To say that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has some wild dreams would be an understatement, but Musk has already brought some really great technology to the table already. Tesla is most well known for its electric Model S vehicle, but Musk is one of the brains behind the Hyperloop idea and now they look to move into homes, business’ and beyond. As solar panels increase in popularity there is a ton of room beyond just selling and installing panels to make a good chunk of money. Musk has realized the huge potential and is beginning to roll out Solar Power Storage Units to store additional power for those with solar panels.
Whether looking to disconnect from the grid for a few days, provide additional power during black outs, or just to avoid paying demand charges from power companies during high usage times Musk’s latest idea is a great one. Starting this week solar install company SolarCity will begin offering an industrial grade solar power storage unit that is produced by Tesla. The unit itself looks very similar to a mini fridge and will be mounted inside the garage of the house the panels are being installed on. Inside the storage unit are the same lithium-ion batteries that Tesla’s Model S sedan runs off of, and has about an eight the power of Tesla’s top power pack.
Tesla’s partnership with SolarCity is a no-brainer with Musk being a chairman at the company as well as being a cousin of the CEO of the company as well. SolarCity has been testing these units in various installs and they have tested to ensure that the unit will hold enough power for critical usage. During their tests they were able to take houses completely off the grid for days at a time and still power the essential appliances to get through daily activities. While the solar power storage unit is now available to consumers and commercial uses it will set you back around $15,000 but SolarCity hopes that they will soon be installing one of these with every solar installation.
