Is This The End of the Power Grid?
Tesla Home Battery Available Soon
Company CEO Elon Musk says Tesla is now working on a battery that will power your home and even help large-scale utilities store energy more efficiently. With designs already complete, production could start within six months. Everyone is watching closely as to what the details will be, especially concerning price.
Thanks to frequent power outages and poor customer service, the Tesla batteries could be a welcome relief. Currently the choices for how people power their homes is relatively limited to the grid or a generator and costs are rising. This new technology may ultimately threaten the traditional electric grid and force power conglomerates to rethink their position.
Solar panels with large, efficient batteries could allow some homeowners to avoid buying electricity from utilities while allowing others to cut costs.
With a great track record of proven products, and the lowest cost lithium-ion batteries on the EV market, confidence is high. There’s a good possibility that Tesla could offer some of the most competitive consumer batteries on the market and if nothing else ultimately wind up saving you money on your electric bill. That day could come sooner than later for many people, as it is widely expected that solar panel costs will continue to come down as well as battery costs. Through SolarCity Corp.,Tesla already offers residential energy-storage units to select customers.
Would it be possible one day to view our cities and towns as they once were, with no 750KV towering monstrosities and without miles of congested telephone poles and lines?
And will this be the future of power technology, or just another step in our quest for clean energy independence?
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Here is an awesome read about Nicola Tesla and all his work. Enjoy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla
I believe that both hydro and phone companies as we knew them are on their way out. It's just a matter of time.
Hi Claude- I agree, but I think they will eventually adapt, morph if you will, not because they want to but because they will have to.
I have seen one of those Tesla cars up close. What a beautiful Machine! Now, they need to work on bringing the price down :)
Unfortunately, at this time a charge is only good for around 12 hours I believe. But, you can recharge it with a standard wall outlet. Like plugging in any other household appliance.
I can picture a day when there will be power stations (comparable to today's gas stations) where people can plugin and have something entertaining to do while the car recharges.
Who knows, but it's fun to dream :)
I can't wait until they become so efficient that I can have an entirely battery powered boat. No more fuel, no more propane!
Not yet. You can get electric motors, but the batteries are big, run times short, and charging off of solar would be very slow. Good for weekend warriors but not full time live aboards or cruisers. The draw on electric stoves is really high, so they're only usable on very large boats, that can fit the massive battery bank required.
Tesla has already changed the way we think about electric cars. Now one Seattle startup vet wants to do the same for motorboats.
Andy Rebele, an entrepreneur-turned-investor, is the founder of Pure Watercraft. His three-year-old company is building high-performance all-electric recreational boats that Rebele says mimic the quality and engineering of Tesla’s vehicles.
http://www.geekwire.com/2014/tesla-boats/
Nice! Hopefully all of these advancements start driving prices down. I actually looked into lithium-ion batteries a few years ago. Prices started at 10k!!!
The Sun bathes our planet with more energy on a daily basis than we can use in an entire year. Efficient, free and clean power. Much of the technology is there but the "motivation" is not unfortunately. And yes, "motivation" is very much open to interpretation.
Maybe someday in the distant future, people will think of us fossil fuel burners the same we think of the witch hunters of the 18th century. Victims of their time.
Hey Steve -Glad you added "motivation" is very much open to interpretation.
Can you imagine in the future a son talking to his father, not able to understand why people used to drive around in highly explosive vehicles that used an expensive and dirty fuel that was mined from the earth.
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Hi Sylvia-and thanks for the link. Tesla is one of my technology hero's!