Help understanding solar/powerwall 3/powershare

[Ward L]

I thought I wanted a PW to complement my future PowerShare system and existing solar until the cost of the PW was crazy. $9k to buy PW and another $8k to install. For that cost, I can plan to have my CT charged and ready to supply electricity as needed. This process of installing the powershare with the various options is way too confusing. Even finding the right contractor that is certified or approved by Tesla is bonkers.

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[Awinsagain]

I thought I wanted a PW to complement my future PowerShare system and existing solar until the cost of the PW was crazy. $9k to buy PW and another $8k to install. For that cost, I can plan to have my CT charged and ready to supply electricity as needed. This process of installing the powershare with the various options is way too confusing. Even finding the right contractor that is certified or approved by Tesla is bonkers.

I don't disagree with you at all. This has taken now 6-8 weeks of my time. Starting with just doing powershare, then thinking powerwall only, and now finally doing powerwall + solar + powershare. The PW3 + gateway will allow for powershare and the solar will charge the car during the day and keep our house running ideally.

Biggest issue is having only 1 powerwall has 11.5kwh output so may have some issues having the powerwall handle max loads during high electrical use times. But besides that, it should have most the benefits I need of power cycling during peak rates, kicking in automatically during an outage, etc.

 

[DJAlan2000]

Hi All,

I have a foundation CT and currently have no solar or PW. I was planning on installing powershare until the quote from the Tesla sub came in at $8,000-$9,000! For that, I could simply grab a PW for a bit more and have way better of a situation.

I am now currently exploring solar + PW. BC I have the CT, I am thinking I just need 1 PW3 to help with the initial start during an outage for the first 3-6 hours and then use my CT as backup after that for another 6-24 hours or however long it can last.

Our home is 3500 ft in the sf bay area. Thoughts on this approach? Is there any reason I would need 2 PW3? Besides adding a soft start to AC, will the CT as backup have any downsides when it kicks in if my PW3 drains?

Thanks all! Any feedback is appreciated and so are tips on which equipment I need to ensure is getting installed so the CT can backup the house!

Cheaper in the long run to install 2 PWs... Getting 1 now and then realizing you need another one later would just cost you more in installation fees and such... Also, with solar AND 2 PWs you may even be able to go 'off grid' more often which will save you a lot of money!

Realize that to charge your CB AND backup your house for more than a few hours will require quite a bit for most 'larger' homes (3500sf). I live in a home in Ventura County and have 10.2 kw solar system with 2 Powerwall 3s. I also own a Tesla Model YLR... Typically I can generate about 6-10 kW during the day if it's nice and sunny... The 'draw' to charge my car is around 12 kW, but because I have TWO PWs it's not much of an issue... Oh, and typical 'household' use runs about 1.2 kW(when we're home/awake)...The TWO Powerwalls give me 27 kWh of 'storage'.

So, I USE about 50 kWh of power every day... For household AND charging my car... However, because I have it set to charge up my car in the wee hours of the morning, typically the batteries are 'full' when the sun goes down and have plenty enough to charge me up in the morning... Then they just make more "E" all day long while I am at work...

So, figure out how much you are using per day for both car and house and get a system that will handle that AND THEN SOME if you want to take FULL advantage of the sun/system... IF you don't want to pay the utilities... If you just want backup power you can have it setup so your vehicle won't draw ANY power from the battery and even do the same with HVAC, hot tubs, etc... Depends on how you have it setup... I have mine doing the entire house and, although I have only had it up and running for 3 months now, it's working fantastic!! Just need SCE to do their final paperwork I can start 'selling' the extra power to get my bills down to zero... (I got in on NEM 2.0)

 

[moefren2000]

Hi. New to this Powershare. I have just been notified by Qmerit to begin assessment of installation. Question is, would I be able to add Tesla solar and PW3 after the installation of the Powershare? Or does one negate the other?

 

[mongo]

Hi. New to this Powershare. I have just been notified by Qmerit to begin assessment of installation. Question is, would I be able to add Tesla solar and PW3 after the installation of the Powershare? Or does one negate the other?

You can, but it's more effort to commission:
https://www.tesla.com/support/powershare

For Customers Without Powerwall

For homes not equipped with Powerwall, a Universal Wall Connector and Powershare Gateway will be required to use Powershare Home Backup.2


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.

 

[Mayday415]

Hi All,

I have a foundation CT and currently have no solar or PW. I was planning on installing powershare until the quote from the Tesla sub came in at $8,000-$9,000! For that, I could simply grab a PW for a bit more and have way better of a situation.

I am now currently exploring solar + PW. BC I have the CT, I am thinking I just need 1 PW3 to help with the initial start during an outage for the first 3-6 hours and then use my CT as backup after that for another 6-24 hours or however long it can last.

Our home is 3500 ft in the sf bay area. Thoughts on this approach? Is there any reason I would need 2 PW3? Besides adding a soft start to AC, will the CT as backup have any downsides when it kicks in if my PW3 drains?

Thanks all! Any feedback is appreciated and so are tips on which equipment I need to ensure is getting installed so the CT can backup the house!

If you only get 1 PW pair it with a SPAN panel for load management. Your power output with 1PW will be minimum, you’ll need to manage loads.

 

[moefren2000]

You can, but it's more effort to commission:
https://www.tesla.com/support/powershare

Thanks Mongo. So basically, Tesla is saying I should have a solar and PW installed to maximize benefit of PowerShare? That sort of stinks.

 

[mongo]

Thanks Mongo. So basically, Tesla is saying I should have a solar and PW installed to maximize benefit of PowerShare? That sort of stinks.

Overall, Powerwall + Powershare gives better performance, especially combined with solar.

If you are planning on getting both, then doing Powerwall first is simpler because Powershare just requires having any brand 240V charge connector on the backed up side of the Gateway.
If you install Powershare first, then you must use a UWC and run the additional low voltage communication wires between it and Gateway. Later, when the Powerwalls get installed, they need to do additional reconfiguring because both the Powershare Gateway 3V and the Powerwall want to handle site control.

 

[TeslaKen]

I spoke with someone in senior management at Tesla Energy yesterday to go over these issues. Currently I have 2 AC units and neither one could be supported by the PowerShare Gateway without using a soft start device. According to this individual they have had issues with those devices so he doesn't recommend them. What he did recommend was in my scenario to use a PowerWall 3 because it can sustain 180amp loads and handle the startup of the AC units. It also transfers power instantly as opposed to the delay that would occur with the Gateway. I can still attach the Cybertruck and have its battery as more energy storage so that in the instance the PW3 battery was being depleted it would start drawing from the truck's battery.

There were also considerations to be made for which circuits were backed up on which side of the Gateway switch that would impact what if anything I decided to do in the future such as adding a PowerWall. It would appear that getting the PW3 is a better solution for me because it will also allow me to direct the flow of energy in a variety of ways once a new firmware release comes out. I will be able to charge my truck directly from my solar, send my solar to PW3 and/or truck first before sending back to grid, time shift my electric usage, etc. etc.

The kicker is that the install costs of a PW3 are typically less than the gateway, and if I go through Qmerit the installer could credit me back the gateway towards the cost of the PW3 as I understand it, details TBD of course at this time. As others mentioned that also gives you the 30% federal tax rebate on the equipment and installation and furthers the potential of being able to claim the CT as part of that. (I know debated elsewhere about the applicability).

In a nutshell after talking to Tesla Energy for 90 minutes and running through all sorts of options/permutations, the best solution for me is to go PW3 instead of the Gateway.

 

[mongo]

In a nutshell after talking to Tesla Energy for 90 minutes and running through all sorts of options/permutations, the best solution for me is to go PW3 instead of the Gateway.

Note that Powerwall 3 will use a Gateway also (3 instead of 3V).

 

[DJAlan2000]

Hi All,

I have a foundation CT and currently have no solar or PW. I was planning on installing powershare until the quote from the Tesla sub came in at $8,000-$9,000! For that, I could simply grab a PW for a bit more and have way better of a situation.

I am now currently exploring solar + PW. BC I have the CT, I am thinking I just need 1 PW3 to help with the initial start during an outage for the first 3-6 hours and then use my CT as backup after that for another 6-24 hours or however long it can last.

Our home is 3500 ft in the sf bay area. Thoughts on this approach? Is there any reason I would need 2 PW3? Besides adding a soft start to AC, will the CT as backup have any downsides when it kicks in if my PW3 drains?

Thanks all! Any feedback is appreciated and so are tips on which equipment I need to ensure is getting installed so the CT can backup the house!

Get TWO Powerwall-3's... Or maybe even 3!!

We just put in a system with 10.8kWh, 2 Powerwall-3's and wish I had put in a 3rd Powerwall-3... Why? Well, because we already own a Model YLR and have a FS CT coming as well (as soon as we get our VIN - any day now hopefully?). Although we only have the 1 wall charger, we won't likely be charging at the same time anyway (me overnight, wife's CT during day as she works from home anyway and can tell it to 'charge from solar'). BUT just 2 powerwalls BARELY can support our Model Y and household use... Didn't realize that 2 PWs only equals 27 kWh's total (13.5 each) and the battery in the MY is 82 kwh... Although I generally only USE about 33kWh in the car, you can see that the batteries hold just UNDER what the car actually USES every day...

Not that it's a big deal, because it's been about enough IF I tell it to charge up when I first plug in (around 6pm) for about 30 minutes or so and then let the solar system refill it until the sun goes down... HOWEVER, it's summer right now and here in SoCal we get a good amount (except on those REALLY foggy days here at the 'beach' [1 mile]). But I know come winter that's NOT going to be the case! PLUS we will have TWO vehicles by then anyway...

For now, we've just started 'selling' power back to SCE during the daytime (49 kWh so far TODAY) and so that will likely offset charging the CT if it needs more than the Solar can provide (while charging the powerwalls also)... HOPEFULLY we'll be at a breakeven point... But I sure wish I had put in that 3rd powerwall... I still might add one if it looks right...

BUT, just remember that it's cheaper to get them all done at the same time than it is to add on later and you know the prices won't likely be coming DOWN much on them either...

 

[Awinsagain]

Get TWO Powerwall-3's... Or maybe even 3!!

We just put in a system with 10.8kWh, 2 Powerwall-3's and wish I had put in a 3rd Powerwall-3... Why? Well, because we already own a Model YLR and have a FS CT coming as well (as soon as we get our VIN - any day now hopefully?). Although we only have the 1 wall charger, we won't likely be charging at the same time anyway (me overnight, wife's CT during day as she works from home anyway and can tell it to 'charge from solar'). BUT just 2 powerwalls BARELY can support our Model Y and household use... Didn't realize that 2 PWs only equals 27 kWh's total (13.5 each) and the battery in the MY is 82 kwh... Although I generally only USE about 33kWh in the car, you can see that the batteries hold just UNDER what the car actually USES every day...

Not that it's a big deal, because it's been about enough IF I tell it to charge up when I first plug in (around 6pm) for about 30 minutes or so and then let the solar system refill it until the sun goes down... HOWEVER, it's summer right now and here in SoCal we get a good amount (except on those REALLY foggy days here at the 'beach' [1 mile]). But I know come winter that's NOT going to be the case! PLUS we will have TWO vehicles by then anyway...

For now, we've just started 'selling' power back to SCE during the daytime (49 kWh so far TODAY) and so that will likely offset charging the CT if it needs more than the Solar can provide (while charging the powerwalls also)... HOPEFULLY we'll be at a breakeven point... But I sure wish I had put in that 3rd powerwall... I still might add one if it looks right...

BUT, just remember that it's cheaper to get them all done at the same time than it is to add on later and you know the prices won't likely be coming DOWN much on them either...

Thanks! We ended up having 34 panels put up and 1 PW3 and I see what you mean. I may buy a buddies PW3 who had 6 installed and thinks its overkill. Having 2 would be nice bc between 5-8pm we drain through the PW3 on hot days and I want to avoid grid usage more.

I have come to the conclusion that it would require likely 4 PW3 to go fully offgrid, including charging the CT. I don't think that will happen here and not worth it. But, 2 seems right for us and will add later this year.

 

[akenis]

Here is my setup:

• 15.2 kW system with a single Powerwall+
• 2,100 sq ft house with a single AC unit
• Located in Orlando, FL, with an average of 5.4 peak sunlight hours per day

This setup covers all house needs plus charging for my Model Y. Excess generated energy is exported to the grid, which essentially leverages night use. You can see the monthly consumption in the attached picture. The last two months (May-June) showed a spike due to the Cybertruck purchase.
If I were installing my solar+PW system today I’d install 2 PWs. The solar part was sized fine.

Whole house backup?

Could you please explain why you say you would want another PW? Can't you just store excess in the grid, and then charge the truck from that?

You already said you did ok with load management during an outage. CT would definitely add extra storage capacity. Will it give you extra power? 11.5KW + 11.5 KW = 23 KW. That would be 100A on 230V.

My house, location and usage are similar. Wanted to start with 1 PW for limited backup and to enable PowerShare. Don't want to pay for rewiring a critical load situation. So I either need SPAN or another PW.

 

[akenis]

They should combine to 23kW. However, Tesla has not released PW compatible SW software yet.
It also doesn't help in the event that the truck isn't plugged in during an outage.

Can anyone confirm this? That would be huge.

 

[akenis]

In other news, Tesla is soon going to offer a DC expansion PW 3 for about 1K cheaper. It's cheaper because it doesn't have the brains nor transformer.

So it gives you an extra 13.5 kwh storage, but it doesn't add power. So you'd still be limited to 11.5KW with one power wall.

Maybe 23kwh if truck + PW 3?

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