While the South African public were enjoying the long weekend afforded by Worker's Day, one its favourite tech sons was doing some hard work of his own, as Elon Musk officially unveiled his company's Tesla Energy project on May 1st. It seems like Musk's ambitions have not waned at all, as he demonstrated the first product from Tesla Energy - the Powerwall.

A battery pack designed for installation into sustainable homes, the Powerwall is the first step in Musk's plans to make the world more energy efficient. Not only designed for use in homes, businesses and utilities can also leverage the potential of the Powerwall, according to Musk. The Powerwall draws energy from solar panels, which will need to be installed in homes as well.

Tesla positioned the Powerwall as a viable alternative to current solar powered options, as they say companies often charge customers for use during peak times (early morning and evenings), which can sometimes be as expensive as the conventional electricity supplies.  

Currently up for pre-order in the US, the Powerwall will be available in two battery sizes, with a $3 500 10 kWh and $3 000 7 kWh model, with pre-order prices excluding installation and the inverter unit. Both Powerwall models are guaranteed for 10 years, and users can have multiple Powerwall units placed alongside one another, which opens up the opportunity for use as smart microgrids to provide power to small suburbs.

Although making its official debut today, Tesla has been testing the Powerwall unit for the past year with select customers in the US. With Tesla Energy still in the early stages of product development, the Powerwall is viewed as a real answer to how the world consumes mass energy according to Musk. Described as infinitely scalable by Musk, the potential applications for the Powerwall are also equally intriguing. Click on the 17-minute Tesla Energy presentation video below, and see more about the Powerwall.