Powerwalls Aid the Poor
A new initiative in Glasgow, Scotland is aiming to use Tesla’s Powerwall energy storage devices - along with solar power installations - to ease the burden on low-income families.
The pilot project headed by Glasgow’s Town Council is constructing 150 two-and-three-bedroom homes for their social rent program - an initiative which helps provide affordable homes for poorer families.
While housing projects like this aren’t new, the rising average temperatures in Northern Europe have led to skyrocketing energy bills - as unprepared countries are hit with the effects of Climate Change. Subsidised rent certainly helps, but the local government only helps with the rent - not the bills - and many low-income families are simply unable to keep up with runaway energy costs.
And so the Council has partnered with Arc-Tech, a company that is certified to install Tesla’ Powerwalls. The intent is to provide 19 of the 150 homes with a Powerwall, an EV connection point, and a solar array.
The hope is that this one-year trial will prove to the Scottish Government that providing solar energy and storage systems to families is a more cost-effective way to ease the strain on their energy grid.
And there’s good precedence for this.
Around this time last year, Tesla expanded its Virtual Power Plant system to Powerwall users in Australia’s Southern territory. The system - which shares its stored power between users and the local power grid in emergencies - was a huge success.
The system was further proved in California, when a massive heatwave was handled by a local VPP system, and Powerwall users who had opted in received $2 per kWh given back to the grid - helping their neighbours keep the lights and air conditioning on.
It’s very likely that these examples are what caught the eye of the Glasgow Council. Even without a VPP in their new subsidised neighbourhood, these solar and powerwall systems will give a certain amount of freedom to the people living there to be able to survive inside of their means.
But if it works well enough to get approved for all of the 150 homes? That, plus a Virtual Power Plant will not only help many low-income families - but it will provide a way for this community to support their neighbours.
Tesla was very loud about their pledge to help the world kick fossil fuels during their Investors Day event in March - and nowhere can this be seen better than initiatives like this. Tesla may need wealthier investors to support the development for their new tech - but changing the world means helping our disadvantaged neighbours. CEO Elon Musk himself has said that storage solutions like the Powerwall are a viable way to get humanity free of fossil-fuels, saying:
“There is a clear path to sustainable energy on Earth,” Musk said. “It doesn’t require destroying natural habitats. It doesn’t require us to be austere [...]”
Sustainable movements are made from the bottom - up, so good luck, Glasgow!