Two Battery Beasts of the Solar Industry

The SolarEdge Home Battery and the Tesla Powerwall 3 are reputable and reliable products that will provide a secure power supply for your home. Choosing which battery is best is a complex decision that will ultimately depend on your energy needs.

We built a simple chart to compare these products and went into more detail below.

Equipment

The SolarEdge Home Battery is a DC-coupled, lithium-ion battery. The product is mountable on the wall or floor and can be installed indoors or outdoors.

The Tesla Powerwall 3 is also a DC-coupled, lithium-ion battery. The Powerwall 3 is the first DC battery product that Tesla has produced. Like the previous models, the Powerwall 3 can be mounted to the wall or floor inside or outside.

Performance and Specs

The SolarEdge Home Battery can hold up to 9.7 kWh of usable energy and weighs 267 pounds. The continuous power of this battery is 5 kW and its 10-second surge power is 7.5 kW. The efficiency of this battery is 94.5%. Up to three batteries can be installed per inverter.

SolarEdge Home Battery Datasheet

The Tesla Powerwall 3 can hold up to 13.5 kWh of usable energy and weighs 287 pounds. The continuous power rating and the 10-second surge power is 11.5 kW. The efficiency of this battery is 97.5%. Up to four batteries can be linked together.

Tesla Powerwall 3 Data

Maintenance and Warranties

Both batteries require minimal maintenance throughout their 10 to 15-year lifespan. These products are designed to be hands-off, meaning once they are installed, they should operate without intervention.

SolarEdge and Tesla provide product and performance warranties that ensure at least 70% efficiency for 10 years.

Incentives

Both batteries can qualify for the ConnectedSolutions program, which pays up to $5,000 per battery over 5 years. Your purchase can also be eligible for the federal solar tax credit.

 Special Considerations

If you already have an existing solar system that has Solaredge equipment, you most likely will want to go with SolarEdge batteries. The reason is that if you have SolarEdge optimizers underneath your solar panels, that electricity will travel as DC electricity down to your existing SolarEdge inverter. This will be more efficient because the electricity will have the option of going into your SolarEdge battery as DC electricity, avoiding an unnecessary conversion from DC to AC just to go into your Tesla Powerwall 3 battery. 

Making the Decision: SolarEdge Home Battery or Tesla Powerwall 3?

Based on your specific energy needs and goals, you can determine which battery is a better fit. Hypothetically, if your household requires a lot of energy, you may opt for the Tesla Powerwall 3 to maximize your energy storage potential. If you already have a  Solaredge inverter on your solar system, or if your home doesn’t need a huge amount of energy during a outage,  then SolarEdge Home Battery is probably a better option.

We highly recommend working with an installer who has experience with both batteries so you can make the most informed decision. Ultimately, these are both top-tier products that will do their job excellently.