Tesla Powerwall to hit Australian market in late 2015

By Monika Thakur

September 21, 2015

4 min read

Tesla Powerwall home battery system was unveiled by Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk during an event in Hawthorne, California on April 30, 2015. But recently, the firm has announced that these ingenious home batteries will hit Australian market in late 2015. So Australia would be one of the first countries in the world to get benefits of Powerwall solar energy batteries.

Related: Tesla Powerwell home battery system

These lithium-ion battery modules are designed to store backup electricity from solar panels that charge up batteries during non-peak hours, and provide energy to your house during peak energy usage time. In order to balance loads on the power grid, Tesla has launched the Powerwall in two modules i.e. 7-kWh and 10 kWh for US $3,000 and $3,500 respectively. On the other hand, the company even introduced industrial 100kWh Powerpack for commercial applications.

But as per Bloomberg’s report on May 6, 2015, the Powerwall batteries don’t work well with solar panels. According to the reports, the 7kWh Powerwall is not supporting rooftop solar power sources accurately. This means early adopters are likely to face the problem (i.e. extending solar power after sunset won’t be possible) if the issue is not resolved yet.

However, the sustainable energy expert at the University of Sydney, Professor Anthony Vassallo, describes Tesla battery as a high-profile product of storage industry. Although the new battery system needs improvement, but to launch these solar-powered batteries early in Australia is a clever decision. This is because more than 1.3 million households in the country already have solar panels on their rooftop. Moreover, the number is likely to increase rapidly as prices of PV systems are falling.

So, people in Australia may use the 7 kWh battery modules for daily usage to store appropriate energy produced by the solar panels. With this, homeowners will be able to reduce utility bills by 50-percent. Once the officials manage renewable energy’s capital cost, people don’t have to worry about additional fuel costs. We’re eagerly waiting for Powerwall’s upcoming commercial shipment to Australia, and to get consumer’s feedback on these home battery systems.