Tesla PowerWall - Cheap Aquarium Battery Backup

[sonnus]

Tesla just announced the Powerwall, this is likely to become an ultimate aquarium battery backup. I have spent the same amount of money on much inferior lead acid UPSs that have just a fraction of the capacity and only last a few years before the batteries need replacing. This is going to give many out of town reefers peace of mind.

This would probably be a decent alternative to buying a generator at a similar cost.

Technology
Wall mounted, rechargeable lithium ion battery with liquid thermal control.

10 kWh
For backup applications
7 kWh
For daily cycle applications

Warranty
Ten year warranty with an optional ten year extension.

Efficiency
92% round-trip DC efficiency

Enclosure
Rated for indoor and outdoor installation.

Weight
220 lbs / 100 kg

Dimensions
52.1" x 33.9" x 7.1"
130 cm x 86 cm x 18 cm

 

[mark.a.smith405]

This is exactly what i was thinking when i was reading the announcement last night. Thanks for sharing Aaron!

 

[oredith]

not sure if we're talking about the same size battery, but i heard that it was $3,500 each? .. that's a bit high for a UPS.. >_>

 

[F-Dawg]

Great idea, Looks pretty but for 3k I'll keep my gas driven generator.

 

[oredith]

Predictably, my brother in law, who has a Tesla P85, is all hyped up about this.

i guess if you've already bought a Tesla, an array of batteries at 3.5k a pop isn't much.

 

[F-Dawg]

Predictably, my brother in law, who has a Tesla P85, is all hyped up about this.

i guess if you've already bought a Tesla, an array of batteries at 3.5k a pop isn't much.

True. This product is to target the high end consumer, In our case I can see the guy who paid 8k for the mushroom buy this UPS.

 

[ngvu1]

No, that guy is broke now

True. This product is to target the high end consumer, In our case I can see the guy who paid 8k for the mushroom buy this UPS.

 

[sonnus]

not sure if we're talking about the same size battery, but i heard that it was $3,500 each? .. that's a bit high for a UPS.. >_>

This thing will run many tanks for days, not hours (or minutes) like a typical UPS. And I'm not taking about just a powerhead, this will run your chiller and metal halides too!

We've bought $10,000 UPSs for servers that were comparable to the Tesla (in capacity) but the lead acid battles only last 2-3 years. And they're freaking huge and heavy, not very fun to replace.

I will not be apprised to see Tesla offering much smaller battery packs that might be more reasonably priced.

 

[mark.a.smith405]

i have two cabins that are "off the grid" and we use solar panels that feed 12V batteries for storage. Basically this batteries primary function. Its going to be very useful. But we have seen 8-10 years of use from our batteries.

 

[805reef]

I think this Tesla battery is going to be great and just the start of these more affordable battery backups but I don't think you can say it will run most tanks for days... Unless I am doing my math wrong (which is very possible) 10kwh would be 416 watts per hour for 24 hours.... how much watts are typical metal halides?


unless you are talking about it recharging itself during the day using sunpower... but then that requires solar panels also which would then cost more than the battery alone if you don't already have a solar system installed.

 

[janiners305]

Ya ill stick to my generator as well but thats sick!!

 

[sonnus]

I think this Tesla battery is going to be great and just the start of these more affordable battery backups but I don't think you can say it will run most tanks for days... Unless I am doing my math wrong (which is very possible) 10kwh would be 416 watts per hour for 24 hours.... how much watts are typical metal halides?


unless you are talking about it recharging itself during the day using sunpower... but then that requires solar panels also which would then cost more than the battery alone if you don't already have a solar system installed.

My 120 gallon tank uses an average of 200w/hr including heaters and metal halides. The lights and heaters are not on all day so the average wattage is not that bad.

If I gave up the halides I might get 4 days out of the Tesla.

 

[MrSquid]

Look for power companies to offer rebates. I also saw something about a ten-year lease - $1,500 up front and $10/month.

 

[Jvilla58]

$3,500 for a 10KWh battery is actually a pretty decent price. Combine this with solar panels and there is a good chance you will make the money back in a short amount of time.