Tesla Solar: Revolutionizing Solar Energy

EV maker with solar ambitions – Tesla, has finally leveraged its expertise in electronics technology and launched its own line of solar inverters.

Tesla launches solar inverter

Tesla has taken a step toward a more comprehensive ecosystem by launching a proprietary solar inverter. Over the years, many inverter companies have ventured into the electric vehicle (EV) charging space and expanded the power electronics ecosystem, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of the inverter at the heart of the system. Tesla has gone in the other direction. Starting with EVs, the automaker has entered the residential solar market with solar panels, but it has only now introduced a solar inverter.

The product – Tesla Solar Inverter – comes in 3.8kW and 7.6kW versions, with two and four maximum power point trackers (MPPTs) respectively. That’s a little above average, as most inverters under 10kW only have two MPPTs, but the efficiency is a little lower than what the market leaders are achieving. Tesla says its solar inverter is 97.5% efficient, although it doesn’t specify whether that’s its maximum efficiency or the CEC (California Energy Commission) maximum efficiency.

It is a requirement in the US that the inverter be equipped with rapid shutdown capabilities and provide arc and ground fault protection. Tesla says the product is designed to integrate neatly with the Tesla Powerwall battery as well as the Tesla app, which allows for monitoring of generation and consumption.

 

Tesla has published selective inverter data on its website, rather than a full spec sheet. It’s not entirely clear whether this new inverter will be capable of system integration and optimization. As a general rule, the more devices from a single supplier, the easier it is for software to adapt them to work within the ecosystem and improve system efficiency, a trend that has been clearly seen and recognized over the last year.

Alternatively, Tesla could also choose to leverage its EV manufacturing capabilities and power electronics expertise in developing EV-powered electric vehicles, where DC/DC and DC/AC stages are required because the battery generates DC power and the motor can only run on AC. Whether Tesla’s expertise can be transferred to residential solar devices and how much it will improve functionality, efficiency, or robustness remains to be seen.

Tesla introduces new electric car technology, charge while driving

Tesla's commitment to sustainable energy solutions just took a big step forward with a groundbreaking feature for the electric vehicle world: Solar charging support.

Accordingly, Tesla electric car owners can now charge their cars entirely using electricity from the solar power system. This idea, when widely applied, is expected to revolutionize the way electric cars are charged, while continuing to help further reduce carbon emissions into the environment.

Called “Charge On Solar,” the feature requires a number of upgrades to not only the hardware but also the software of Tesla vehicles. The Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for home energy storage manufactured by Tesla Energy. In simple terms, the Powerwall is similar to a home battery, charged by solar energy and providing power to the house at night.

To access this environmentally friendly charging method, Tesla electric vehicle owners need to ensure that their vehicles are running the latest version of the system software. Once the necessary upgrades are completed, Tesla vehicle owners can activate the “Charge On Solar” feature via the Tesla app.

This feature allows users to customize their charging experience by setting charging limits and selecting preferred charging locations. This level of personalization ensures that users can tailor their electric vehicle charging to their specific energy needs.

To optimize solar charging, Tesla vehicles are equipped with a “Charge On Solar” feature that continuously monitors the charging status in real time. The system automatically adjusts the charging level every ten seconds as required. Furthermore, users can schedule when to use solar charging, providing greater flexibility and control over energy usage.

The introduction of “Charge On Solar” marks a major milestone in Tesla’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. By harnessing excess solar energy to power electric vehicles, Tesla is pushing the boundaries of green technology and driving a greener, more sustainable future.

Tesla Solar Roof – Green Material That Saves Energy

Unlike other solar roofing panels, Tesla’s solar tiles are also very cleverly “camouflaged”. The solar panels are cleverly attached to the back of the tiles. Therefore, we cannot even recognize whether these are solar tiles or not. To do so, what technology has Tesla equipped its tiles with? Recently, Tesla announced a new patent showing how the technology used for its solar tiles works.

Tesla has partnered with Panasonic to create special tiles that are opaque on the bottom (when viewed from below), while the top is transparent to the sun. To do this, they created a new type of glass with many small louvers that make the glass appear opaque when viewed from below while remaining open at the top to collect solar energy.

According to the patent applied for this type of solar tile, each tile panel includes: 1 bottom layer, 1 bottom layer adjacent to the bottom layer, 1 top layer consisting of many photovoltaic cells with many shutters adjacent to the bottom layer and 1 top layer adjacent to the top layer.

Tesla says the initial cost of purchasing and installing the product is quite high. However, in the long run, the amount of electricity savings that families will have will be greater than the cost they have to spend to buy Tesla solar tiles. In addition, Tesla also commits to a warranty on the roof tiles based on the life of the house, or a lifetime warranty in the case that the customer's house lasts forever.

In Short

These are the applications of Tesla Solar, which can be considered a turning point and a pioneer in the clean and renewable energy revolution. Tesla is gradually asserting itself as a giant in the energy industry and developing high technologies to increase the efficiency of many industries such as automobiles, mechanics, manufacturing and AI.