Tesla Powerwall 2 Can Power A 2-Bedroom Home For A Full Day

In addition to the new Solar Roof, Elon Musk has announced the arrival of the Powerwall 2, an update to Tesla's original Powerwall offering. The Powerwall 2 is a vital component for powering your home using the sun, particularly with one of the new solar roofs. This residential home battery will power a two bedroom home, including its lights and appliances, for a full day.

The Powerwall 2 is basically a large rechargeable li-ion battery, one that harvests the energy from solar panels and stores it for night time, rainy days, and any other times you may need it. This is contrasted by the Powerpack 2, which is designed for businesses. The Powerwall 2 offers 14kWh capacity with peak 7kW power and 5kW continuous.

The so-called "round trip" efficiency is 91.8-percent for the DC Powerwall and 89-percent for the AC Powerwall. Overall, the home battery measures 45.3 x 29.7 x 6.1-inches and weighs a substantial 269lbs. You'd have it installed in your garage, probably close to your Tesla, at least in company's vision of our green future. It can be floor or wall mounted, and can also be mounted outside.

The Powerwall 2 includes a fully integrated Tesla converter, and has a warranty covering unlimited cycles for 10 years. There's a liquid thermal control system, as well as software that, says Tesla, intelligently provides electricity as needed. The Powerwall 2 can be set up with the local electrical grid to send extra energy off for "economic benefit."

Says Tesla, the home battery can be setup to charge during times when grid electricity rates are low, kicking in when rates go back up to help take load off the grid and keep the homeowner's electricity costs down. And, of course, a charged battery means having a day of electricity to cover any power outages. Pricing isn't clear at this time.

Update: An earlier version of this article stated a Powerwall 2 could power a 4-bedroom home; it is in fact a 2-bedroom home.