Tesla Powerwall 2: A Complete 2024 Buyers Guide

Tesla Powerwall 2 installed

In 2015, Tesla entered the energy storage market with the Tesla Powerwall, a home battery system designed to revolutionize how energy is stored and used. While Tesla is globally known for its electric vehicles, the Tesla Powerwall 2 has firmly established the company’s reputation in renewable energy, offering Australian homeowners a powerful solution for solar energy storage.

With a capacity of 13.5 kWh, the Powerwall 2 remains one of the most efficient and reliable options available, particularly for those retrofitting existing solar systems. As Tesla introduces new models like the Tesla Powerwall 3, the Powerwall 2 continues to be a strong choice due to its compatibility with current setups and proven performance. Explore why the Tesla Powerwall 2 might still be the best option for your home in Australia’s evolving energy landscape.

How Much Does The Tesla Powerwall 2 Cost?

In Australia, across our network of over 150 solar installers, we expect the installed cost of a Tesla Powerwall 2 to cost around $13,000 to $15,000. This price range includes the Gateway, delivery, installation and any other required electrical components.

The Tesla Powerwall 2 was made available nation wide in 2017 launching at it’s cheapest price, just $9,000. The Powerwall’s 13.5 kWh capacity makes it one of the most cost-effective options in the residential battery market. Since then, initially, high demand and higher production costs led to the wholesale cost of the battery reaching $16,500 in 2022. At the start of 2023, Tesla had dropped the price of the Powerwall 2 by 42% to $9,650 including GST after Tesla’s $750 rebate. In 2024 the price of a Powerwall 2 across Australia, including major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Canberra, (excluding install & backup gateway).

Tesla Powerwall 2 Price Change History (excluding Gateway):

Date Wholesale Price Change
2017 $9,000  
2018 – February $9,600 +$600
2018 – October $12,250 +$2,650
2019 – July $11,700 -$550
2020 – October $12,500 +$800
2021 – February $13,300 +$800
2021 – May $12,750 -$550
2022 – March $13,700 +950
2022 – May $14,650 +$950
2022 – October $16,500 +$1,850
2023 – February $14,599 -$1,901
2023 – April $12,900 -$1,699
2023 – June $12,100 -$800
2023 – August $11,350 (after rebate) -$750
2023 – November $9,650 (after rebate) -$1,700
2024 – January $10,400 +$750

Or in a visual form – you can see the trend in the graph below:

Tesla Powerwall 2 Price history (January 2017 to January 2024)

Whether the Tesla Powerwall 2 is a cost-effective product for your system will depend on a closer examination of your electricity needs.

To see if home solar battery storage is worth it for you, see our detailed Solar Battery Sizing and Payback calculator to see the financials for your system.

Tesla’s official release of the Powerwall 2 & Solar Roof

The Chemistry of a Tesla Powerwall 2

Tesla Powerwall 2 broken down into individual parts with labels

Batteries have a positive cathode, a negative anode and are separated by an electrolyte in a simple view of a battery.

The Tesla Powerwall 2 uses Lithium-ion technology where the cathodes are made from a compound of Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel and Manganese (LiNiMnCoO2).

Other lithium battery chemistries in the on-grid home battery storage market include lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) and lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2).

The battery comes with a 10-year warranty and provides 5kW of output power, making it suitable for large residential homes. Multiple batteries can be daisy-chained together for commercial use.

The battery is 1.15m by 0.76m and can be wall-mounted indoors or outdoors.

Tesla Powerwall Backup Gateway

The Tesla Powerwall ‘Gateway’ is an additional piece of hardware that is paired with the Tesla battery to enable solar and battery system to perform as back up power during a power outage. Otherwise during a power outage your solar and battery system will turn off until power is restored.

The Gateway prevents power from being sent back into the electricity network during an outage which keeps the lines safe for electrical workers working on the grid.

Some battery manufacturers have this capability built into the battery. Tesla charge an additional $1,700 for their Gateway which is a material additional to the overall cost of the system.

Compare solar and battery quotes from local installers now.

Tesla Powerwall 2 Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Depth Of Discharge (DoD): Excellent specifications including 100% DoD.
  • Retrofit Capability: Easily integrates with third-party solar inverters, making it versatile for existing solar setups.
  • Stackability: Allows for multiple units to be stacked together, ideal for users needing more than 13.5

Cons

  • Expensive: One of the most expensive battery solutions on the market
  • Not designed for 3-phase applications: as you can only connect the battery to one phase.
  • No black start capability: The unit requires intervention if the battery goes flat and the mains supply isn’t available.

Tesla Powerwall 2 Performance Specifications

FeatureTesla Powerwall 2
Energy Storage Capacity13.5 kWh
Continuous Power Output5 kW
Peak Power Rating7 kW
Built-in Solar InverterNo
Solar Panel CompatibilityRequires separate inverter
Battery ChemistryLithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2)
Powerwall Dimensions1150 mm x 755 mm x 155 mm
Weight114 kg
Backup GatewayRequired, sold separately
ScalableYes. AC-coupled & can stack multiple units
Mobile App IntegrationYes
Bidirectional ChargingNo
Vehicle-to-Home (V2H)No
Availability in AustraliaAvailable
Price (Approximate)AUD 10,400 (excluding installation)
This table highlights the key differences and similarities between the Tesla Powerwall 2 & 3

See the Tesla Powerwall 2 Data Sheet and Tesla Powerwall 2 Installation Manual for more details

Tesla Powerwall 2 Warranty for Australian Customers

The Tesla Powerwall 2 for Australian customers offers two types of warranties: time-based and throughput-based. The time warranty covers defects for 10 years, excluding damages from improper use or installation. It also ensures less than 30% degradation from its 13.2kWh capacity over 10 years. If the battery discharges only 9.2 kWh or less after 10 years, you’re eligible for a warranty claim.

The throughput warranty varies with usage. For typical home use, like storing solar power for evening use or during blackouts, Tesla offers ‘unlimited cycles’. This means about 3,600 cycles over 10 years, assuming one cycle per day.

For other uses, like participating in Virtual Power Plants or off-grid charging, the warranty covers a maximum throughput of 37,000 kWh from the battery’s AC output. This equates to roughly 10 kWh per day, similar to one battery cycle per day over 10 years, considering battery degradation.

See the full Tesla Powerwall 2 full warrant conditions.

Tesla Mobile App Functionality

Tesla powerwall 2 screenshots of iphone application

Tesla has made a user-friendly mobile app for people who own a Tesla Powerwall 2 or Tesla electric vehicle. This app is available on the Android and iOS stores. The app shows real-time performance and operation data for the Powerwall 2 and EV. Users can switch their battery between three modes: Back-Up only, Self-powered, and Time-based control. The app is especially helpful when combined with Solar PV.

  1. Back-Up Only: The Back-Up Only feature is designed to store all available energy in the battery, ensuring that it remains fully charged. This feature helps to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the system during blackouts. If used with a Solar PV system of sufficient size, the battery can potentially last for weeks.
  2. Self-powered Mode: When using the Self-Powered mode, batteries are utilized to make the most of free energy generated from rooftops. This helps reduce energy bills by using energy from the grid only when necessary. Residential batteries help homeowners manage their evening and early morning power usage.
  3. Time-based Control: The Tesla Powerwall 2 has an intelligent feature that enables it to charge when electricity is cheaper, and discharge power when it’s more expensive, but only if the owner has a time-based electricity charge from their retailer. The financial benefit of this feature depends on the tariffs of the electricity retailer and is usually not enough to justify the cost of the battery system alone.

Is the Tesla Powerwall 2 Worth It?

The debate over whether solar batteries are worth it in 2024 is still ongoing. The Tesla Powerwall 2 has established itself as a proven option for solar energy storage since its release in 2017. With continued positive customer reviews and tested performance, it remains highly sought after by homeowners looking to integrate home battery storage into their solar systems today.

With many looking at the new Tesla Powerwall 3 and it boasting higher power outputs and built-in solar inverter capabilities the product still remains untested in Australia and may face initial adoption challenges, particularly for retrofitting existing systems. With some considering it a “missed opportunity”.

How Do I Get a Tesla Powerwall Battery?

To get a Tesla Powerwall you need a local Tesla Australia-accredited solar installer. You can click here to get a free quote comparison from up to 7 local installers near your home or simply enter your postcode below:

Compare solar and battery quotes from local installers now.

Read About Home Battery Government Schemes Across Australia

South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, and Australian Capital Territory all currently have a home battery scheme in place.

The New South Wales Home Battery Scheme offers an interest-free loan up to $9000 for eligible households looking to install a solar battery in certain postcodes.

The Victorian Government battery rebate has now ended.

The Australian Capital Territory is offering interest free loans for projects including battery storage.

Read more product reviews from Solar Choice

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Reviews from Australians who have installed Tesla Batteries

Rated 4.77 from 70 reviews
20th September 2024
Bernard
-
6kW system
4.00

11th September 2024
Gary
-
system
5.00

Popular and well tested….. no issues

27th August 2024
Scott
-
system
5.00

Happy so far with the performance of thd battery

23rd August 2024
Owen
-
system
5.00

Working well so far, bit early to tell though

20th August 2024
Priyanka
-
system
5.00

19th August 2024
Glenn
-
system
5.00

Does what is says on the box.

16th August 2024
Ken
SA - 5461
10-15kW system
5.00

Excellent in the few weeks we have had it. During last night's thunder storm, it was most reassuring that even if the grid went down, we would still have plenty of power.

15th August 2024
Ronald
-
system
5.00

Very easy to use app, a bit laggy

15th August 2024
Max
-
system
5.00

easy to monitor

13th August 2024
Qazafi
-
system
5.00

9th August 2024
Ken
-
system
5.00

Very happy with battery and performance, as indicated by the monitoring app. Quoted price was better than competitor.

3rd August 2024
Paul
-
system
5.00

2nd August 2024
Suzanne
-
system
5.00

31st July 2024
Phil
-
system
5.00

29th July 2024
Trixie
-
system
5.00

Very happy with all their work! Explanation and helpful team

26th July 2024
Erica
-
system
5.00

I think Tesla is a no brainer. The app is easy to use as well. Nothing to fault! Really looking forward to my independence from the grid.

26th July 2024
Anthony
-
system
5.00

Very compact with a great App

25th July 2024
Greg
-
5kW system
5.00

Well known

17th July 2024
Vaughan
-
system
5.00

12th July 2024
John
-
system
5.00

Very happy with Tesla Powerwall 2, love the app. Second battery as looking to get an EV (already ordered).

9th July 2024
Terence
-
system
5.00

Tesla Powerwall 2 battery works just fine. In the middle of winter if it is a sunny day, it can charge to 100% and then we can be off grid for 24 hours. Looking forward to seeing its performance in summer.

9th July 2024
Wayne
-
system
5.00

Very happy with the battery Very easy to monitor

9th July 2024
Albert
-
system
5.00

It's very easy to monitor and the app is fantastic.

8th July 2024
William
-
10kW system
3.00

Battery works great to save energy bill. And fit our purpose that our house won't lost power even grid is offline. It happened a few time in my area. I didn't know that Tesla offer VPP untill 2024. So I lost extra Tesla warranty as I was not sign up when newly installed. And after I sign up, I can't change any Battery settings. So for planned power interruption, you can only hope there is very sunny day to allow battery and solar system feed my house power. Also, I noticed Tesla VPP control doing funny things. VPP using different timing fee struction. Only give FIT between 2pm-8pm each day. And peak grid fee is very high. However, in the morning, when battery is only 21%, and solar produce the power, it doesn't charge battery and send power back to grid (free). And only charge battery from 12:30pm to 1pm (Calculate during full sun, it is enough time to fully charge the battery before 2pm) . As weather never always has full sunlight between 12-2pm. So In the end, my system sending solar power to grid for free before 12pm and then, if sunlight is not enought, it draw grid power to charge battery before 2pm. End up each day, I pay extra upto 8KW shoulder period grid power while sending more than 10KW free to grid in the morning. I explain the situation to Tesla support. The answer is that is VPP control does. You have to bear this.

3rd July 2024
Kevin
-
system
1.00

1st July 2024
Nicholas
-
system
5.00

Tesla is a great battery. Works really well.

1st July 2024
Yuen
-
system
5.00

The Tesla app is not as smart as I thought. I can't tell it to not charge with my solar panel when the wholesale electricity price was high.

1st July 2024
Yuen
-
system
5.00

The Tesla app is not as smart as I thought. I can't tell it to not charge with my solar panel when the wholesale electricity price was high.

28th June 2024
Jason
-
system
5.00

27th June 2024
Stephen
-
6kW system
5.00

Early days but now understand the app, Performing well

23rd June 2024
Tony
-
system
5.00

You get what you pay for! Tesla is best of the best

20th June 2024
Kan
-
system
5.00

Happy with installation, performance and configuration No issues anywhere Up and going from the start!

17th June 2024
Judy
-
6kW system
5.00

The Tesla battery is the best one can buy , if the power grid shuts down the battery will kick in within a second . The battery holds 13.5 W & is ample for our usage & saves us money on our electricity bills.

10th June 2024
Ann
-
9kW system
5.00

10th June 2024
Ross
-
10-15kW system
5.00

Looks great and performs well. Tesla App works well.

4th June 2024
Andrew
-
system
5.00

Too early to tell

1st June 2024
Phillip
-
system
5.00

App is excellent. Especially if you've got a Tesla EV as well. Work together great.

17th May 2024
Mani
-
system
4.00

The battery was installed 2 weeks ago. Too early to comment on it's performance.

15th May 2024
Ramy
-
system
5.00

4th May 2024
ACT - 2913
system
5.00

29th April 2024
NSW - 2031
10-15kW system
5.00

12th April 2024
Steven
-
system
5.00

Very happy. East to use with app.

10th April 2024
Mickey
-
9kW system
4.00

9th April 2024
Steve
-
system
5.00

Chose the brand based upon my sons excellence experience.

31st March 2024
NSW - 2100
7kW system
5.00

Outstanding. I could not be happier with the Tesla

27th March 2024
Kate
-
system
5.00

Very happy with the brand and easy to understand the process

25th February 2024
Liz
VIC - 3971
system
5.00

So far very happy. Monitoring via app will soon be available. Delay due to power / internet outage in recent storms. Currently able to monitor power and solar via Powershop App.

18th February 2024
SA - 5211
15-20kW system
4.00

Battery failed after one month. Safety system kicked in effectively and immediately replaced by TESLA who were very effective.

22nd January 2024
VIC - 3551
10-15kW system
5.00

14th January 2024
William
NSW - 2071
10kW system
5.00

good battery system. And with Tesla battery and inverter, Tesla inverter became the main inverter. Tesla app looks good.

10th December 2023
Nick
NSW - 2075
10-15kW system
5.00

working flawlessly and the app is great

27th November 2023
Vaughan
VIC - 3555
6kW system
5.00

23rd November 2023
Ken
VIC - 3251
7kW system
4.00

Love the Tesla. No bills in summer (when system is working properly) and minimum bill in Winter. Still have power for essentials, phone, internet and Coffee Machine

13th November 2023
Mark
SA - 5091
6kW system
0.00

Very happy with it. It may cave cost a little extra, but after doing my research as to how it can and will be used (especially in a blackout) it was a no brainer for me.

12th November 2023
Marian
SA - 5050
10-15kW system
5.00

Works very well. Supplies all night time power and during grid outages.

26th October 2023
Julian
NSW - 2444
6kW system
5.00

Powers the house overnight and blackouts . Perfect

23rd October 2023
John
-
6kW system
5.00

I already had a battery for the existing system and the Solar Wholesale team completed a faultless install by adding the new system to the existing setup. The two systems are working in harmony thanks to the Solar Wholesales installation team.

6th October 2023
John 2
ACT - 2602
6kW system
4.00

Has occasionally gone off and needed a reboot to get back into production. I needed to call Tesla support once and they talked me through the reboot. Labelling of the various circuit breakers varies somewhat from the terms used in the Tesla documentation. I don't know whether that is a difference in terminology between USA and AU.

20th September 2023
Christian
ACT - 2618
10kW system
5.00

1st August 2023
David
NSW - 2439
6kW system
5.00

we purchased a Tesla as they were available unlike my first choice (in early 2022). Unit is nicely packaged and integrates well with the Fronius Inverter. The app that lets us track what is happening provides the info I require when I check it out each day. As a retired Electrical Engineer I'm happy so far.

21st July 2023
Peter
ACT - 2600
6kW system
5.00

21st July 2023
Bernie 2
ACT - 2614
8kW system
5.00

The battery seem to be delivering what was expected.

27th June 2023
Sara
VIC - 3228
5kW system
5.00

No problems. Great app.

15th June 2023
Martin
-
7kW system
1.00

The battery was faulty and needed to be replaced. The replacement battery from Tesla is working well so far.

22nd May 2023
Craig
SA - 5007
8kW system
5.00

Installing a Tesla battery a couple of years back completed the “loop” in the system by storing excess production that is drawn on once the sun goes down. This coupled with retailer Energy Locals plan has seen our energy costs go down to the lowest they have ever been

14th March 2023
Steve
QLD - 4020
9kW system
5.00

Holds up to 10 Kwh, great use of excess solar energy!

9th March 2023
Luke
-
6kW system
5.00

N/a

24th January 2023
Graham
-
10kW system
5.00

27th November 2022
Athol
-
7kW system
5.00

18th November 2022
Christobel
-
8kW system
5.00

Christian advised these batteries are more reliable

10th October 2022
George
-
8kW system
5.00

Tesla Battery is fantastic with no maintenance and a fantastic app to use through your Phone,Has performed as described by Sam as we experience frequent blackouts in the area!!!

7th September 2022
Nicholas
WA - 6230
10-15kW system
5.00