The Tesla and SolarCity solar roof is a complete roof that is beautiful, durable
and brings renewable electricity production to any home or business. When Tesla
and SolarCity embarked to design and engineer the solar roof together, the goal
was to create the most beautiful and efficient roof ever – one that would make
homes look better while reducing the cost of electricity.

The solar roof consists of uniquely designed glass tiles that complement the
aesthetics of any home, embedded with the highest efficiency photovoltaic
cells. It is infinitely customizable for a variety of different home styles,
each uniquely engineered so that the photovoltaic cells are invisible.
Customers can choose which sections of their roof will contain the hidden solar
technology while still having the entire roof look the same. These new roofs
will seamlessly and beautifully supply renewable energy to homes, battery
storage systems and back into the grid creating savings for owners. When
combined with Tesla Powerwall, the solar roof can power an entire home with
100% renewable energy.
.

The solar roof is offered in four beautiful styles Textured Glass Tile, Slate Glass
Tile, Tuscan Glass Tile, and Smooth Glass Tile to complement a variety of architectural styles.

Introduced in October 2016, Powerwall 2 is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery designed to enable self-consumption of solar power, emergency backup, load shifting and
other grid service applications. It is the second generation of Tesla’s original Powerpack product, which was first introduced to customers in 2015.

Powerwall 2 consists of a 14 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, liquid thermal control system, an integrated inverter and software that intelligently dispatches electricity
when it’s needed most. The unit mounts seamlessly on a wall or on the ground, indoors or outdoors, and is integrated with the grid to export excess energy, maximizing the opportunity for economic benefit.

The battery can provide a number of different benefits to the customer including:

Increasing self-consumption of solar power generation – The Powerwall can store surplus solar energy not used at the time it is generated and use that energy later
when the sun isn’t shining. This functionality can extend the environmental and
cost benefits of solar. Load shifting – The battery can provide economic benefit to its owner and the grid by charging during low rate periods when demand for electricity is lower and discharging during more expensive rate periods when electricity demand is higher.

Back-up power – Assures power in the event of a grid outage.

The Tesla Powerpack system delivers broad application compatibility and streamlined
installation for businesses and utilities by integrating batteries, power electronics, thermal management and controls into a turnkey solution.

Powerpack 2, Tesla’s second generation Powerpack system, began shipping to customers in September 2016. It features a new energy module and power electronics, providing twice the energy density of the previous Powerpack, and a more seamless integration into multiple levels of the grid. Powerpack 2 is also now matched with a new inverter, designed by Tesla and manufactured at the Gigafactory. This inverter is the lowest cost, highest efficiency and highest power density utility-scale inverter on the market. It also significantly simplifies the installation process of the entire Powerpack system by integrating a number of previously independent components into the inverter itself.

Between one and 20 Powerpacks can be connected per Tesla inverter and systems can
easily accommodate multiple inverters, enabling flexible system sizing and design for any project. Scalable from 200 kWh to 100+ MWh, Powerpack 2 is the new standard for commercial and utility scale battery solutions.

For utility scale systems, 200kWh battery blocks are grouped to scale from 500kWh
to 100MWh+. These systems are capable of 2hr or 4hr continuous net discharge power using grid tied bi-directional inverters. Powerpack systems support applications including peak shaving, load shifting and demand response for commercial customers while offering renewable firming and a variety of grid services at utility scales. Powerpack enables utilities to:

Firm up renewable generation by reconciling the intermittency of power from these sources and storing excess capacity to dispatch when it’s needed.

Increase resource capacity. Powerpack acts as on-demand capacity (either generation or
T&D), while adding resiliency to the grid. Ramp Control – Powerpack can act as a buffer while the power output from a large generation source is ramping up or down, delivering power instantly to smoothly transition output to the required levels.

Provide ancillary services such as frequency response.

Defer costly and time-consuming grid infrastructure upgrades. Powerpacks consume no
water and don’t require detailed environmental reviews.

Manage peak demand by deploying power within seconds or milliseconds.

The battery can provide a number of different benefits to the customer including:

Increasing self-consumption of solar power generation – The Powerwall can store surplus solar energy not used at the time it is generated and use that energy later when the sun isn’t shining. This functionality can extend the environmental and cost benefits of solar. Load shifting – The battery can provide economic benefit to its owner and the grid by charging during low rate periods when demand for electricity is lower and discharging during more expensive rate periods when electricity demand is higher.

Back-up power – Assures power in the event of a grid outage.

Source: Tesla