At Intersolar Europe 2026, Tesla showcased its Powerwall 3 residential energy storage system with a 13.5 kWh battery and an integrated hybrid inverter
The system supports modular expansion with additional Powerwall 3 and Powerwall Expansion units, increasing the overall storage capacity
Tesla also offers Gateway 3, Backup Switch, and Backup Gateway 2 to enable whole-home or partial-home backup during grid outages
A lesser-known side of electric-vehicle giant Tesla is that it has also been in the energy storage business for over a decade, with an energy storage solution (ESS) product under the Powerwall brand. At Intersolar Europe 2026, the company showcased its Powerwall product for the European market.
With over a million installations globally totaling over 6.7 GW, the Powerwall has several variants, namely Powerwall 1, 2, +, and 3. Among these, the Powerwall 3 is an integrated solar and battery storage system with a built-in hybrid inverter that can be connected directly to the PV array on the DC side. It has a nominal battery storage capacity of 13.5 kWh and can provide a maximum of 11.5 kW AC power output and a minimum of 5.8 kW. The built-in inverter can support up to 20 kW PV input via 6 MPPTs, with a maximum current per MPPT (Imp) of 15 A.
The storage system is designed to support modular expansion. Up to 3 expansion units, plus 3 additional Powerwall 3 units, can be connected to expand the capacity, enabling a maximum system size of 4 Powerwall units with 3 expansion units. Each expansion unit provides an additional 13.5 kWh of storage capacity and is compatible only with Powerwall 3.
Tesla also offers backup operation system configurations that pair its other products with Powerwall 3. For this, Gateway 3 and Backup Switch are used, which detect grid outages and isolate the home while maintaining power to the connected loads. It also includes Backup Gateway 2, designed for partial home backup by supplying power to selected essential loads during an outage.
With an IP67 rating for the battery and power electronics enclosure, Powerwall 3 is promoted as suitable for both indoor and outdoor installations, and is backed by a 10-year product warranty.
