The solar battery world is abuzz with the recent announcement of the Tesla Powerwall 3. This is the latest in Tesla Energy’s Powerwall series. These are batteries, largely charged by solar power. That allows you to use solar electricity...
Tesla Powerwall 3 solar storage battery
The solar battery world is abuzz with the recent announcement of the Tesla Powerwall 3. This is the latest in Tesla Energy’s Powerwall series. These are batteries, largely charged by solar power. That allows you to use solar electricity at times when your solar energy system is not generating any.
The history of Tesla Powerwall
First, let’s recap the history of the Powerwall series of batteries.
The first Powerwall battery from Tesla Energy arrived in 2015, with limited production. The Powerwall 2 followed in October 2016. Mass production started in early 2017 at Tesla’s Giga Nevada factory, just east of the town of Reno. The Powerwall 2 was to become the mainstay of the Tesla home and business solar storage battery solution range. Tesla also introduced Powerwall+ in April 2021. This combined the functions of a Powerwall 2, a Backup Gateway and, for the first time, a solar inverter.
By May 2021, Tesla and its dealers installed 200,000 Powerwalls worldwide.
In September, 2023 Tesla Energy announced the arrival of the Powerwall 3 home battery in Australia. However, the confirmed timing means that you shouldn’t expect to be able to place an order before late 2024! This is despite its availability in the USA.
And the quirks of the new device mean that you should think twice about waiting for the very latest when you could acquire a Powerwall 2 now. The Powerwall 2 will meet most people’s needs for a storage battery.
Why does Tesla command so much attention?
Tesla is in the unique position of being one of the few household names in the solar and battery industry. There are companies such as 1KOMMA°, SolarEdge, Enphase, REC and Trina that have an excellent reputation in the industry. However, outside it, they have a very low profile.
Tesla, on the other hand, is a dominant player in the transition to EVs in this era of decarbonisation. Love him or hate him, its attention getting boss, Elon Musk, is on most people’s lips at least occasionally.
By virtue of being an electric vehicle manufacturer, they also sit in the center of a unique ecosystem revolving around solar power systems, a home battery and the charging of Tesla cars. There’s even the possibility of using a Tesla car’s battery to power your home!
That’s not to brush aside their technology as being anything but the very best of breed.
Tesla Powerwall 3: “not for everyone”
The Tesla Powerwall 3 promises a more powerful and efficient 13.5kWh home battery just like the Powerwall 2. However, it does come with bolstered back-up power credentials and an increased output rate. But, as with the Powerwall+, it comes with a built in solar inverter. You may be thinking, added value! But, is it really?
If you have a solar power system already, it is not going to be able to work with that infrastructure. Many solar experts are saying:
Buy a Powerwall 2 now. Don’t wait for a Powerwall 3 as its inverter included technology means it will be incompatible with your existing system.
Solaray’s Director of Marketing, Tom Sedgwick, who has worked in the solar industry for over a decade, warned that the Tesla Powerwall 3 is “not for everyone”.
He noted that waiting for a Tesla Powerwall 3 means wasting the potential energy savings from the coming long hot Summer of rising power prices. Especially now with Tesla offering a $750 rebate. Additionally, Solaray will endeavour to make your move to a battery as affordable as possible.
If you want to take advantage of savings now, rather than later, contact us about upgrading your system with a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery now.