Tesla is recalling Powerwall 2 home batteries in Australia after the company received reports of fires that led to "minor property damage," according to the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission. The recall affects an unspecified number of Powerwall 2 units made in the U.S. and sold between November 2020 and June 2022. The cells were made by an unnamed third-party supplier. Despite the fires, no injuries have been reported, the ACCC said in a recall notice.
Even more worrying is how much less reliable the grid has become. The US has had 64% more large grid failures in the last ten years. Most of these outages were caused by extreme weather events related to climate change, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and heat waves. Because of this unpredictability, there is a strong need for clean, independent, and stable energy solutions, especially ones that can store and manage solar electricity in case the grid goes down.