When it comes to capturing headlines with visions of the future, not many can beat Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind SpaceX, the rocket company that he build to accomplish his dream to colonize Mars. Most people will probably known him for his Tesla electric cars, already established its popularity in the US.
It must be very exciting to see how the future will look like with powerful rockets and fast cars, but our way of living will likely changed by something much more simple – Tesla’s Powerwall. This basic white battery might not be as dazzling as Musk’s other products, but it could have a far bigger impact on society than we think. Tesla’s Powerwall aims to harness energy from renewable sources and offer it to the household.
The concept is simple; when energy from traditional suppliers is expensive at peak times, the batteries in home will release its energy. When demand is lower, this cheap electricity generated by the Powerwall will be stored up. Not only will electricity costs be reduced, the batteries could also be used as an emergency back-up if the main network crashes (Martin, 2015).
The system does not only solve the problems on micro-level. Wind and solar farms face the problem with the produced energy when there is no demand and no place to store it. With this battery, the problem is easily solved. Also, as energy is conducted from large power stations, the battery could relieve the current strain on the transmission grid. But most importantly, fully utilizing the green energy will help the world lessen its reliance on fossil fuels (Tovey, 2016).
This whole idea might seem a little far-fetched right now, but it is becoming a more a more real prospect. Lets see if Musk can make the Tesla’s Powerwall as common as a television in every living room.
Sources:
Tovey, 2016. Home energy storage is the driving force of the future. [online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/15/home-energy-storage-is-the-driving-force-of-the-future-claims-te/ [Accessed 06-10-2016].
Martin, 2016. Home energy storage enters a new era. [online]. Available at: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/541336/home-energy-storage-enters-a-new-era/ [Accessed 06-10-2016].
Interesting post Min Heng! It seems like a promising idea for the world’s future. When do you think this technology will be completed? The idea of switching between normal electricity and the power wall makes it a lot more reliable instead of only using the power wall. Sorry if I misunderstood, but how does the power wall actually receive its energy? I hope to see the idea in practice soon and makes us less dependent of the fossil fuels.