MILLIONS of households face the prospect of being able to make big savings on their electricity bills by using batteries to covert solar energy into power for thier homes.
The wall-mounted packs harness energy from solar panels on roofs while also providing a back-up source during power cuts.
Its manufacturers, who have just launched the devices in the US, say they could become in the home as common as washing machines and will 'fundamentally change the way the world uses energy.'
The device, Powerwall, is to go on sale in the US in 7kWh and 10kWh form, with prices equivalent to between £1,954 and £2,275.
The possibilities seem endless for consumers, with one kWh capable of powering a laptop computer for two days, a full washing machine cycle or to boil a kettle 10 times.
A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said Powerwall could become as common as central heating, adding: "Just as the internet changed the way we use information so renewable sources, like wind and solar, are changing the way we make and use energy and electricity storage is an important part of that change.
"Cheaper and more efficient energy storage means individuals and businesses could save renewable energy until they need it, hugely reducing the need for climate-changing fossil fuels."
A spokesman for the The Institution of Mechanical Engineers said the device could also help reduce emissions because storage would mean energy firms would not need to store huge amounts of energy.
The packs are to be manufactured by Tesla, an electric car company. At the launch, chief executive Elon Musk described the device as a new era for energy production. He added: "Our goal here is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy.
"Tesla Energy is a critical step in this mission to enable zero emission power generation." However, Mr Musk conceded: "I don't believe this product in its first incarnation will be interesting to the average person."
He signed up his initial suppliers and production is due to begin in 2017 for the US markets initially.
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