(From EcoGeneration Magazine – Fri 29 January 2016)
The Tesla Powerwall has officially arrived in the Australian market, with at least one installation being completed in Sydney this week.
The first commercial installation of the much-hyped 7 kWh battery was undertaken by Natural Solar on a family home in Kellyville Ridge, in Sydney’s northwest.
The unit was mounted on an outside wall and integrated with an existing 5 kW rooftop PV system, according to a report in the Australian.
“It sticks on the wall, it doesn’t take up floor space, and it’s convenient to move around,” said Mr Pfitzner.
Natural Solar managing director Chris Williams said the demand for the Tesla unit had been unprecedented. He said Natural Solar was going to install “hundreds” more Powerwalls in coming weeks, with installations already scheduled around the country.
“There are already 1.5 million Australian households that are using solar energy. The Tesla Powerwall will allow users to save money, and reduce their residential carbon emissions from day one,” he said.
The first shipment of US-made Powerwalls arrived in the country earlier this week, though they have been available for pre-order since mid-December, with prices starting at around $14,000 fully installed.
Mr Pfitzner said he had switched power provider to secure a feed-in tariff of about 10c/kWh, and had signed up with Reposit Power to manage the storage system and trade power to and from the grid.
Mr Pfitzner’s power demands include an air conditioner, washing machine and pool pump, which he said would be mostly powered by solar during the day, with battery power used morning and night.
Courtesy of EcoGeneration magazine – Read the article online now.
