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Tesla's Battery: Luxury Item or Energy Storage Game Changer?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently announced the company's latest product. Powerwall is a series of lithium ion batteries that he says can store enough kilowatts to supply a typical home's needs for up to 10 hours, allowing consumers to grab energy when prices are low, and save it for peak times.
Tesla has a big new battery with a big new price tag and a lot of big promises. At a cost of $3500 and upwards, Powerwall would allow consumers to buy off-peak low cost electricity and store it for peak price hours, and each battery stores up to ten hours of energy for a typical home. Some say it's an energy storage game changer and just one of a wave of future micro-grid solutions -- especially here in California where we lack water but have a virtual glut of wind and solar power that goes to waste. But others question if it will ever be cost effective for people like you and me, the average home-owner. Barbara Bogaev guest hosts.