Tesla Powerwall Wiring And Connection Walkthrough
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ม.ค. 2022
- Get $500 off when ordering Tesla solar with my referral code: www.tesla.com/referral/scott5...
In this video I walkthrough how my Tesla solar installation and powerwalls are connected. They were professionally installed by a Tesla crew, not me! I'm not an electrician but I think I've figured it out. BTW, I recorded this before all the official safety labels were added. I show you the DC feed from the solar panels, powerwalls, inverter, disconnects, solar meter, backup gateway, and the Tesla solar new load center (breaker box).
Check out my other Tesla solar videos describing the ordering and installation process. And make sure to subscribe as I'll be posting review videos once the system is online, after Permission To Operate (PTO) is granted.
theheatpumpguy.com/f/ordering...
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this video please consider subscribing to my channel.
2:39 Mark The 50A that supplies power to the Powerwall+ Unit is slightly larger since the Powerwall+ unit is coupled with a Solar Assembly that inverts the DC power from the solar modules into AC power. The Powerwall battery that is shipped with the Powerwall+ is also slightly more capable if you are going over the spec/data sheets. The Powerwall2 {Unit on the right; 30A breaker} has a 5kw continuous output where as the Powerwall+ is around 7.5kw. This is the amount of power you can safely draw from each of these units at any given time. The storage capacity again is also slightly larger on the Powerwall+ units as well. Excellent video demonstrating your equipment.
I have emporia too! This is the exact system I've been waiting for...for about 18 months! Now it's different system sizes but still the powerwall +. The plus is able to put out more amperage during full sun vs the powerwall is literally just a battery. The plus and "regular" powerwall together is 80 amps. 50 for plus 30 from powerwall. Because the plus is a dc to dc from the solar input "SOLAR CHSRGE CONTROLLER" It has the solar to boost its amperage vs the powerwall is just a straight 30 amps. So if a backup even happens at night or heavy cloud coverage then you'll be limited to 60 amps vs during full sun you have that "up to" extra 20 amps to help. Thanks so much for the video and I can't wait for mine!!!
If the Powerwalls are stacked can I feed the power supply into a single 60 amp breaker instead of a two separate 30amp breakers. I have two “powerwall 2”?
@@stephonmazique no because #1 they are single phase 220v so that a double breaker each needed per powerwall
@Scott I wanted to let you know I ordered my Tesla panels and battery today! Thank you for the video and commentary.
Thank you! Glad it was helpful
Excellent, Thx for the post! 👍👍👍
I refer to your video all the time. Do u mind telling what size emt or pvc the installer used
I been doing solar for 4 and a half years and from my experience as a electrical apprentice some counties in california require us to have 2 meters,other counties don't care so much just depends where in california
In my location in California, SCE is our utility provider. They monitor customers backfed power using one single digital meter. To me it’s a slightly less “busy” install.
I’m not sure why, with modern technology that accurately measures bi-directional current, what’s the purpose of two separate meters.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. Clarifying a few features/connections.
2:30 The PW+ needs a 50A breaker because its max continuous current is 40A (off-grid, full sun) since its output is a combination of PV inverter + PW inverter (PW inverter is 5.8kW hence the other PW needs a 30A breaker). Watts divided by 240V gives you amps.
4:12 The combined generation (50A+30A) when it enters the Backup Gateway 2 goes to a 80A breaker which is installed on the Internal Panelboard kit which is then connected by very short wires (seen at 4:08 and 5:45) to the Back Up lugs. The Non-Back Up lugs are NOT used. It doesn't make sense to send your PV + ESS power to the supply side, does it? There was a commenter question as to why the PV+ESS 80A breaker is not connected to your new Back Up load center (why go to the trouble to connect to Back Up side via Gateway 2 Internal Panelboard kit?). The reason is a lot of PW installations are in homes with existing PV. So when the combined PV+ESS circuit is connected to the Gateway 2 (instead of new Back Up load center), the Gateway can monitor PV generation via energy monitoring transformers that are installed to CT1 (the empty socket is seen on 5:28). Your installation does not need that because all your PV is from PW+'s PV inverter which already reports PV generation via the comms wire to Gateway 2. So your installer made a minor mistake here (they are so used to doing this for most typical jobs). It's not really a mistake, your new Back Up load center is full anyways, just waste a bit of $ on the Internal Panelboard.
7:00 The installer did not use the main lugs on your new Back Up load center and instead chose to feed via a 125A breaker because that needs to match the 125A breaker in your main Service Panel that is now powering your home (via Backup Gateway 2). More on this later.
7:40 shows the low voltage communications wire. This is how the Gateway 2 SW tells the PW to when/how much to export/import. The PW by itself will not do anything even if turned on without this comms.
All in all, I'd say the one glaring mistake the installer made was to (as a commenter said) turn your home from a 200A service to a 100A service and used a full 30space load center instead of 40space which gives room for new circuits. The $ difference (30space vs 40space) is hardly anything. With a (200A derated to) 100A load center, there is only enough ampacity for a typical 2000sq ft home baseload + AC. No electric dryer, stove, water heater, EV charger, hot tub, etc. You can wire those loads physically and they'll work but it breaks NEC 220.82 load calculations. The Gateway 2 is rated at 200A (it can replace a service panel). The reason they did 125A (I cannot be sure just from looking at video) is I think they used 1 or 2awg wire from the service panel for easier manipulation. So that forced them to use a 125A breaker. A simple solution is to convert this install from full home back up to partial back up. Put all the heavy 240V loads in the original service panel. Energy monitoring CTs must be installed in Gateway's CT2/CT3 locations and routed to the main service panel to monitor these non-backup loads so that the Tesla Energy App can still zero out your grid import.
Thank you so much for the explanation, you seem to know what you're talking about. It's AWG #1 from the backup gateway to the old main panel and the new backup load center. To your point about a 40 space vs 30 space panel... In fact Tesla delivered a 20 space one. Before the electricians arrived some days later I went to Lowe's and bought the 30 space one you see here. He used full size breakers for everything, and therefore managed to fill it up, but if I need more space in future I can swap out some for half size ones. Your comment about it being normal for such systems to be installed alongside existing PV is interesting. I would love to DIY a secondary PV system using micro inverters, but I've been unable to figure out for sure how to connect it. I've tried getting some professional help but it seems like people who really know about properly designing a tri source system are thin on the ground.
@@ScottAllison Hi Scott, glad Tesla allowed you to swap in a new load center. Here in my area, they're strictly "go away, you can't even watch us work". The problem with 125A breaker servicing the entire house isn't finding space for tandem breakers to add more loads. It's the load calculation that the NEC requires. 100A is easily exceeded thus rending any additions unable to pass inspection if your AHJ is diligent about these things. Look up NEC 220.82.
It's easy to physically add a 2nd PV inverter but getting the Tesla App to see this may be tricky. Any additional PV will simply end up as a backfed breaker. The Tesla Gateway 2 will monitor this additional PV generation via CT1. There's free space in your Gateway's Internal Panelboard. Problem is you will have to recommission the Tesla Gateway 2 and login as installer and tell it that CT1 is installed and is now monitoring an additional PV source. Problem with Tesla is it's darn hard to get them on the phone.
One minor caveat that shouldn't affect you is the PW can only take in 5kW continuous input (the 50A breaker on the PW+ is for 9.6kW output), i.e. it can only take in 5kW of power. It can tell its own inverter (PW+) to crank down the output, but it can't do that for 3rd party inverters. You have 2 PW - so that's 10kW of PV. That should be plenty.
Your AHJ may not allow you to DIY. The main reason why solar is so expensive in US compared to other developed countries is the installer profit (why else would they go door to door, stand in Costco, Home Depot asking if you want solar). To protect this model, they have managed to insert language into the NEC after 2015 to state that residential PV can only be installed by a licensed professional. Some AHJ's don't care, some are very strict, some try to strike a balance and only mandate that the PV breaker connection into the breaker panel be done by a licensed electrician. Talk to your AHJ first.
Again, thank you for your video. So well done with good camera work and explanations.
that's a great thread to read! thank you
To add to the wonderful response above...
It's possible the Main Service Panel has a manufacturer restriction on the largest branch breaker and that rating limitation was 125A. It's usually found written on the panel nameplate. That could possibly explain why they installed that 125A feeder breaker in the bottom of his main service panel.
The 125A main breaker in the subpanel is not just to match the one at the main panel, but also limits the current from all available sources sitting at the Gateway (the 125A from Utility + ~80A from PV/ESS).
Is there a way to get ahold of you?
@Scott - U got your your Tesla solar/ESS installed! I’ll be looking at your Tesla Pros/Cons video next. Complements on great job done on this video! Camera supremely clear and crisp. Instructional labels makes for excellent tutorial. After 10 months working with Tesla it looks like I may finally be getting 12 panels with 2 PW2+ batteries. Will be having batteries installed in basement. Have requested they be stacked too. Appears from your labeling battery with integrated inverter is a PW2+, the other a PW2. Correct? So although they will work as system each has different operating specifications. Correct? Exciting time! Awaiting video on your PTO. Do U know of any installs of system like yours in Massachusetts? In MA fire proof “room” required for basement ESS installs. Garage OK w/bollards.
Thanks Bill! Just got signed off yesterday by the city inspector. Now to get PTO. BTW, one thing that's changed is Tesla installed all the official labels and safety stickers on the boxes.
@@ScottAllison Oh, I was referring to your hand drawn post-it notes.
I thought the Powerwall 2 was AC coupled? Scott says here DC going into PW2?
Very helpful, thanks!
Our install is coming up, and while I have the schematic from Tesla, this gives me a better idea on what to expect will be inside vs outside the garage.
Weirdly my plans showed everything outside. So after the install they had to submit a revised permit.
@@ScottAllison Mine shows the solar meter and two AC shutoffs on the outside, with the powerwalls and gateway in the garage. The outside stuff is to the front of the house where my meter is, so I have to consider aesthetics.
Super interesting! From the video, it looks like the output from both the Powerwall+ and Power (80A total) goes to the Solar Meter. Does that mean the Powerwalls can only charge via solar? Or can you also charge from the grid?
Correct, they can only charge from solar. But that's not a technical limitation, but one based on the US tax code! It's because batteries installed with solar also qualify for the tax credit (now 30%)
Excellent video. Where can I reach out to you as I have Tesla install that I would like your opinion on?
You can DM me on Twitter twitter.com/Scott_Allison or Reddit www.reddit.com/u/ascottallison
If the Powerwalls are stacked can I feed the power supply into a single 60 amp breaker instead of a two separate 30amp breakers. I have two “powerwall 2”
No idea! Not an electrician.
This video is great! I'm curious why Tesla install a 125A sub-panel instead of a 200A sub-panel. Had they installed the solar/powerwalls directly to the new sub-panel, per Tesla's Installation manual, you could have a maximum service load of 125+50+30=205A. This probably would have required a 200A sub-panel. I also noticed that the new sub-panel loads are full (no spare slots), therefore, connecting directly would have required Tesla install a "main" panel rather than a "lug" sub-panel or a larger sub-panel. The cost of 200A panel/wiring is much greater than 125A. What is the model number and capacity rating of your new sub-panel?
I'm not sure why it's a 125A breaker but it's something to do with backfeed into the grid I believe. The new sub panel is in fact rated for 225A. It was delivered when the solar panels were installed, but the electricians didn't come until a few weeks later. I noticed that the panel only had 20 slots, and they would've had to use half width breakers to squeeze everything in. So before the electricians came I went to Lowe's and picked up the same panel, but with 30 slots. He was happy to use that instead, but still filled it up, but with full size breakers. It will be easy for me to add more by using the half size ones in future to create space. $100 well spent. This is the one www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-225-Amp-30-Spaces-60-Circuit-Convertible-Main-Breaker-Panel-Plug-On-Neutral-Load-Center-Value-Pack/50311151
@@ScottAllison I have the same issue, my current panel is 200 amp and Tesla was going to install a 100 amp solar breaker to connect their sub panel, that means my through out renovated house with several heavy duty appliances added as well as a 50 amp Tesla charger can only run 100 amp max. if I run a heavy duty appliance and charge my car at the same time, the 100 amp breaker will trip for sure. I'm not a electrician but I know it is not a good idea to downgrade a 200 amp load to 100 amp. Am I right about it?
Tesla installed a 125 amp solar breaker to connect their sub panel, and the sub panel will run the entire house probably except the AC but definitely include the Tesla charge if there is one. regardless what the compacity of the sub panel is, its max load is determine by the 125amp breaker. My installation was 1/3 way done but I told them to go home for this reason. I'm not downgrading 200 amp to 100 amp, even without the AC.
The Powerwall 2+ can push back 50A is why it is on a 50/2 breaker. The Powerwall 2 can only do 30A. In order to use a + model it must be paired with a tesla inverter.
If the Powerwalls are stacked can I feed the power supply into a single 60 amp breaker instead of a two separate 30amp breakers. I have two “powerwall 2”?
Does this system have online inversion? I am considering purchasing for my business and my infrastructure can't afford any downtime, I know the first generation powerwalls didn't have a seamless transition and could cause computers and sensitive electronics to power down briefly before the backup kicked on in the event of a power outage, but my understanding is the second generation and backup gateway 2 remedy this problem, what has been your experience?
I believe it's still the case that there can be a brief outage of a second or two. But, if it's already drawing some or all power from the Powerwall then I believe it's instant.
@@ScottAllison Thank you for the info! Is there a way to possibly maximize the odds of it pulling some power from the powerwall within the setup? I haven't taken a deep look into the option set yet, but I know that if I was to power cycle while recording an artist it would be a big problem
@@cmsaintnick self powered would probably be the best option to choose. But I think you probably want a UPS if you can't tolerate a possible drop. I suppose it depends how frequently you get outages. In my case it's very rare. 5 minutes a few times a year.
@@ScottAllison thank you again! I hope you have a great week!
Very clean install, nice work by Tesla Solar!
How did they relocate all of the branch circuits to your new "Critical Loads" panel? It appears that they did this by re-routing the conductors as opposed to splicing in the MSP, which is the correct way to do it and doesn't leave a "spaghetti" mess of wire and wire nuts in your main service panel!
Also out of curiosity, how long did the install take and how many men did they have on site? They seem to be a pretty efficient bunch.
Congrats on your new system, I wish you many years of energy independence!
Yeah they did a great job. The solar panels were installed by a crew of 4, took a day. All the electrical was done on a separate day by a crew of 2, and that took a day as well. They put the new panel on the inside wall of the garage, directly on the other side of the wall from the original panel which was on the outside. I think that made it possible to reuse all the existing conductors without extending them. After a long delay they have finally scheduled the city inspection. So hopefully it won't be too long till we're up and running.
@@ScottAllison If the Powerwalls are stacked can I feed the power supply into a single 60 amp breaker instead of a two separate 30amp breakers. I have two “powerwall 2”
@@stephonmazique No. An individual Powerwall has to be connected to a 30A breaker. That's Code and installation instructions. The Powerwall+ comes with a solar inverter and requires a 50A breaker (40A output when off grid, 32A output on grid... size to the larger with the 125% factor included).
To install the powerwall, do i need to use the breakers? Because in the place where I want to install its a Farm and there isnt nothing electric, I would only like to install it with solar panels without the need to use breakers, do you think this is can be possible?
Yeah you're still going to need breakers in between the PW and whatever you want to power off it. Whatever circuits you connect must be protected by breakers.
Great video…I was told by Tesla that my ac will not connect to the power wall box. Does this make sense.
Yeah, depending how many powerwalls you have they may not provide you with whole home backup, and instead will only connect smaller loads to the backup load center. So things like AC or electric dryer will be left out. In my case with two powerwalls they did a whole home backup.
Scott- Do you believe the same wire connection would work with a Powerwall 2 gateway?
I'm not sure what you mean exactly?
@@ScottAllison I have an existing Tesla Powerwall 2 /Inverter- Gateway Backup 2 . If I add Tesla solar to this can I use the same inverter fo the Solar Input or do I need a separate Inverter for the Solar only that's tied to the Tesla Gateway
@@jeffreybrooks7742 assuming you have the inverter box on top of the PW like I do, then they would just it for solar. As long as your array is less than approx 10 kW this would be sufficient
@@ScottAllison Much appreciated as I was getting other feedback that a dedicated inverter (e,g,; SolarEdge) might be required to bridge to the Tesla Gateway 2. V helpful. Thx.
Whoa the nevada accent has changed :)
so your breaker was on the outside originally, and the moved it in side for you?
The original breaker box is outside, but has only two breakers in it. All the circuits are connected to the brand new one inside.
Do you know why the new load center is downgraded to 125 amps instead of 200 amps? Does that mean your house can only power up to 125 amps of loads now?
Actually I'm not exactly sure why. I thought it was related to how many powerwall I have (2) but the peak output of those is still a lot less than 125A. I do know though that if I'd only ordered 1 Powerwall I wouldn't have had all circuits connected to the backup load center (meaning that only certain things would work during a grid outage). BTW, I can connect any new loads to either the backup load center or the original one, so I'm not really limited to just 125A. When I get an EV I'm planning to install an outlet for that to the original load center.
If you still have a chance to communicate with your Tesla advisor, can you find out why they downgraded to 125A for the backup load center? If your new circuit is 50A to charge an EV, then you only have 75A for the rest of the house. I would think that the backup load center should be close to 200A. Tesla reasoning for 125A should be educational for us to know. Thanks!
@@tonylin6708 for sure this downgrade is due to the main panel does not support a 200 amp solar breaker, I have the same issue, Tesla was installing a 100 amp solar breaker, so I told them to go home with 1/3 work done. I have to upgrade my main panel to support that 200 amp solar breaker.
Very informative video. Just wondering if you considered installing a SPAN smart panel instead of a conventional load center inside your garage.
I did, but Tesla replaced the load center as part of the install, so it just wasn't financially worth it for the limited benefits of Span. It's super expensive. I did add Emporia though which gives me what I need.
@@ScottAllison Thanks. You're walkthrough is excellent. It filled in a lot of blanks that I had. I've been trying to figure out if the Tesla Cybertruck will have a vehicle-to-home feature and if it does, if that back-feed will land on the Tesla Backup Gateway device. I figure that Tesla has a leg up on Ford largely because of Tesla's foray into energy. We have a Cybertruck reservation and waiting patiently for Telsa to publish the specs.
Rhode Island is net-metering, so no solar electric meter required,. My installer did put one inside the garage for us to have a 'hard copy' of the energy our solar panels produce over their lifetime, independent of any software or electronic reporting hardware (which has been problematic LOL).
Hii I have doubt in placard, If we are using powerwall + integrated battery is we use dual power source or tri power source placard ?? Can you confirm this. @scott
It's tri power if you have solar, and dual power if no solar
Didn't Tesla tell you that your previously 200 amp max load become 125 amp? You have the sub panel filled up that means you have a ton of appliances, is this 125 amp enough for your entire house? I'm not talking about if you will turn everything on at the same time, but a Tesla charge is already 50 amp. When I found out Tesla was installing a 100 amp breaker to my 200 amp panel, I called off the installation. Tesla never warned me that they are downgrading my current 200 amp load to 100 amp so I can upgrade my panel in advance. Bad job for Tesla.
Yeah, the 125A is more than enough. The peak we've ever hit is roughly half that, at 60 Amps. I believe this is standard practice to derate the panel when solar is added.
Depends on how the system is backfed.
Can you add circuit breakers to the main meter panel?
There is room to add more, yes.
@@ScottAllison would it overload the system if you added more to the main panel? Thanks for answering!
You'd have to do a calculation. It depends on the load.
Single meter in Florida
My friend just had Powerwall installed, they put the car charger in front of the gateway as a single power wall can't handle the car charger.
Are Powewalls installed inside or outside?
Either
@@ScottAllison Asking because my wife is worried about the Powerwall being inside the garage rather than outside where she prefers it. Do you get to choose or is it up to the installer?
@@chrisginoc you need to have that conversation before install day. The plans will be designed ahead of time and submitted to the city for permits. I suspect the climate of where you live may come into it too. Here in Vegas it can get up to 117° in the shade, so I imagine they likely prefer or insist on putting them inside here. Maybe in extreme cold climates too?
@@ScottAllison I'm in Orange County, California. It rarely gets over 98 degrees during the hottests parts of summer.
@@chrisginoc I imagine there's no problem installing outside in that climate, certainly within specs. Installers may have their own preference too, so important to discuss ahead of time.
Whats the difference between the pw+ and pw?
Powerwall+ has a built in inverter.
@@ScottAllison thank you . What do you think about SPAN 's circuit breaker ?
@@amshaq007CR7 it's cool but crazy expensive. When I got solar installed Tesla put in all new breaker box and then I installed emporia energy monitor for about $200. A heck of a lot better value for money!
@@ScottAllison lol i understand
How much you paid for your batteries
$8500 before incentives and tax credit. $4450 after. Full analysis of my first year with Tesla Solar here: theheatpumpguy.com/f/my-first-year-with-tesla-solar-and-powerwall---worth-it
Who installed your batteries I’ve been told from sun run they don’t have the technology to install the power wall to my system my system is from sun run
Batteries and solar were both installed by Tesla.
Not sure how to use that referral link
You just go here, that's it: www.tesla.com/referral/scott52295
You only need CT’s around the feeders in the main . Waste of all the CT’s in the new load center lol
Not sure I understand your point. Each CT is measuring a separate circuit.
Those little CTs are providing detailed information regarding each specific branch circuit.
Feeder CTs would only tell him total load.
Nevada NO LONGER requires a separate meter for solar ..
Good to know!
Cool video but you open by saying you’re not an electrician then you have signs taped on wires and in the back of the cabinets… seems like you have your hands in places that you shouldn’t. Doesn’t take much to turn yourself into the ground for the system.
You don't need to be an electrician to know electricity is dangerous and take necessary precautions
Next time when you make a video put the mic inside your mouth and chew it