pv magazine: When will the Powerwall battery be available in Germany?
Tesla: In the fourth quarter of 2015.
pv magazine: Will the system be available to everyone or only to customers of German energy company Lichtblick, which has an agreement with Tesla?
Tesla: Lichtblick is not an exclusive partner of ours, but merely a service provider. Everybody can buy the Tesla Powerwall, regardless of whether you obtain your electricity from Lichtblick or not.
pv magazine: Does the Powerwall have to be purchased with an inverter from SolarEdge or is it also possible to purchase the battery separately?
Tesla: Tesla will have channels that sell the Powerwall battery as a stand-alone product. Powerwall will initially be compatible only with inverters from Fronius and SolarEdge. These support a direct DC connection, so that only one inverter is needed for the solar system and battery. Over time there will be more compatible inverters, however. Homeowners who want to keep existing inverters from other manufacturers will be able to integrate the Powerwall battery through the installation of an additional inverter.
pv magazine: Does the Powerwall use the same battery cells as those used in electric cars?
Tesla: The Powerwall benefits from the design and engineering know-how of Tesla vehicles. The used cells, however, are unique to the Powerwall.
pv magazine: Home storage systems need about five to 10 times higher cycle lives than batteries for electric cars. Batteries in Tesla cars are said to have a lifespan of less than 1,000 cycles, with which you can still drive more than 200,000 kilometers. Is that correct?
Tesla: The Powerwall and Model S are different products with very different working cycles. Although the technical development and design are similar, the two products cannot be compared directly.
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