Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar • Hacker News Board

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#51

Post by robotbikes » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:09 AM UTC

mrfusion wrote: post #7

swampthinker wrote: post #4

Solar panel roofing tiles have been around for a long time. I wonder what this will do different? Pricing? Or perhaps they are relying on brand strength alone. Edit: I understand the urge to downvote because I'm not singing praise, but I promise I'm not trying to be overly pessimistic or critical of what Tesla is doing. Fact of the matter is, solar tiles have been done before, and failed miserably.

I didn't know that. I thought they were always in an r&d phase before.

From my research they have never really been competitive to the point of getting any traction in their installation. They cost a lot more and provided a lot less power compared to standard panels. This seems promising especially if it is available so that it can be installed directly by home owners.

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#52

Post by dghughes » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:13 AM UTC

As much as I like the idea after reading about the Note 7 and then a battery fire at DARPA I'm not fond of a giant battery lithium-ion battery in my house.

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#53

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:13 AM UTC

intrasight wrote: post #49

For $3000 this would be easy to justify just to keep my computer and network operating. I work at home and our power goes out too frequently. Is usually just for 10-20 seconds and my UPS takes care of that. But sometimes it is out for several hours - I'll say several times per year. If I can't work, I can't bill.

[deleted]

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#54

Post by usaphp » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:16 AM UTC

wernercd wrote: post #46

usaphp wrote: post #41

Correct me if I am wrong, it estimates 12,000$ for a single day of energy backup of your home? For 12,000$ I dont mind staying one day without electricity.

If you generate more electricity than you use during the day, you all of a sudden don't have an electric bill... or a drastically reduced one. The funny thing about solar... it's not constant. Half the day is night... then clouds/rain/etc. 24/hours of electricity is for those dry periods.

But my electric bill is like $30-40/month, Why would I want to shell out $12,000 for something that will become old tech in couple of years like the 1 powerwall.

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#55

Post by stomato » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:16 AM UTC

dghughes wrote: post #52

As much as I like the idea after reading about the Note 7 and then a battery fire at DARPA I'm not fond of a giant battery lithium-ion battery in my house.

The problems with those batteries are that cell phones pushed the limit such that they were dangerous due to thin walls between part of the battery(ies), and hoverboards didn't keep batteries from overcharging, which causes a chemical reaction forming spikes that penetrate the thin walls between the parts of the batteries that cause fires. The batteries tech itself is not a problem; it's the design around it.

And if you think this is bad, just wait until batteries get more powerful and there are problems. Be thankful that it only starts a small fire!

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#56

Post by onesun » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:19 AM UTC

Any idea why the solar cells aren't packed more densely? It looks like there's a lot of wasted space on due to a square cell centered on a rectangular tile.

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#57

Post by daok » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:20 AM UTC

usaphp wrote: post #54

wernercd wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you generate more electricity than you use during the day, you all of a sudden don't have an electric bill... or a drastically reduced one. The funny thing about solar... it's not constant. Half the day is night... then clouds/rain/etc. 24/hours of electricity is for those dry periods.

But my electric bill is like $30-40/month, Why would I want to shell out $12,000 for something that will become old tech in couple of years like the 1 powerwall.

30-40$ is probably a very small apartment. A house (2 levels) in Quebec during winter can go easily around 500$ because of the constant heating required.

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#58

Post by TheSpiceIsLife » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:20 AM UTC

intrasight wrote: post #49

For $3000 this would be easy to justify just to keep my computer and network operating. I work at home and our power goes out too frequently. Is usually just for 10-20 seconds and my UPS takes care of that. But sometimes it is out for several hours - I'll say several times per year. If I can't work, I can't bill.

Where are you seeing $3000? When I set it to 1 Powerwall it tells me:

One 14 kWh Powerwall battery $5,500 Installation and supporting hardware starts at $1,000 Total estimate $6,500 Requires $500 deposit for each Powerwall

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#59

Post by usaphp » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:29 AM UTC

daok wrote: post #57

usaphp wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But my electric bill is like $30-40/month, Why would I want to shell out $12,000 for something that will become old tech in couple of years like the 1 powerwall.

30-40$ is probably a very small apartment. A house (2 levels) in Quebec during winter can go easily around 500$ because of the constant heating required.

But you won't get much solar electricity during winter in Quebec anyway would you?

Re: Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

#60

Post by toomuchtodo » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 3:29 AM UTC

foobarqux wrote: post #45

I thought Straubel said that the Powerwall was meant not for offpeak storage but for emergency backup.

That Powerwall was of a different chemistry, and has been discontinued.

EDIT: This is a baller feature:

"Always Connected: Monitor your solar energy use in real-time and receive alerts when Powerwall is preparing for cloudy or severe weather."

They're performing weather forecasting, and then ensuring the Powerwall has charged up for a possible outage event. Brilliant.