EWAO The Tesla Battery Heralds The Beginning Of The End For Fossil Fuels
Although wind, as well as solar power have made incredible advances
recently, with renweable sources now accounting for 22% of electric
energy generated, brevity remains to be the main concern holding them
back. “How can we use solar energy at night if the sun doesn’t shine?
How can we use wind power if the wind doesn’t blow year-round?” Those
opposed to the progress of renewable sources of energy often ask these
exact questions.Now the renewable energy billionaire Elon Musk has
completely blown away that last remaining defense. Last Thursday in
California he introduced the world to his streamlined revolutionary
Powerwall – a wall-mounted energy storage device which is capable of
holding 10 kilowatt hours of electric energy, and even deliver it at an
average of 2 kilowatts, for approximately US$3,500.That results in
having an electricity cost (taking into consideration installation
expenses and inverters) of around US$500 per kWh – lower than 50%
current electricity costs, as approximated by Deutsche Bank.That
translates into produced energy at around 6 cents per kWh for the
householder, which means that a residential system along with storage
would likely still come up ahead of coal-fired energy delivered by means
of the conventional grid. Additionally, Musk will be manufacturing the
batteries in the United States, at the “gigafactory” he is constructing
just over the border from California in Nevada. He’s not waiting on some
kind of groundbreaking new technology, but is scaling up the surefire
lithium-ion battery that he is presently working with on his electric
vehicles.Not Only For HomesThat being said, the fossil fuel corporations
– from fuel supplier distributors like coal miners, to coal-burning
electric power utilities – will undoubtedly be on the defensive,
combating the new standard of more affordable renewable supplies and
reserve.Rather than wondering “Can we have our own energy system?”
people are going to be wanting to know “Why can’t we have it?” The Tesla
Energy program unveiled last week is comprehensive, with worldwide
ramifications. The Powerwall system which offers 10 kWh is aimed at
domestic consumers. It is complemented by an industrial system referred
to as the Powerpack providing 100 kWh storage, along with a stack of 100
such units to form a 10 megawatt hour storage unit, which can be used
at the range of small electricity grids. Entire communities could
possibly create micro-grid power supply systems around this kind of a 10
MWh energy storage system, fed by renewable power generation (wind
power or rooftop solar power), at prices that clearly have become very
competitive.Last week at his launch, Musk maintained that the complete
electric power grid of the United States could very well be replicated
with only 160 million of these utility-scale energy storage units.
Moreover, two billion of the utility-scale models would be able to
provide storage of 20 trillion kWh – electric power for the world.
