PowerShare Quote Doubled! Electric company won’t approve setup

[ModelCYBR]

So I heard rumors Tesla has given out some customers free supercharging while they wait. Is this confirmed and if so how do I get it while I wait?

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[CyberGus]

So I heard rumors Tesla has given out some customers free supercharging while they wait. Is this confirmed and if so how do I get it while I wait?

The $700 credit was for refusing Powershare. I know of no recompense for delays.

 

[flyinglow]

Gotta ask SoCal electric…

The issue is 11.5 kW not sufficient for whole home backup unless rare instance where no AC and everything is gas except lights and outlets. It can be resolved by adding Powerwall(s) to increase available kW in case of outage or only powering certain circuits - i.e. money.

 

[Crissa]

Point being, generally speaking, many entities in that state don’t seem to make decisions with any level of rationality. So yes, it does have to do with California.
And what is an electric company defending? With PowerShare, you’re running appliances for a moment, from your vehicle. A “Tesla wall on wheels”.
Their power is not on when you are most likely to use the technology.

They're defending themselves from liability and from you not buying their power at peak prices.

This isn't a 'California thing' by a long shot.

(connect red tape for residential and commercial solar: )
https://ilsr.org/articles/are-utilities-blocking-rooftop-solar-from-the-power-grid/

(mostly about utility-scale: )
https://www.usatoday.com/story/grap...ewable-energy-grid-maps-graphics/72042529007/

I was trying to steer you away from making political statements, which aren't allowed on this board.

The issue is 11.5 kW not sufficient for whole home backup unless rare instance where no AC and...

...Most houses don't use that much, even with AC.

-Crissa

 

[mongo]

The issue is 11.5 kW not sufficient for whole home backup unless rare instance where no AC and everything is gas except lights and outlets. It can be resolved by adding Powerwall(s) to increase available kW in case of outage or only powering certain circuits - i.e. money.

Why would SoCal power company care though? Do they reject single Powerwall installations?

 

[Crissa]

Why would SoCal power company care though? Do they reject single Powerwall installations?

It's probably seen as a liability, though why they care as long as the islanding works, I can't say. There's a little bit of reflexive defensiveness against impinging onto their turf, too.

-Crissa

 

[justinpratt]

They're defending themselves from liability and from you not buying their power at peak prices.

This isn't a 'California thing' by a long shot.

(connect red tape for residential and commercial solar: )
https://ilsr.org/articles/are-utilities-blocking-rooftop-solar-from-the-power-grid/

(mostly about utility-scale: )
https://www.usatoday.com/story/grap...ewable-energy-grid-maps-graphics/72042529007/

I was trying to steer you away from making political statements, which aren't allowed on this board.


...Most houses don't use that much, even with AC.

-Crissa

That makes sense. Unfortunately…
I looked into going completely off grid.
It’s permitted where I live. However, not without a considerable “contribution” to the power company and state.

 

[flyinglow]

Why would SoCal power company care though? Do they reject single Powerwall installations?

Electrical code, I assume. Insufficient amperage. A single Powerwall (also 11.5 kW for the Powerwall 3 - older ones are lower) would also require isolating circuits to be backed up with a subpanel or generator panel that can isolate backed up circuits.

I don't think the rejection is for the Powershare system but they are rejecting trying to run the whole house with just 11.5 kW. That is why the installer quoted a higher price for the subpanel installation and moving some circuits to it.

I am not a electrical code expert. Next time I talk to my electrician, I'll ask him.

 

[chaosmarine92]

The issue is 11.5 kW not sufficient for whole home backup unless rare instance where no AC and everything is gas except lights and outlets. It can be resolved by adding Powerwall(s) to increase available kW in case of outage or only powering certain circuits - i.e. money.

I already have an energy monitor on my house and everything I have is electric. My normal usage peaks at 10kW if both AC and clothes dryer are running in addition to my normal lights and such. The only time 11.5kW wouldn't be enough is during winter when the heat pump turns on the backup electric heat during a defrost cycle.
Now maybe if you have like a 3000sq ft. House your normal usage would be too much.

 

[ModelCYBR]

I already have an energy monitor on my house and everything I have is electric. My normal usage peaks at 10kW if both AC and clothes dryer are running in addition to my normal lights and such. The only time 11.5kW wouldn't be enough is during winter when the heat pump turns on the backup electric heat during a defrost cycle.
Now maybe if you have like a 3000sq ft. House your normal usage would be too much.

1200 sqft, gas appliances, no AC

 

[flyinglow]

I already have an energy monitor on my house and everything I have is electric. My normal usage peaks at 10kW if both AC and clothes dryer are running in addition to my normal lights and such. The only time 11.5kW wouldn't be enough is during winter when the heat pump turns on the backup electric heat during a defrost cycle.
Now maybe if you have like a 3000sq ft. House your normal usage would be too much.

Still probably a electrical code issue. FYI, my all electric home could, in theory, pull nearly 20 kW when pumps are starting up (pump starting is generally 50% above or greater than pump running loads) and everything else is running. Not likely to ever happen but codes have to take that into account.

I am not an electrician or electrical code expert but, if your house is all electric, you most likely have 200 Amp service. In other words, they provide you with plenty of buffer. I would guess that same conservative approach applies to backup systems.

 

[Crissa]

That makes sense. Unfortunately…
I looked into going completely off grid.
It’s permitted where I live. However, not without a considerable “contribution” to the power company and state.

Then I recommend you challenge your utility for resisting your attempts to take loads off the grid. Because they have no interest in off grid appliances, and should have no say in them.

There are many ways to direct energy to off grid appliances and stay within the code. From heating or cooling thermal mass, running dumb heat coils and water heaters on a recycle loop, to batteries portable and not.

-Crissa

 

[Jager]

The denial of whole-house backup via the Tesla PowerShare is not an NEC issue; and I'm very doubtful if the local authority having jurisdiction (the ultimate arbiter) prohibits it. But most locales give the local utility broad discretion on interconnections beyond the main panel.

An analogous situation is the GenerLink transfer switch (https://www.globalpowerproducts.com/transfer-switches/generlink-transfer-switch/), which connects between the meter and the main panel. The GenerLink is perfectly acceptable with respect to the NEC; as well as all fifty states' oversight authorities. But there are a number of local utility companies which prohibit it (including my own).

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