Renewable energy has been making great strides the past few years, as the supply of photovoltaic solar cells has increased dramatically while the cost of those cells has also dropped considerably. In addition, wind turbines have also increased the amount of electricity generated by renewables.
But one of the biggest arguments against renewable energy is that these sources cannot be stored or contained like fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas. In addition, even if solar energy can generate sizable amounts of electricity, what happens when the sun doesn't shine? And what happens if the wind doesn't blow strong enough to propel wind turbines? And how do you generate electricity with renewables at night, when the sun doesn't shine and wind speeds traditionally die down? Some people have taken upon themselves to install deep-cycle battery packs in their green homes, and while they can be used to store renewable energy sources from solar and wind, they are bulky, heavy, and require a lot of space to be used effectively.
Enter Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla Motors. He says he has come up with a solution to store said energy that is not only smaller and more efficient than current batteries but lighter on the carbon footprint and the pocketbook. But is it a green energy dream come true that will revolutionize the energy world as we know it or just really good marketing hype?
Just a few days ago, Elon Musk, the tech genius and founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, held a public event to debut his new venture, Tesla Energy, and in particular his new product, the
Tesla Powerwall. The Powerwall is a lithium-ion battery which is designed to be mounted on a wall. It measures about 52 inches long, 34 inches wide, and seven inches deep and weighs 220 pounds. It is also designed to be scalable and as of now will cost $3,500 for an 10 kWh unit. This does not include the cost of installation or an inverter unit.
Now, these units aren't available for sale yet; however, his company is taking pre-orders and says they will be available in about 90 days. Musk says he also has a solution for commercial entities called the Powerpack. It's basically a ramped up version of his Powerwall that scales into a server-type unit.
Here's some video of his press event.
Of course, his plans for the Powerwall pre-supposes that renewable energy will be distributed on home rooftops, and that this will supplant the need for huge power plants, whether they be coal-fired or even large scale solar and wind installations. But is this something truly disruptive to the fossil fuel industry, or is this just hype?
Some critics are already dismissing this as a toy or item that only the wealthy can afford, and that it will take years to make a sizable impact on energy use. They also downplay his prior success with Tesla Motors, indicating how only a few wealthy individuals own his all-electric vehicles, and how most of the energy needed to recharge those vehicles must be done at night, usually with electricity generated by coal-fired power plants.
But if his new Powerwall is anything like his all-electric automobiles, this could be revolutionary. It may allow the average home to generate most if not all of its energy needs from renewable sources and dramatically reduce carbon emissions if scaled up as expected. It would also disrupt the fossil fuel industry to its core, reducing the need to dig for more coal or oil sources and not needing to use our military to defend oil supplies in the Middle East. But how quickly this will revolutionize the energy industry remains to be seen.