Home solar in rural America: a storm just took out your power, now what?

There’s no shortage of advice on how to size a home solar and battery system, but most of it assumes a suburban home with city services and outages measured in hours, not days. Rural homes play by different rules, especially during summer storms. When heavy winds take down power lines and your utility prioritizes restoring urban neighborhoods first, having a home battery isn’t about convenience —…

Tesla lithium refinery discharge contains toxic metals, drainage district demands halt

Independent lab testing has found traces of hexavalent chromium — a known carcinogen — along with arsenic and elevated levels of lithium in wastewater discharged from Tesla’s nearly $1 billion lithium refinery in Robstown, Texas.

The Nueces County Drainage District No. 2, which manages the ditch receiving Tesla’s 231,000-gallon daily discharge, has issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding the…

Tesla adds China’s Sunwoda as fifth global EV battery supplier amid margin pressure

Tesla has added Sunwoda (also known as Xinwangda) as its fifth global power battery cell supplier, with LFP cells already shipping on Shanghai-built vehicles destined for export markets.

The move continues Tesla’s aggressive push to diversify its battery supply chain and squeeze costs as automotive gross margins remain under pressure — down to roughly 15% from a peak of 27% in 2021.

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Batteries become the new home solar as net metering evolves and energy prices soar

Net metering — the ability to sell excess electricity back to the grid for fun and profit — has helped make rooftop solar panels the centerpiece of the home energy transition for more than a decade. But, as net metering rules change and electricity prices keep climbing, the value proposition isn’t as clear as it once was. Instead of sending extra power back to the grid, homeowners are…

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