Tesla Grid Controller Patent Reveals Direction Of Company's Energy Sector

Tesla’s grid controller patent may have revealed the direction the company’s energy sector will be taking. Tesla has always been the kind of company that keeps pushing to be better. The EV automaker and tech innovator published documents of a patent for a grid controller, which could be another component to Tesla Energy.

Inventors Peter Rive and Eric Daniel Carlson recently published documents about a grid controller patent for Tesla. The patent was filed four months ago on October 22, 2019, and published five days ago on February 13, 2020. 

“The present disclosure relates generally to energy systems, and more specifically, to a scalable hierarchical energy distribution grid utilizing homogeneous control logic. Techniques are disclosed that allow for distributed, autonomous control of a multitude of sites in an energy system using abstraction and aggregation techniques for simplified yet powerful system control to achieve energy goals,” stated the first paragraph of the grid controller’s patent summary.

Credit: Tesla

The grid controller in Tesla’s patent appears to be similar to Sense or Neurio which are small computers installed in electrical panels. They allow homeowners to monitor energy usage and power consumption in their houses. These small computers are often very thorough with the ability to keep track of the energy usage and power consumption in each device or appliance inside homes. 

Currently, Tesla uses Neurio in its residential systems, which allows users to keep track of their energy usage and power consumption through the company’s app. The recent grid controller patent suggests the EV automaker plans to make its own energy monitoring device. 

According to CleanTechnica, however, Tesla’s grid controller is much more sophisticated that Neurio or Sense. Based on Kyle Field’s explanation, the company’s version can probably do more than just monitor energy usage and power consumption. Tesla’s grid controller could help people use the energy in their home more efficiently as well. 

Recently, Tesla Energy started ramping its Solarglass Roof V3 tiles, with plans for international installments later this year. Combined with the company’s Powerwalls, Tesla Energy customers are basically living in almost full self-sustaining homes—at least when it comes to power. With Tesla’s own grid controller, energy consumption and usage could become even more cost-efficient. 

Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s grid controller would be a good addition to the company’s growing Energy business. The energy monitoring device would widen Tesla Energy’s ecosystem and compliments both the Powerwall and Solar Roof tiles. 

Tesla’s grid controller shows that the company has future plans for its Energy department since it can be used beyond the home. For instance, it could be used in businesses as well. With its grid controller, Tesla Energy could increase demand for its product to the commercial level, past the residential market. 

The full text of Tesla's Grid Controller patent could be accessed here. 

Featured Image Credit: Tesla