US electric vehicle and battery energy storage giant Tesla has launched a new battery-based retail energy plan in South Australia, in a bid to boost the company’s existing virtual power plant in that state, as well as its ability to help to balance the increase in rooftop solar power.
The new-look Tesla Energy Plan, which is being offered through Tesla’s retail partner in South Australia, Energy Locals, hopes to attract new participants by offering a $2,000 discount on the retail price of a Powerwall 2 battery, as well as access to time-of-use power pricing and $220 a year in grid support credits.
The $2000 discount – which only applies to new customers who sign up to the Plan for a minimum 24-month period, and is separate to the up to $2,700 state government rebate – offers a timely incentive for a battery whose price has gone up, not once but twice in the past six months.
As One Step off the grid has reported, the Australian price of the Powerwall 2 was raised by $A800 in October of last year and then again by another $A800 last month, as demand for the 13.5 kWh home battery energy storage system continues to outstrip supply.
Participants are also promised $220 per Powerwall per year in grid support credits, applied to the customer’s energy bill monthly, using a daily rate of 54.8c/day; and up to 7.5c/kWh solar feed-in tariff for the first 1,500kWh/month exported to the grid (2.5c/kWh after that).
The deal also promises participants in the VPP that their Powerwall will only be cycled up to 50 discharge cycles per a year and that it will always maintain a back-up reserve of up to 20% should they experience a blackout.
Finally, the new deal introduces the option for customers to sign up to time-of-use rates for their grid electricity, including a “Solar Sponge” tariff that offers the lowest rates to coincide with the 10am-3pm period when excess solar generation is not absorbed by homes or businesses.
