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Shall I install Tesla Powerwall? What are other alternatives?

Tesla Powerwall Alternatives

Home energy storage for a solar system in Australia is becoming increasingly popular as homeowners look for ways to manage their energy consumption and reduce their reliance on the grid. 

How Much Does a Home Solar Battery Cost?

Around 9% of the 110,000 solar installations done in Australia in 2020 included solar batteries. It is a type of rechargeable battery that stores energy generated from solar panels for later. It helps to save excess solar energy for times when there is limited sunlight or at night, ensuring a continuous supply of power. The battery stores energy in the form of direct current (DC) electricity and releases it as alternating current (AC) electricity when needed, making it a crucial component in a solar energy system. 

Solar battery cost depends on the capacity and quality of the battery. One of the highest-performing tried and tested solar battery brand is Tesla Powerall 2 which costs around $16,500. But various Tesla Powerwall alternatives are available in different capacities such as,

Solar Battery Cost and Capacity Comparison

Solar Battery CapacitySolar Capacity Cost
5 kWh$7000-7500
10 kWh$11,000-16,000
15 kWh$15,000-20,000

What are the Powerwall Alternatives in Australia

There is a demand for home energy storage by households across Australia as a means of future-proofing against further electricity price rises and taking control of the energy supply. There are several alternatives to Tesla Powerall in Australia and some of them are collated here:

Redback

The Redback Smart Battery System comes in three convenient sizes (7.2kWh, 9.6kWh & 14.2kWh) so you can ensure your customers have the right amount of storage for their energy needs. This is an Australian-based solar storage company. Redback batteries are compatible with most existing solar systems. Know more about Redback product

Q CELLS Q.HOME

The Q.Home is a single seamless integrated system comprised of a hybrid inverter, lithium-ion battery and a complimentary home energy management system from SwitchDin. The system allows users to make greater use of the sun than ever before. Know more about Q.Home battery

Enphase Energy IQ Battery

It is a lithium-ion phosphate battery and is available from 3 kWh to 10 kWh capacity.  It can also be connected to traditional generators that run on fossil fuels. 

Panasonic EverVolt Battery

It can be installed as AC or DC-coupled battery.  It comes in 11.4 kWh and 17.1 kWh capacity as AC coupled system. For DC coupling, its capacity can be expanded from 11 kWh to 102 kWh if you have a huge household. 

Enphase Energy IQ Battery

Enphase IQ Battery is a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that is connected to your home using a specialized version of the company’s microinverters. This battery comes in capacities of 3 kWh and 10 kWh and can be combined to create a larger energy storage system. The AC coupling of the battery enables efficient energy management.

LG Energy Solution RESU Prime

This lithium-ion battery was launched in 2021 as a higher-capacity battery in response to power outages and is a good Tesla Powerall Alternative. It can serve as either a full-home backup during power failures or as a daily battery pack with a traditional 24-hour charge and discharge cycle. It is available in capacities of 10 and 16 kWh. The cost of one LG battery, including installation and supporting equipment, ranges from $7,000 to $13,000. Know more about LG Energy

A home energy system can charge during the off-peak tariff hours and discharge back into the same grid during the on-peak tariff hours. The difference between the two tariffs represents the savings that are then used to pay back the investment and eventually make a profit on the investment. A home energy system may also be used as solar energy storage to be used in the nighttime when household electricity consumption is highest, a backup power during a power outage.

Tesla Powerwall 2

Powerwall 2 is a game-changer for the off-grid power storage market. No other manufacturer has made such significant product developments in such a short amount of time.

The average Australian home uses around 18 kWh of electricity per day. So two Powerwalls can be enough to meet the demands of many energy-efficient homes. At Off-Grid Energy, we design our home battery storage systems to cater specifically for your individual power needs. Additionally, the off-grid power systems we install have the ability to be modified as your needs change over time.

Since its launch in 2016, the original Tesla Powerwall has set the standard for home energy storage. It has been a revolution, providing a simple yet powerful home battery storage solution that captures excess solar power during the day and uses it to power your home at night.

Now with their Powerwall 2, Tesla has managed to double their battery’s capacity, reduce its physical size, and build in an inverter, all at a similar cost to the first Powerwall.

A new release from Tesla in Feb 2020, means Powerwall 2 can now be installed in off-grid applications. Below are the main features of the Tesla Powerwall 2:

High Performance: – Long life L-ion battery technology

Storage Options: – 13.5kWh ‘usable’ storage

Power Output: – 5kW continuous (7kW surge)

Low Maintenance: – Fully automated operation

Exceptional Warranty: – 10-year conditional warranty

Low Footprint: – Wall or floor mount (in or outdoor)

In the same way that grid-connected solar and battery storage systems are backed up by mains power, every off-grid home needs a generator to supplement the renewable energy supply. All of our Tesla off-grid Powerwall system designs include a hard-wired diesel generator, which ensures you always have backup electricity at the ready

Tesla Powerwall 2 Specifications

POWER OUTPUT (HYBRID MODE): – 5kW cont. (7kW surge)

POWER OUTPUT (BACKUP MODE): – (as per above as long as hybrid inverter has island mode)

PHASES: – 1 or split phase

CHARGING: – 5kW cont. (5kW peak)

BATTERY TECHNOLOGY: – Lithium-ion

BATTERY CAPACITY: – 13.5kWh usable

BATTERY EXPANDABILITY: – Up to 10 Units

ROUND TRIP EFFICIENCY: – 90%

INDOOR / OUTDOOR: – Indoor / Outdoor

DIMENSIONS: – 1150mm X 755mm x 155mm (L/W/D)

WEIGHT: – 125kg

OPERATING TEMPERATURE: – -20° to 50°

WARRANTY: – 10 years conditional

Tesla Powerwall Monitoring Software

Tesla products get better over time. Powerwall’s active internet connection provides free over-the-air updates to ensure customers have new features and improved functionality.

Powerwall includes comprehensive monitoring through the mobile app to show your energy usage in real-time. For Off-Grid customers, this allows a unique insight into your home’s energy usage and how you can manage your energy consumption.

More about residential solar energy storage

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