Anyone Decide Not to Install PowerShare?

[Cybergirl]

I'm still debating whether to install the PowerShare system on my house. I have solar panels which generate more power than I need at various times of the day. In those instances, the excess energy flows into the grid (net metering). But if the grid is down, where will the excess solar energy go with PowerShare? Does the PowerShare Gateway allow excess solar energy to be back-fed to the CT’s battery? In other words, if the grid is down and you're powering your house from the CT's battery via the Gateway, and your solar panels are producing more power than household demand, will the excess energy from the solar panels flow back into the CT battery? I'm assuming no PowerWalls.

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[CyberVeteran]

I'm still debating whether to install the PowerShare system on my house. I have solar panels which generate more power than I need at various times of the day. In those instances, the excess energy flows into the grid (net metering). But if the grid is down, where will the excess solar energy go with PowerShare? Does the PowerShare Gateway allow excess solar energy to be back-fed to the CT’s battery? In other words, if the grid is down and you're powering your house from the CT's battery via the Gateway, and your solar panels are producing more power than household demand, will the excess energy from the solar panels flow back into the CT battery? I'm assuming no PowerWalls.

That's a great question, to which I do not believe has been addressed anywhere that I have seen.

 

[Cybergirl]

I got a quote from RJ Electric Service to install the PowerShare Gateway and Universal Wall Connector (UWC) on the side of the house for whole-house power backup. The quote is $3165.00.

That’s more than I was hoping to pay for a relatively simple installation in which the Gateway is installed on the outside of the house between the utility meter and the main distribution panel, and the UWC is also on the outside wall 40' away. The only inside work is running a copper grounding cable to the water meter.

Questioning the price, the electrician informed me that my utility, ComEd, is offering a rebate on the cost of installing a smart Level 2 charger. The rebate is the cost of the charger and installation up to $2500. The program is open until 12/31/2025. His quote broke out the cost of installing the charger at $1420. The rebate, if I got it, would reduce the cost of PowerShare to $1745. Not bad.

Should I accept his quote assuming I’ll get the rebate?

Reasons not to install:

Cost. $3165 is more than I want to pay. Even with the rebate, $1745 is a chunk of money.

ComEd service is very reliable. We rarely have a power outage, and when we do it’s not particularly long (minutes, maybe hours, not days). However, that’s no guarantee that there won’t be a prolonged grid failure in the future.

I already have a 9.6 kWh battery backup system that will provide power to critical circuits for several hours (overnight), and my solar system will recharge the house batteries during the day.

The Cybertruck will only be available as a backup power source when we’re in Illinois, and only if the CT happens to be plugged into the UWC will the whole house be backed up without any action on my part. Normally I’ll have to drive the CT out of the garage and plug the UWC into the Cybertruck to power the house. Putting the UWC in the garage would increase the cost quite a bit more.

There’s a cheap and easy way to deal with a power outage. I can supply power to the house by connecting the Cybertruck to the house with a custom-made male-to-male cable inserted between the 14-50 outlet in the vault and the 14-50 outlet in the garage. The cost to make such a cable will be about $150. Simple and cheap, but it's not all good.

There's an attractive option: If I opt out of the PS install, I’m told that I will receive a $700 voucher which I can use to buy a Universal Wall Connector for $620. I'll then have a UWC to charge either of my Tesla vehicles at 48A (44 miles/hour) instead of the slower Mobile connector’s 32A. There’s also an integrated J1772 plug on the UWC for charging other EVs. I can still apply for the ComEd rebate to recover the cost of the UWC and the large gauge wire and conduit I’ll need to connect to the main panel. My out of pocket cost could by $0.

There are two important advantages to installing PowerShare:

The PowerShare system is a safer and completely automatic way to draw power from the Cybertruck during a prolonged power outage (as long as the truck is plugged into the UWC).

The electrician told me that the Gateway, being AC-coupled to the main distribution panel, will allow excess solar energy to be back-fed to the CT, charging its battery. That’s important for a multi-day outage. I haven't confirm that this is true, however.

If I opt to insert a 240V "suicide cable" between the CT and the main panel via the 14-50 outlet in the garage, I lose the ability to automatically charge CT’s battery from solar. When the CT is plugged into the house and 240V appears across the main panel bus bars supplying power to the house, the inverter/charger (SMA Sunny Island) will think that grid power has been restored and switch over to recharging the house batteries. When the house batteries are fully charged, and solar power exceeds household demand, the solar inverter (SMA Sunny Boy) will throttle back solar production by frequency shifting the AC output, thus wasting some or all of the energy produced by the solar panels rather than pushing that power into the CT battery (charging it). Not optimal.

Also, there’s no automatic response to, or notification of, the return of utility grid power, so the house will continue to feed off CT’s battery until I learn that utility power is back on, manually disconnect the CT, and turn on the main breaker.

$1745 makes the backup process automatic. I’m inclined to go for it. Any thoughts?

 

[akenis]

I'm still debating whether to install the PowerShare system on my house. I have solar panels which generate more power than I need at various times of the day. In those instances, the excess energy flows into the grid (net metering). But if the grid is down, where will the excess solar energy go with PowerShare? Does the PowerShare Gateway allow excess solar energy to be back-fed to the CT’s battery? In other words, if the grid is down and you're powering your house from the CT's battery via the Gateway, and your solar panels are producing more power than household demand, will the excess energy from the solar panels flow back into the CT battery? I'm assuming no PowerWalls.

I would say no because the powershare 3V gateway would separate you from the grid while the truck is powering the house. So you'll be off grid. No idea what happens to excess solar if you don't have Powerwall.

The more I think about all this, the more I feel like PW3 is the way to go for many reasons.

Ironically, even though Tesla states that powerwall can later be added to PowerShare 3V gateway, they do not recommend it at this time:

Hello Andrew!



Here is some information we got back from Tesla regarding the Powerwall and Powershare Gateway.



“We apologize for the delay. Thank you for sending your Powershare design question in for review.

It is possible to install Powerwall units downstream of a Powershare Gateway, however this is not a recommended solution as it requires contact Tesla for assistance with the commissioning due to multiple “Site-Controllers” being on the property.

If the customer is planning to get a Powerwall unit at the same time as getting a Powershare System installed, then we would recommend that the system would be installing either the Backup Gateway 2, Gateway 3, or Backup Switch as the relay device for the Powerwall units rather than installing the Powershare Gateway (Gateway 3V).

If the customer is planning on getting a Powerwall system in the future but wants to get Powershare System installed immediately, then we would recommend installing the Universal Wall Connector with the Powershare Gateway. In the future, additional Powerwall 3 units can be installed into the backup circuit and with Tesla assistance the system can be commissioned properly.”

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So I'm contemplating declining 3V gateway that I already paid for and going with a more conventional PW3 install with BG2, BG3 or backup Switch.

 

[Cybergirl]

I would say no because the powershare 3V gateway would separate you from the grid while the truck is powering the house. So you'll be off grid. No idea what happens to excess solar if you don't have Powerwall.

Yes, of course, my house would be disconnected from the grid while the grid is down. The situation I'm asking about is when the grid is down, my house battery is fully charged, and my solar panels are able to produce more power than demanded from all household loads. Will the excess solar energy be used by the Gateway to charge CT's battery? I can't think of any reason why it couldn't unless the Gateway is intentionally designed to only charge the CT when grid power is available.

 

[akenis]

Yes, of course, my house would be disconnected from the grid while the grid is down. The situation I'm asking about is when the grid is down, my house battery is fully charged, and my solar panels are able to produce more power than demanded from all household loads. Will the excess solar energy be used by the Gateway to charge CT's battery? I can't think of any reason why it couldn't unless the Gateway is intentionally designed to only charge the CT when grid power is available.

Our resources are incredibly limited right now. I don't know.

Tesla told me today that if I want power walls now I should not install the 3v Gateway. It would require a special procedure to decommission the controller in the 3v Gateway. The power wall would control the system. They said if I want power walls now, I should install a Gateway two or three.

I'm trying to wrap my head around all of that and your system is even more complex.

 

[GatorCyber]

My Tesla referred installer wants $2100 in install gateway, $1000 to install UWC plus $500 travel because I live 1hr45m away.
This is a complete money grab. My meter is on the exterior garage wall, panel is directly inside opposite of meter, and UWC goes right next to panel, 6" away. My electrician could do it in 3 hours for $200 plus maybe $100 in wire and a breaker.
These Tesla approved installers are greedy bastards. Don't pay them $750/hour.

 

[Cybergirl]

My Tesla referred installer wants $2100 in install gateway, $1000 to install UWC plus $500 travel because I live 1hr45m away.
This is a complete money grab. My meter is on the exterior garage wall, panel is directly inside opposite of meter, and UWC goes right next to panel, 6" away. My electrician could do it in 3 hours for $200 plus maybe $100 in wire and a breaker.
These Tesla approved installers are greedy bastards. Don't pay them $750/hour.

Yeah, the fees are rather high, but there's permitting, interacting with the utility, special grounding to meet NEC requirements, commissioning, travel, overhead, profit... it all adds up.

 

[Crissa]

I’m not because I live in a one bedroom condo and my hoa won’t allow it. I’ll take the free super charging instead.

Your HOA is unlikely to win any legal challenges against their attempt to block this modification.

In other states, like mine, HOAs are explicitly banned from interfering with EV charging or renewable energy sources.

-Crissa

 

[GatorCyber]

Yeah, the fees are rather high, but there's permitting, interacting with the utility, special grounding to meet NEC requirements, commissioning, travel, overhead, profit... it all adds up.

There is ZERO interacting with the utility.
Permitting (in my area) is simply filing out a form online, paying a nominal fee, and waiting a few days.
Any electrician that wires homes can do this, and the going rate in my area is $75-100/hr., and basic installs like mine should get quotes ranging from $500-$1000 total install.
I build spec homes, and $3,500 is an absolute hose job, unless you are including equipment costs, and even then the electrician is making a very good profit.
These installers are charging more than attorneys who spend years in school.

 

[GatorCyber]

I think Tesla is guiding installers to quote at lease $3,500 to discourage Tesla having to give out the Gateway 3V and UWC. It is rather suspicious all the quotes all over are coming in at this number.

I think Tesla should give the equipment to us with the truck as promised. We are getting screwed out of 'included equipment'. Tesla shouldn't be advertising the gateway and UWC as 'included', because they are obviously a minimum $3,500 option.

 

[redpooch]

Why would you not just get a couple of Tesla powerwalls if the goal is backup? My power company installed them (as long as I allow them to tap into them) I pay $50/mo. for 2 powerwalls. Seamless don't even know the power went out....they are awesome. Just seems like a cheaper, "makes more sense" option....
Granted the $50/mo option was one of the governement deals, not sure they are around. This is in Vermont...

 

[scohen2002]

I’m not bothering with it. I qualified and got contacted by an installer but it’s not worth it to me. My job would be probably close to $10,000 so I just got a second wall charger and called it a day. Second because we already had my wife’s model 3 for almost 5 years.

 

[GuyV]

I must have said 'Yes' since I was later contacted by the installer to conduct an on-site evaluation. That's been done and I now have a quote for $3165. I'm debating if I should go ahead with it. I'm not sure what a $700 voucher is good for. I read somewhere that the voucher can only be used for a single purchase (it's not like a gift card).

I would have been very happy with a $3xxx quote, which is what I would have had except my odd situation would have required a second trench to the carport where I have a subpanel with solar and my old wall charger in order to backfeed power from the new universal charger to the house, which would have added $4k+. We don't get many power outages here and very very rarely lengthy ones, I can only remember one 3-day outage in my lifetime, and I am 74. It would just have been another cool thing I'd probably almost never use. ?

I haven't heard a peep about it from Tesla yet, but since it's "only" a presumed $700 store credit it's nothing to stress about. You don't get a lot for that much from the Tesla store. ?

 

[RayzorBEV]

Tesla says I don't qualify because I already have solar an multiple Powerwalls installed
But I'm getting two $700 Shop credits to splurge with?...Just can't combine them, hmm...?

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