At Home With Solar

Australia enjoys a healthy dose of sunshine for most of the year— in fact, it has the highest average solar radiation per square meter than any other continent on Earth, according to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. This makes the "Land Down Under" an ideal place for solar energy farms and home solar products.

However, while public demand for renewables are up, the Australian government has kept energy prices low to maintain reliance on coal. This has created a troublesome energy situation throughout most of the continent. Realizing, perhaps, that Australia needs to be more at home with solar energy, Tesla decided to put up what it calls the "Tesla Tiny House" — and it's going to tour some of the major cities in the continent.

 

"Tesla is hitting the road across Australia in a tiny house powered by 100% renewable energy," the company says on its website, as well as in a press release after launching the Tiny House on Sunday. Pulled by a Model X, the house features a Tesla mobile design studio so visitors can check out and learn how to set up their own Tesla solar and energy storage system.

A Renewable Ecosystem

The Tiny House is powered by solar energy using a six-panel 2kW solar system attached to a Powerwall battery, where energy can be stored "throughout the day and night," Tesla said, according to Electrek. This energy cycle can be controlled and monitored through the Tesla mobile app. Oh, and it's also built from locally sourced timber that's chemical free, just to complete that sustainable touch. In short, it's a renewable ecosystem — on wheels.

 

This renewable ecosystem is what Tesla hopes to build into homes throughout Australia, where over two million households already have rooftop solar. While Tesla has yet to offer rooftop solar installations, it has already partnered with a local home builder to include the Powerwall as a standard feature. Establishing solar as a standard could provide a sustainable source of clean energy, and would greatly lessen dependence on coal-generated electricity.

Tesla's also working on large-scale energy projects in Australia, building a Powerpack system for a wind farm in South Australia — which would be the world's largest and most powerful lithium-ion battery storage system. Tesla's also installing Powerpacks in various sites in New South Wales.

The Tesla Tiny House, which is parked at the Melbourne’s Federation Square until 15 August, will soon begin a tour of eastern Australian cities, with the option for Australians to actually book it to visit their town.


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