Powershare Gateway + Solar Do Not Mix

[chaosmarine92]

I just wanted to give everyone else the chance to avoid my mistake. I used my voucher on the powershare bundle since I was planning to do powershare only. They partnered me with a local solar company and I accepted the quote. A bit later while waiting for the bundle to arrive I decided to ask that company about getting solar as well. The price was right so I'm going ahead with it.

Now for the problem: the powershare gateway 3V doesn't accept a solar input. As a result I need a gateway V3 instead. So now I have an $1800 paperweight. If you are even thinking about solar you should reach out to local contractors before you get the bundle.

What's worse is when talking to my contractor he said the 3V and the V3 are nearly identical in build and price so this distinction in which accepts solar is an artificial limit placed on it by Tesla for some dumb reason. As it stands if you got the 3V installed for powershare then later wanted to add solar they would have to remove it to put up the V3.

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[UberNoob]

I have solar, 38 tesla 400w panels and , 2 tesla inverters. I’m grid tied no Powerwall backup. I’d imagine the gateway would be additional to this. Either way I’ll get my solar company to install it.

 

[chaosmarine92]

I have solar, 38 tesla 400w panels and , 2 tesla inverters. I’m grid tied no Powerwall backup. I’d imagine the gateway would be additional to this. Either way I’ll get my solar company to install it.

Does your system just have a transfer switch then? If you want powershare then ya you'll need a gateway but for which version of it then yes asking your contractor first is the way to go.

 

[UberNoob]

Does your system just have a transfer switch then? If you want powershare then ya you'll need a gateway but for which version of it then yes asking your contractor first is the way to go.

if you mean a safety switch, yes. If the grid goes down so does my solar so it doesn’t back feed and zap the guys down the road. I net meter so the grid is my backup battery and once a year they cut me a lowballed check for whatever is in the reserve. If someday day the appocypse is here I could disconnect the grid and feed the house. But luckily here power has never been off for longer then 1 hour in the 10 years or so I lived here.

 

[chaosmarine92]

if you mean a safety switch, yes. If the grid goes down so does my solar so it doesn’t back feed and zap the guys down the road. I net meter so the grid is my backup battery and once a year they cut me a lowballed check for whatever is in the reserve. If someday day the appocypse is here I could disconnect the grid and feed the house. But luckily here power has never been off for longer then 1 hour in the 10 years or so I lived here.

Makes sense. My utility doesn't offer net meeting and any excess gets sold back for a pittance so I need a battery to store my solar for night. So with solar + battery + powershare I needed the V3 gateway.

 

[mongo]

I just wanted to give everyone else the chance to avoid my mistake. I used my voucher on the powershare bundle since I was planning to do powershare only. They partnered me with a local solar company and I accepted the quote. A bit later while waiting for the bundle to arrive I decided to ask that company about getting solar as well. The price was right so I'm going ahead with it.

Now for the problem: the powershare gateway 3V doesn't accept a solar input. As a result I need a gateway V3 instead. So now I have an $1800 paperweight. If you are even thinking about solar you should reach out to local contractors before you get the bundle.

What's worse is when talking to my contractor he said the 3V and the V3 are nearly identical in build and price so this distinction in which accepts solar is an artificial limit placed on it by Tesla for some dumb reason. As it stands if you got the 3V installed for powershare then later wanted to add solar they would have to remove it to put up the 3V.

Was the plan to use a Powerwall 3 or a 3rd party solar inverter?

 

[chaosmarine92]

Was the plan to use a Powerwall 3 or a 3rd party solar inverter?

A powerwall 3.

 

[cybercoffee]

Geez, sorry to hear that. That sounds super frustrating. I know what you mean about selling solar back and how they pocket the difference when they go to sell your hard earned generation. Same here in Southern California if you’re on NEM 3.0.

 

[chaosmarine92]

Geez, sorry to hear that. That sounds super frustrating. I know what you mean about selling solar back and how they pocket the difference when they go to sell your hard earned generation. Same here in Southern California if you’re on NEM 3.0.

Yep. And since i got it with the voucher I can't return the gateway. Maybe I'll try to sell it on eBay or something.

 

[mongo]

A powerwall 3.

That should be supported once the Powershare software update happens.
https://www.tesla.com/support/powershare

If you are adding a Powerwall to your home, we recommend installing Powerwall first to avoid any additional hardware and installation costs later. Powerwall upgrades your home to an instant, seamless backup solution that can maximize the value of your solar system and ensure your home is prepared for severe weather events. Solar Roof and solar panels add the ability to generate your own electricity and further increase your independence from the grid and utility costs.

The complication is disabling the site controller on the Gateway 3V.

Lots of advantages with PowerWall3. One is soft start not required since PW 3 does 185 LRA (vs 110 for truck with 3V gateway).

Yeah Tesla says Powerwalls can be added to V3 gateway. But not now. They said it was possible to do, but would require special assistance from Tesla to turn off the site controller in V3 gateway. They said If I wanted PowerWall now, I should use Backup gateway 2/3 or Power Switch. And in that case PowerShare would work at a later date.

Chicken or egg is my dilemma....

 

[akenis]

Yes, Tesla said it is possible to add PowerWall to 3V gateway. Special provisioning required to dumb down the gateway, because the PowerWall 3 becomes the brains.

Once you have the PowerWall, DC panels plug into the PowerWall itself.

 

[chaosmarine92]

My installer told me they can't use the 3V with the whole setup I'm getting and that the issues is with Tesla. Maybe if you were adding onto an existing system you could get Tesla do special assistance stuff but for a whole new system it's a huge headache for not guaranteed results. Better to go with the V3.

 

[mongo]

My installer told me they can't use the 3V with the whole setup I'm getting and that the issues is with Tesla. Maybe if you were adding onto an existing system you could get Tesla do special assistance stuff but for a whole new system it's a huge headache for not guaranteed results. Better to go with the V3.

Yeah, if getting PW3 and solar now along with Powershare, then use GW3, not 3V (and wait for Powershare functionality).

 

[Gundo]

Cybertruck + Tesla Solar + Powershare = Working just great here

Not sure your issues, but this combo is working just fine, was a 10 hour install, but all is good.

Seems like specifying the correct gateway is on the installer, given they are Tesla Certified

 

[bigbangbadaboom]

Cybertruck + Tesla Solar + Powershare = Working just great here

Not sure your issues, but this combo is working just fine, was a 10 hour install, but all is good.

Seems like specifying the correct gateway is on the installer, given they are Tesla Certified

Have you tested it yet? Mine also has tesla Solar connected to the gateway but stopped working with no powershare settings in app or truck and was told it would be a new software update coming end of year

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