LG Chem VS Tesla Powerwall:
This Will Surprise You...
Interested in getting a solar battery solution for your home?
We can all agree that if you have a solar system, what’s the point in wasting any energy that you are generating. It makes sense to just store it, right?
Solar batteries have become increasingly popular within Australia and I would also argue that they are becoming more and more valuable in terms of benefits, ROI and future systems like VPP’s.
So, going from this it’s always a question homeowners want to know. Which solar battery should I buy, or which solar battery is the best.
Well, if you’ve ever read any of my previous blogs you’ll know that I never really like to pick a ‘best’. Simply put, every home is different. Every homeowner is different and everyone’s goals are different.
Therefore, one battery might work for your way better than another battery. It all really depends on your home, goals, energy bills and system you’re looking for.
I talk about this much more in my guide, how to buy the best solar battery. Here I talk you through the consultation steps we go through with our clients every day. Don’t hesitate to give it a read.
Now whilst we’re here, I wanted to review two of the most popular solar batteries in the industry. That is LG Chem and Tesla’s Powerwall 2.
Quickly, if you want to, you can check out my full powerwall 2 review. I also recommend Sonnen batteries to anyone who is interested in home battery salutation, and you can read my sonnen review here.
Anyway, let’s stop with the chit chat and crack straight into LG Chem Vs Tesla Powerwall and see what we have to go through.
Table Of Contents
Tesla Powerwall 2 Has A Larger Capacity Compared To LG Chem
First of all, let’s talk about the size difference between the two batteries. This is important to differentiate between which one might suit you best.
If you have a big system capable of producing a lot of energy, it’s best suited to go for the bigger battery.
So, a Tesla Powerwall 2 has a peak usable energy of 13.5kWh whereas the LG Chem only has 9.3kWh.
Really what this suggests is that if you use a lot of energy in your home at night, or during the times that you want to be using your battery then you should consider the bigger battery.
However, if you don’t have a large system, or don’t need a large system then it would be more wise to look at the smaller size battery as that would work better for you and your budget.
I do want to add that you can stack both powerwalls and LG chems to increase your battery size. Therefore I wouldn’t say this should be a huge thing to consider.
LG Chem Has The Higher Efficiency, But How Much Does This Matter?
That’s right. LG Chem does have a higher efficiency rating when compared to the Tesla Powerwall 2. This is most likely down to the fact that LG Chem is DC coupled compared to Tesla’s AC which I’ll go through below.
The LG Chem has a round trip efficiency of 96% whereas the Tesla Powerwall 2 claims 90% round trip efficiency.
Quickly to summarise what round trip efficiency means, when your energy is produced by your panels it gets sent to your solar battery and stored. This energy will be stored as DC current in your battery.
When you go to use the energy in the battery, it needs to get converted into AC current, by doing this it uses a small amount of energy (or a small amount is lost in the process). Therefore, with the LG Chem you are only losing 6% of your energy whereas with a Powerwall 2 you lose around 10%.
Tesla Powerwall 2 is AC Coupled, Whereas LG Chem Is DC Coupled…
One big difference between these two batteries is the coupling. I briefly mentioned this above but will go into more details about it now.
Tesla’s Powerwall 2 is AC coupled. Essentially, this is where your battery is connected to the grid line as well and your home. It’s the most common these days along with Hybrids which can offer both.
This also means it can be easily installed into any current system with the use of an additional Tesla inverter. AC coupled makes installation a whole lot easier meaning you can design a system around your needs better.
However, AC does route the energy a few extra steps meaning you could miss out on the efficiency side of things. Energy gets converted from the solar panels into the inverter then converted once again when coming out from the battery. One plus side is that you can pull energy from the grid to charge your battery as well.
LG Chem is DC coupled. This means energy goes straight from the solar panels and into the battery. Technically speaking, DC coupled batteries tend to have a higher efficiency because the energy doesn’t need to go through the inverter until the battery has been fully charged.
DC coupled is much harder to install and may mean the price get’s hiked up. A lot of installers don’t like to do DC coupled as it’s not user friendly.
DC current is also known as direct current and if installed incorrectly, or done by shoddy solar installers can cause fires or health and safety hazards. SolarEdge and other systems avoid areas like this to maintain high safety.
Tesla Powerwall 2 Has The Better Warranty
Tesla wins here. Their Powerwall 2 does come with a better warranty than LG’s Chem. Although they both offer 10 years, Tesla provides it at 70% degradation whereas LG is 60%.
Although it’s a small figure of 10%, it may add up over a period of time making your LG battery degrade quicker and become less efficient. Degradation means it won’t hold as much energy and your energy will get used quicker.
For anyone who is looking for the longest lasting system, I’d say go for a Powerwall here. If you are looking for the longest lasting battery, Sonnen would probably be best.
There Isn’t Much Between The Price Of These Two Batteries…
In terms of price, there really isn’t much between these two batteries. I think you can get an LG Chem slightly cheaper than a Powerwall, but the price is constantly changing which is frustrating.
This really makes it quite hard from a price point to differentiate the two. Usually I would say if you are looking for a quick ROI from your battery, go for the cheaper option. However, because there isn’t much between the prices… I’d say either one would be great.
So, Which One Is Better? LG Chem Or Tesla Powerwall 2?
Tesla powerwall and LG Chem RESU batteries are two powerful products with excellent details. Let’s see their individual specifications so that you can figure out the one to choose…
Tesla Powerwall 2
- Battery type: AC Battery
- Battery size: 13.5 kWh
- Combine battery: 9
- Cell chemistry: Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide
- Depth of discharge: 100%
- Efficiency: 90%
- Power output: 5Kw continuous
- Usable capacity: 13.5 kWh
- Warranty: 10 years
- Warranty rated capacity year 10: Retained capacity of 70 per cent.
LG Chem
- Battery type: DC Battery having a coupled system (48V or 400V)
- Battery size: 6.5kWh, 13kWh, and 16kWh
- Combine battery: 2
- Cell chemistry: Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide
- Depth of discharge: 95%
- Power output: 5Kw continuous
- Usable capacity: 9.3 kWh
- Warranty: 10 years
- Warranty rated capacity year 10: Retained capacity of 60 per cent.
The outlined product features above are direct distinguishing factors between Tesla powerwall and LG Chem.
I just want to add, sometimes on paper one might seem better. However, there are many factors you might need to consider which are going to allow the battery to work the hardest for your budget.
Just make sure that you know your energy use, system size, export limits, goals and budget. Then you can pick which one is going to be best for your home.
Summary - LG Chem Vs Tesla Powerwall 2
Choosing between the Tesla powerwall and LG Chem RESU can be very challenging because both batteries are fantastic. They both have a great capacity to deliver satisfactorily to your expectations.
However, to be straightforward without any confusion, it would be best for you to examine what your needs are and the specific kind of battery that aligns with those needs.
Either way, I’d happily recommend either of these two solar batteries to my friend and family and therefore, would be confident telling you that both of these would be a good solution for your home.
I’d suggest before looking into solar batteries and buying one, have a chat with a solar design engineer who can help you work out which battery is going to suit you best. They will know specs, designs and of course consult with you about your best options.
Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below 👇. Have you got either one of these batteries? Which one do you think is better?
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Written By:
Luke Cove
Managing Director
Lightning Solar & Electrical
6 thoughts on “LG Chem vs Tesla Powerwall”
Hi , Charging from the grid is not mentioned with either battery review, although I know the Tesla can do this. In winter. no sun, I charge my battery to 100% in case of outages, which happens often in my area. My neighbor is considering a solar & LG combination but no where is there mention of charging or topping up from the grid. Does this mean the LG battery only charges from the solar array only??????????
Review section on AC Coupled vs DC Coupled… DC coupled does not charge from grid (LG is DC coupled, Tesla is AC coupled). This will be a major factor in my choice; that I was unaware of.
Very good article, Thank you for the information.
It does address that in the article
“However, AC does route the energy a few extra steps meaning you could miss out on the efficiency side of things. Energy gets converted from the solar panels into the inverter then converted once again when coming out from the battery. One plus side is that you can pull energy from the grid to charge your battery as well. “
In comparing the LG and Tesla, I was told by my contractor that the Tesla can back up more individual circuits from my electrical panel. Not sure why that is, but I have a lot of circuits, so that is important to me.
I live in Dallas Texas if I do opt for Tesla powerwall can I go off the grid? Do I need to be dependent on the grid. The idea of powerwall is to be completely self sufficient.
With the LG battery and SolarEdge inverter, the battery can be charged from the grid using the time of day profile.