibility of months or even years of waiting periods to get an electric battery or replaced, then the Tesla Powerwall is the right choice to you.

If this doesn’t suffice, you can call your local solar installation company and ask them what solar batteries they would recommend and if they’ve got Powerwalls that they can install. The easiest method to find installers who can help you connect a solar system with storage for the most affordable price within your region is to use our solar calculator on the right.

Read more:
Tesla Powerwall Alternatives