Off Grid Solar With Tesla Powerwall 2 Battery Storage

Exciting News: Tesla Powerwall 2 Is Now Available For Off-Grid Homes

For many, living off-grid is a lifestyle choice that reduces personal reliance on public amenities and allows one to stand on one's own two feet. But it comes with some major problems, the main one being how to store solar power for use at night.

Batteries were typically the type you'd find in a golf cart. They needed ventilation and drainage in case of a leak, and you wouldn't dream of having them in the house.

Enter Tesla Powerwall. It's the revolution in off-grid storage that so many have been waiting for.

Tesla Powerwall is safe, easy to install and really, really smart.

Tesla's new off-grid solar and storage solution will make living independently from the grid a more realistic choice for many Australians. We are even expecting some households to cut the cord and say goodbye to a grid that is still predominantly powered by coal and gas.

This revolutionary off-grid system will allow households to generate, store, and reliably power their residence using a solar power system, Powerwall batteries and a generator.

What is Tesla Powerwall?

Tesla Powerwall stores the energy created from your rooftop solar system during the day so that it can be used to power your home when you need it. It also comes with one of the most advanced energy management systems on the market.

Powerwall is a fully automated energy storage system that is simple to install and requires no long-term maintenance. The compact device is inconspicuous and doesn’t take up valuable storage room, giving you more flexibility with your space.

The weatherproof exterior means that you can have it installed inside or out, depending on your needs. It can be mounted on a wall, or you can stack multiple Powerwall units together on the ground. There are no unprotected wires or hot exhaust vents, meaning that the Powerwall is ultimately pet and child-friendly.

How Does Going Off-Grid Work?

Your home is considered off-grid when it is completely disconnected from the electrical grid.

Your home will be powered by solar panels, and Tesla Powerwall will store the excess solar power for the evening or for when there isn’t enough light for the solar panels to power your home.

The Tesla off-grid system is comprised of several different components.

The essential starting point is good-quality solar panels to generate power. Alongside this, you will need at least two Powerwall batteries. Tesla recommends at least one Powerwall per 5 kW AC of solar (assuming you have a backup generator), so your requirements will depend on your energy usage, as well as your property and installation size.

As a guide, the typical system will start at a 10kW solar array with two Powerwall batteries.

Throughout the day, the power generated by your solar panels will power your home and appliances.

Any excess energy will then charge your Powerwall.

Once the Powerwall has been fully charged, it notifies you on the Tesla app so you can choose to use the additional solar power instead of letting it go to waste. Excess solar power could be used to run pumps, air conditioning, or heating hot water.

After your panels stop producing electricity for the day, your Powerwall will kick in and discharge energy when you and your family need it.

For low-sunlight days, a secondary energy source such as a generator is seamlessly integrated into your system. This secondary energy source is needed to maintain power during extended periods where there isn’t enough sunlight to power the home. An example of this would be a week of rainy weather in the middle of winter.

This off-grid solar & storage system is reliable, safe and doesn’t require the ongoing maintenance that the old acid batteries required, and because Powerwall doesn’t require ventilation it can be installed either in the garage or on the house.

One of the best features of the Powerwall off-grid system is that you can access real-time consumption and generation data via the Tesla app to monitor and control your usage. The app will become an important part of your day as you adjust to living off-grid. It shows you how much power you are using at any one time and how that compares to how much power the solar system is generating.

From our on-grid Tesla Powerwall 2 installations, we have found that households take a few weeks to work everything out, and the process of understanding how much power different appliances use is not only eye-opening but also fun. We have had a few sheepish replies from dads that, actually, there are more important things to worry about than turning off the bathroom light.

Are You Eligible for the Tesla Off-Grid System?

To qualify for the off-grid system, you must meet a few eligibility requirements. Your home must not have a grid connection, and you need to live in a location that gets enough sunshine year-round to meet your energy requirements.

Overhanging trees, for example, can be a show-stopper. Off-grid living requires a reliable power source, so the roof needs to be clear of shade and large enough to fit at least a 10kW solar system, which would be 30 x 330W panels that are 1.7m tall x 1m wide. The solar can be installed on a shed or outbuilding if it is structural. However, we need to connect to a sub-board or meter board, so that must be considered. As a part of our service, we will help you design the system.

To get the most out of your Powerwall, average daily temperatures should be above 10ºC. Typically, this will mean installing Tesla Powerwall within the heat envelope of your house, which shouldn’t be too much of an issue across most of Australia.

While a secondary power source isn’t mandatory, it is most certainly the best practice for off-grid installations.

Importantly, you will also need an internet connection to install it, and the off-grid functionality will not work without an internet connection.

Tesla Off-Grid System Price Guide

An off-grid solar system with Tesla battery storage and a generator will start at around $40,000 to $50,000. This will get you a top-quality 10kW solar system with 2 x Tesla Powerwall batteries and a generator, all fully installed.

The off-grid system offered by Tesla offers a flexible and robust energy option for people looking to live off-grid.

Tesla is the industry leader in battery technology, making this a fantastic option for households looking to live off-grid.

1KOMMA5° Sydney and Melbourne have been involved in testing this off-grid solar & storage system from Tesla, and we have one of the most experienced technical solar teams in Australia. Our off-grid experts can help answer any questions and design a system for your requirements.