Wednesday 8 March 2017

UPDATE - TESLA POWERWALL 2

The Tesla Powerwall 2 is due into the UK very soon, demand is already outstripping supply!

Following the launch of the Powerwall 2 back in October 2016 anticipation has been very high but technical information has been a little scarce. I hope to resolve at least one of those issues!

I think I can safely say that the consensus in the industry is that the Powerwall 2 will revolutionise the way we consume electrical energy. The original Powerwall is a fantastic product and is a great way to make the best use of the excess solar electricity and to even out the consumption over the day. However, its power range is limited and has been found to be a little lacking for medium and high energy users, it was limited in the features it offers and there have been issues relating to the complexity of the installation.

The Powerwall 2 is only available in the UK as an AC coupled unit, the DC version will not be supplied in the UK. The Powerwall 2 offers 13.2kWh of storage capacity, double that of the Powerwall 1 in a case which is similar in size and more streamlined. It can be wall or floor mounted, with the ability to stack and control up to nine units. Amazingly, for a product from a company with an exclusive reputation the Powerwall 2 has one of the lowest cost per kWh of storage on the market. Other products may be cheaper but they do not have the same capacity or offer full ten year warranties.

I believe the AC Powerwall 2 will have a significant effect on the Solar and Energy Market, for these reasons:

1, It is compatible with all existing solar PV systems. It has an inverter integrated into the case, which has a charge and discharge capacity of up to 5kW, though this is initially limited to 3.68kW to satisfy UK network requirements, I'll discuss this in more detail later. The battery connects directly into the fuseboard/consumer unit and has a wireless energy gateway to control it and provide online monitoring through a Tesla web-portal. The Powerwall 2 is a self contained independent unit which works seamlessly with your existing inverter and solar panels.

2, It can charge from the grid when electricity rates are low and discharge when rates are high. It is not feasible with domestic sized PV systems to expect a full charge from the solar panels every day, all year. By taking advantage of economy 7 or other similar off peak tariffs it is possible to top up the battery at the lower rates and discharge it during higher rate periods. Reducing energy bills further and supporting the supply grid at times when it needs it.

3, It could be used as a backup supply during power cuts. It is possible to purchase an automatic backup supply adaption kit for an extra cost, which will ensure you still have power in the event of grid failure. This option does involve extra equipment and electrical works to ensure the system remains safe and to G83/G59 regulations.

Pre-Ordering Information


Powerwall 2 will be arriving at the beginning of April. We have received a great deal of interest in the battery and are expecting a rush and also possible stock shortages.

We are now able to pre-order the units directly with Tesla for a £400 deposit and get them allocated from the first shipment due into Europe. The advertised cost is £6,350 for the DC version plus the cost extra SolarEdge equipment required the higher priced AC version is not yet advertised by Tesla. We are pricing the AC versions at £6,999 inclusive of installation and additional equipment.

Tesla are also taking Pre-Orders through their website at www.tesla.com , when an order is placed you will receive an email with a reservation number in the format EN-1234567, please forward this to myself at matthew@ctsrenewables.co.uk and it will be allocated by ourselves as a priority installation.


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Kind Regards



Matthew Baxter
Sales & Marketing Director