We Charge Our Phones and Our Cars. Is it Time to Charge Our Homes?

When architect Richard Schuh installed solar panels on his Mayacamas Mountains home in northwestern California two decades ago, going completely off the grid wasn’t a real consideration. He just couldn’t quite abide the banks of ugly lead-acid batteries he would have needed to store that amount of excess solar power. Today, it’s a different story. Two sleek Tesla Powerwall lithium-ion batteries hang inconspicuously on a carport wall, ready to supply nearly all the energy his home needs, even during blackouts.