Energy
Tesla Powerwall advocates fight proposed ban on in-home lithium ion battery storage systems in Australia
Battery storage systems are exceedingly popular in Australia, which has some of the highest energy costs in the world. Battery storage systems like the Tesla Powerwall are seen as the answer to high electricity costs when coupled with a rooftop solar installation. There are currently 1.6 million homes in Australia with rooftop solar and the majority of those home owners say they are interested in adding battery storage to help them reduce the amount of electricity they draw from the grid.
On February 13, a report leaked in the Australian press saying that Standards Australia, a non-governmental group similar to Underwriters Laboratories, was about to recommend that any storage devices using lithium ion cells not be installed inside homes but rather in free standing kiosks or bunkers added to the exterior of buildings.
According to Australia’s RenewEconomy, the new standard would add thousands of dollars to the price of a complete solar power system and imperil what is considered to be a multi-billion dollar business opportunity. Bloomberg New Energy Finance believes there could be as many as 6 million residential storage battery installations in Australia in the next 15 years.
The leaked report created a whirlwind of protest. No other country has such restrictions on storage battery installations. John Grimes, head of the Australian Solar Council, says that other countries like Japan and the United States do not have bans on lithium ion storage batteries in homes. He adds that there are already 30,000 such devices in Germany, where lithium ion devices are banned only in sleeping areas.
Apparently Standards Australia grew concerned when reports surfaced that the Samsung Galaxy Note had a disturbing tendency to burst into flames. That device has now been banned from all commercial aircraft whether in carry on or checked luggage.
The proposed rules could have a devastating effect on a virtual power plant program being promoted by AGL Energy in South Australia. That concept would link up to 1000 home solar systems together with a sophisticated digital control network designed to manage each system remotely and maximize the efficiency of the entire microgrid.
Australia is ripe for solar power development because of the abundance of sunshine it receives every day. In fact, there is already a planned community near Melbourne, Australia that has been dubbed Tesla Town because every house has a rooftop solar system mated to a Tesla Powerwall storage battery. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is one of those Australians who has a 14.5 kW rooftop solar and battery storage system installed at his home.
Suburb dubbed “Tesla town” in Australia will have solar, Tesla’s Powerwall and EV charging in every home.
Some people have expressed concerns that owners of electric cars with lithium ion batteries such as the Tesla Model S and Model X might be prevented from parking their cars in their garages if the Standards Australia rules are adopted.
LG Chem and Tesla are the two leading storage battery suppliers in Australia. Both use lithium ion battery cells, as do the products from Sony, GCL, BYD, Panasonic and Samsung. Companies that offer storage batteries that do not use lithium ion cells include Sonnenbatterie and Enphase (lithium iron phosphate batteries), Astralia’s Redflow (zinc bromine flow batteries), Ecoult (lead acid batteries), and Aquion, which uses ionically charged water molecules as its storage medium.
The storm of complaints has forced Standards Australia to rethink its position even before its new rules were officially announced. On February 14, it released a statement denying it is proposing a ban on lithium ion batteries in homes. It said that the public discussion period for its proposed rules would now begin in April instead of later this month and would extend for 9 weeks instead of the usual 6.
“Standards Australia is working with stakeholders to develop a new draft Australian Standard AS/NZS 5139, Electrical Installations –Safety of battery systems for use in inverter energy systems that will enable the safe installation of battery energy storage systems,” the organization said in a statement. “It is proposed that the draft document will contain provisions for:
- Installation requirements for all battery systems connected to inverter energy systems, covering all battery types
- Mitigating hazards associated with battery energy storage system installations
- Classifying batteries based on hazards, and not chemistry type
Those are reasonable and sensible proposals, considering that Australia currently has no national standards governing the installation of residential solar systems, which leaves consumers open to shoddy work by poorly trained contractors. The best defense against charlatans is to let Tesla manage the entire process. It uses only trained, certified installers and stands behind each installation with its reputation for quality and customer service.
Interested in solar? Get a solar cost estimate and find out how much a solar system would cost for your home or business.
Energy
Tesla meets Giga New York’s Buffalo job target amid political pressures
Giga New York reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease.
Tesla has surpassed its job commitments at Giga New York in Buffalo, easing pressure from lawmakers who threatened the company with fines, subsidy clawbacks, and dealership license revocations last year.
The company reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease at the state-built facility.
As per an employment report reviewed by local media, Tesla employed 2,399 full-time workers at Gigafactory New York and 1,060 additional employees across the state at the end of 2025. Part-time roles pushed the total headcount of Tesla’s New York staff above the 3,460-job target.
The gains stemmed in part from a new Long Island service center, a Buffalo warehouse, and additional showrooms in White Plains and Staten Island. Tesla also said it has invested $350 million in supercomputing infrastructure at the site and has begun manufacturing solar panels.
Empire State Development CEO Hope Knight said the agency was “very happy” with Giga New York’s progress, as noted in a WXXI report. The current lease runs through 2029, and negotiations over updated terms have included potential adjustments to job requirements and future rent payments.
Some lawmakers remain skeptical, however. Assemblymember Pat Burke questioned whether the reported job figures have been fully verified. State Sen. Patricia Fahy has also continued to sponsor legislation that would revoke Tesla’s company-owned dealership licenses in New York. John Kaehny of Reinvent Albany has argued that the project has not delivered the manufacturing impact originally promised as well.
Knight, for her part, maintained that Empire State Development has been making the best of a difficult situation.
“(Empire State Development) has tried to make the best of a very difficult situation. There hasn’t been another use that has come forward that would replace this one, and so to the extent that we’re in this place, the fact that 2,000 families at (Giga New York) are being supported through the activity of this employer. It’s the best that we can have happen,” the CEO noted.
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
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