Tesla Energy • Hacker News Board

Re: Tesla Energy

#81

Post by Vik1ng » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:18 AM UTC

TaylorAlexander wrote: post #64

tlb wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$3500 doesn't include the inverter or transfer switch. Transfer switch is maybe $200, and it's not clear what the inverter might cost. It's a nontrivial part, since it would be responsible for daily cycle estimation and cost optimization. For $3300 you can get a 17 kW generator with inverter and transfer switch [0], which will run for days on a house-sized propane tank. At my house in the woods, we do sometimes get m…

Some people (like me) are simply unwilling to keep using carbon-based sources of energy. At some point it just feels awful to be contributing to such a terrible problem. I'm counting the days till I can sell my worn out petrol car and get an electric car. If I had a home and dollars, I'd want one of these batteries.

I feel like a backup generator is the last place where I would make my decisions based on the environment. I mean how long is it actually going to be active? Also batteries aren't exactly environment friendly either.

Re: Tesla Energy

#82

Post by sremani » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:19 AM UTC

localhost wrote: post #72

sremani wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$40K for 9kW solar sounds really expensive, I advice you to shop a bit or consider Solar lease. I have a 10 kW plant from SolarCity installed in late 2013. It is a prepaid 20 year lease, meaning I own the electricity and they own the panels, and the total cost (including installation, pv, inverters) to me is about 10K. You seem to be getting a 1 cent more for the electricity, so your only motivation for this must be…

Where I live (WA state USA), there are some crazy tax incentives here for solar. Rough math: 1. 30% rebate on federal income tax, so that's $12K back in the first year. 2. $0.54 / kWh WA state energy production credit which is capped at $5K / year. The estimated power production of a 9kW array over 1 year should get me pretty close to $5K back. The production credit expires in June 2020, which means that best case I…

That is some killer state energy production credits. Now your plan makes complete sense.

Re: Tesla Energy

#83

Post by Yaggo » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:19 AM UTC

vanadium wrote: post #17

$3,500. That's crazy good for your average household, on par with natural gas backup generators with half the logistics. I might just be ordering sooner rather than later given some of the grid instabilities in my area over the past year, and through the mid-term in preparation for a solar switch here in Chicago. While Elon might not be the best orator, you can easily derive his authenticity and belief in the product…

That's crazy cheap. The closest competitor which comes into my mind is probably SMA Sunny Boy Smart inverter with lithium battery, costing more than double while offering only 2 kWh of energy (but includes a solar inverter).

Re: Tesla Energy

#84

Post by rio517 » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:19 AM UTC

I actually really wanted him to put his "blue square" in context. Would have been interesting compared to land area dedicated to rooftops, parking lots or something.

Re: Tesla Energy

#85

Post by Gustomaximus » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:19 AM UTC

rokhayakebe wrote: post #10

Can someone please share what a single family home can do with 10kWh? If I pay for this do I have to plug this thing into my own electrical grid to keep charging it?

For Australia - 19.5kWh in winter and 16.4kWh in summer.

http://energymadeeasy.gov.au/bill-benchmark/results/3660/4

It would be interesting to see what is the daylight vs. nighttime usage. And if you can daisy chain these batteries. Seems like a few would be needed to ensure for high usage days if you wanted to be largely self-sufficient.

Re: Tesla Energy

#86

Post by wtallis » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:20 AM UTC

timmaah wrote: post #56

I doubt they would install one in an RV... but I can dream.

Likewise for boats. It's high time we stop using lead batteries in vehicles where weight matters, and the pricing on this looks great.

Re: Tesla Energy

#87

Post by ericd » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:21 AM UTC

fowkswe wrote: post #52

iandanforth wrote: post #39

I might spend $480 on electricity per year. I can't see this thing having an ROI within its lifespan. I also don't have solar panels, and have a very reliable power grid. Any reason I should consider buying one?

I know people who spend $480 per month.

Yeah, anyone in the northeast US with electric heat.

Re: Tesla Energy

#88

Post by toomuchtodo » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:21 AM UTC

vanadium wrote: post #38

[deleted] wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

Playing the margins in my home would probably save $25/mo against a $100/mo charge, I'm spitballing. Our local utility here in Chicago, ComEd, is starting to roll out to the population what flux in energy usage actually means on a granular basis (hourly, daily, monthly, seasonally) while offering incentives to change their consumption patterns.

I too have ComED (Schaumburg). From midnight to 5am daily, I can get power for 1 cent/kwh. If I were to shift all of my consumption to that time period, its effectively free.

Re: Tesla Energy

#89

Post by ghshephard » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:23 AM UTC

sidcool wrote: post #7

I must say Elon is a brilliant engineer but not the best of orators.

One of the best orators I've ever heard was a CFO / COO of a company I've worked for. I was in awe of how great his delivery was, how he had great comedic timing, and how empathic he seemed to be with his audience.

Turns out, from people who worked with him, he was a complete imbecile, and completely incapable of getting anything done.

I'll take the substance over the sizzle any day of the week.

Re: Tesla Energy

#90

Post by toomuchtodo » Fri, May 01, 2015, 5:23 AM UTC

kondro wrote: post #45

uberdog wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why does it need to be slimline? "so you don't need a battery room" - Elon Musk

10kWh of deep-cycle batteries aren't that large. It's not like people in apartments are going to be using this product.

But they could now, and most deep cycle lead acid batteries are flooded, not sealed, which means they have to be ventilated to prevent hydrogen explosions hazards. Not so with Tesla's offering.