In addition to helping us move away from the dirty energy sources that are harming our planet, solar power is a highly beneficial way to harvest electricity because it can save customers a ton of money in the long run.
The problem, however, is that the upfront costs for installing solar panels are so high that it can be prohibitive for people who are not wealthy. This means that solar energy is often inaccessible to the people who could benefit from it the most.
But a new pilot program in Scotland is looking to change that. A new affordable housing development in North Lanarkshire, a suburb of Glasgow, is installing Tesla Powerwalls in 19 of 150 homes being built in a community.
Those Powerwalls will store solar energy captured from the roof panels of the communities’ buildings, with storage supplied by Tesla. The added energy source could make a huge financial difference for residents of the development, especially as energy costs have soared in the UK.
If these installations are indeed meant to be affordable, the feature would go a long way toward ensuring that more people can benefit from solar power while simultaneously helping our planet move toward cleaner and more cost-effective energy sources.
The clean energy news site Electrek reported on the announcement, and commenters were excited about the pilot program’s implications for our future.
“As a Brit with solar and batteries, I can say that they have completely eliminated the worry of fuel costs,” one commenter wrote.
“Good on the local councils for supporting this kind of innovation,” another person added. “If it pencils out, this could be a great use of public funds for supporting low-income families in public housing. Scotland isn’t necessarily ideal for solar power. If it works there (economically), it would work anywhere.”
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