Tesla opens first Africa office
Will the Solar Tesla Powerwall make nuclear power generation obsolete?
Tesla Motors is planning to open an office in South African in early 2016, aimed at providing its energy storage solutions to local consumers and businesses. The Cape Town Tesla office will be run by Business Development Manager for South Africa, Evan Rice, who is the former CEO of GreenCape and board member of the International Cleantech Network.
The opening of the office is great news for South Africa as this could bring some relief to the precarious electricity crisis faced by the country. A Tesla “gigafactory” is expected to open in the Western Cape, in the hopes that if successful will make nuclear power generation obsolete. [Read more]
Introducing The Tesla Powerwall to South Africa
Tesla will be bringing its solar powered home battery system “The Tesla Powerwall” to South African shores this year. The Tesla Powerwall charges using electricity generated from solar panels and powers your home when the sun goes down.
Tesla will be training a number of South Africans to install the Powerwall before the deliveries of its home battery system begins.
At the same time, SolarEdge (which provides an inverter system specifically made for the Powerwall) will train installers at the same time. [Read original article]
Training will start at the end of February 2016 for Cape Town-based in stallers; and beginning of March 2016 for Johannesburg-based installers.
The price of The Tesla Powerwall
So what can you expect to pay for The Tesla Powerwall?
4 Tesla/SolarEdge solutions have been approved for sale in South Africa. These prices exclude VAT and installation:
- Tesla Powerwall and 5kW SolarEdge inverter: R116 000
- Tesla Powerwall, 5kW SolarEdge inverter, and 3kWp solar panels: R169 000
- Tesla Powerwall, 5kW SolarEdge inverter, and 5kWp solar panels: R210 000
- Two Tesla Powerwalls, 5kW SolarEdge inverter, and 5kWp solar panels: R272 000
The Powerwall is being described as a great solution for people especially in remote parts of the world where there’s no electricity, or where the supply is intermittent or expensive. Will these individuals be able to afford the cost of purchasing a Tesla Powerall though? Or is it something that has become a necessity in our homes and that consumers need to make financial provisions for?
