Battery for home ‘spells end for conventional utilities’

The launch of a new battery for homes that can store solar power for use in the evenings is “another nail in the coffin of conventional utilities”, it has been claimed.

Tesla announced it was launching the wall-mounted lithium ion-rechargeable storage units, based on the batteries used in the company’s electric vehicles, at an event in California.

Chief executive Elon Musk said: “Our goal here is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy,” as he launched the new ‘powerwall’ batteries, which are little bigger than a conventional boiler.