Panasonic's home energy system (photos)

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic is showing off a full line of energy-related products at CES, all of which are controlled through a TV.

Here is a cutaway of a home electric vehicle charging station from Panasonic, which also makes lithium-ion battery cells (used in Tesla vehicles) and the power electronics inside an EV.

In Panasonic's home energy management system, appliances are connected through a gateway (the small white box hung on the wall). Consumers can monitor energy consumption in the home and, if there are variable rates for different times of the day, schedule power-hungry jobs at different times. Also, Panasonic now sells Sanyo solar panels, so people can also track their panels' electricity output, store that energy in batteries, and have the system decide when it's most beneficial to use that stored energy.

Panasonic's fuel cell design is used to make electricity by reforming natural gas into hydrogen. The fuel cell also generates a significant amount of heat that can be used for hot water storage.