It's weird to see the big red-and-
The white Tesla car "T" logo hangs on the side of the house or building, but suddenly it is there. On Dec.
5, Tesla revealed with alternative-
Solar company SolarCity, which sells and installs solar panels for residential and commercial customers.
Industrial SolarCity-
High-end batteries made by Tesla indicate that the car company wants to enter the battery pack and energy business. #lazy-img-
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Courtesy SolarCity the storage system looks like a refrigerator with a Tesla logo that contains hundreds of lithium-ion batteries that are the same as the Tesla Model S sedan.
"If you go to the end of the production line at the Tesla plant, they put the battery pack there and you will see that these storage systems are being assembled," said Peter Rive, co-operation of solarCity
Founder and chief technology officer
SolarCity now sells industrial versions in addition to a smaller wall
So far, the installation system has been installed in about 500 homes.
The business unit has been in beta testing for several months and has had a limited number so far.
In addition to providing backup power during power outages, storage systems allow customers to leave the grid when traditional power is the most expensive.
Utility companies are usually in so-
It is called demand expense during peak use time.
SolarCity's software, called DemandLogic, can track when customers are at risk of taking costs and switch to the storage system during this period.
At home, drive only uses solar cells for a few days at a time.
"It has enough power for all critical loads," he said . ".
"You can bake pizza while running the washer and dryer.
Key pizza. Check.
) At the SolarCity office in San Mateo, California, it's hard for Tesla to escape.
In a recent visit, about 10 models were
There is an electric car in the parking lot.
This is not just a business connection: Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the cousin of SolarCity CEO Peter and Lyndon River.
SolarCity's chairman and largest shareholder Musk, a week-long bacchanal in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, took a 2004-kilometer road trip with Rives to help set up the company
In 2010, the California Public Utilities Commission gave SolarCity $1.
8 million grant to study solar cell storage.
While doing the research, the company has grown into the largest seller of residential panels with thousands of customers.
It also sells to businesses including Wal-Mart.
Supermarket and Google.
Revenue for SolarCity is $48.
6 million, up from $32 million in the same period last year, the company expects to install 475 MW to 525 MW of electricity next year, up from about 278 MW this year.
With about 4,000 employees, the company will initially sell commercial storage systems in California, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
While customers don't have to pre-pay for the hardware, they have to commit 10-
Annual service agreement that requires monthly payment. “Our long-
The operational goal is to include a storage system in every solar system we sell, "said Peter ryve.
Ben Kallo, analyst at Robert W.
Baird warned that for most solar customers, it will take at least a few years for these systems to be affordable.
"It's not fully in place from a quantitative and technical point of view," Kallo said . ".
SolarCity could offer an opportunity for Tesla
Test more hardware.
Tesla bought battery packs from Panasonic, but Musk said in a earnings call on November that the company was interested in creating its own battery plant as demand for cars increased.
"In this case, SolarCity may generate additional demand and help reduce battery costs," Kallo said . ".
"In the end, it will be a victory for the two companies.