Tesla Powerwall 3: Features & Benefits Guide

The concept of the Tesla Powerwall 3 is the same as regular solar battery storage. It stores excess electricity your solar panel system produces, conserving it for later. It's a companion for a solar energy system, providing access to electricity during downtimes. Therefore, you can keep consuming electricity during both the day and night.

However, there are many features that set the Tesla Powerwall system apart from regular solar batteries. Let's take a closer look.

Integrated solar inverter

Solar batteries store electricity as a direct current (DC), whereas the appliances in our homes use alternating currents (AC). Most solar batteries include a separate inverter to convert this electricity when users utilise it. The Powerwall instead has an integrated inverter, which isn’t commonplace on regular home solar batteries.

Here are some of the benefits of integrated solar inverters:

• Improved energy distribution: Integrated solar inverters can go from storage to distribution mode almost instantly. This covers your back in case of a sudden outage. The inverter will immediately notice the issue and begin to utilise its stored energy in a seamless transition.

• Greater efficiency: The flow of electricity in your system is more efficient when you have an integrated solar inverter. You won’t need to add an inverter when installing your Powerwall system. This keeps the energy flow between the panels, grid, and battery optimised.

• Advanced monitoring features: Integrated inverters come with advanced energy monitoring features. In the Tesla Powerwall 3, this is in the form of a mobile phone app. It will allow you to track your usage at any time, which we’ll explain in more detail later on. 

Batteries with separate solar inverters may run into coordination issues. The two systems have to be in perfect tangent to work at their best. This can lead to energy wastage, and not getting the most out of your solar battery system.

Increased power output

The Tesla Powerwall 3 has a continuous high quality power output of 11.04 kW. This is over double the Powerwall 2’s 5 kW output. In fact, it’s over double the output of many home battery models, and is more than suitable for large, 4-5 bedroom homes. 

The Powerwall 3 has a usable capacity of 13.5 kWh. With average usage, this will keep your home powered for between six and 12 hours. This should keep your home running throughout the duration of most routine power outages. 

Storm Watch

We all know that the Essex weather can be volatile. Severe weather is the leading cause of power outages. That’s why the Tesla Powerwall 3's Storm Watch feature is a game-changer. 

Storm Watch detects when severe weather is approaching your location, charging itself to 100% before the storm hits. The feature triggers when weather severity increases, or when the Met Office sends an amber/red weather alert. If a power cut happens because of a storm, your Powerwall will take over. As a result, the Powerwall battery will power your home until the grid is back on. 

When the storm has passed, your Powerwall will resume its normal service. 

Companion app

The Tesla App is a companion that allows you to monitor each aspect of your Tesla energy products. This includes data insights, charging statistics, and energy tariffs, to keep you in the know at all times. 

You can access other features, like Backup Reserve, via the Tesla app. This allows you to prepare your Powerwall in the event of a planned local power outage. You can even use the app to disconnect your Powerwall 3 from the grid to simulate how your unit will perform during a powercut. 

In short, the Tesla companion app gives you greater control over how your Powerwall 3 uses electricity it stores. 

Scalable

The Powerwall 3 is scalable, so you can install up to four separate units for maximum energy storage. If you don’t want to pay the full cost of a Powerwall unit installation, there’s the option of adding DC expansion packs.

You can add up to three DC expansion packs to an individual Powerwall 3 system. These packs will offer you extra energy storage, without having to install additional Powerwall 3 units. This is a more affordable method of increasing your energy storage capacity. 

You can expand the system at any time. It does not need to be part of your first Powerwall 3 installation.

Durability

The Powerwall 3 is designed to be with you for the long term. Tesla guarantees that the Powerwall 3 will retain 70% of its original capacity after a decade of continuous usage. Outdoor conditions won't alter this figure, either. The unit can handle temperatures from -20°C to 50°C. 

Like its predecessor, the Tesla Powerwall 2, the Powerwall 3 comes with a 10-year warranty. This includes unlimited cycle coverage. This means that the warranty stays valid no matter how often you use the battery.