This time of year, my surplus solar is just enough to power through the Part-Peak and Peak on EV-2A. This is Balanced Mode. It hit 100% at 3:05pm. The prior day it also ran on battery all the way to midnight, but took more from the grid during Off-Peak in order to completely fill the PWs. The tiny discharge just after sunrise kinda bugs me, but this is what it does when it's still well above the Reserve when the solar starts generating in the morning. I would prefer that it blocks all discharge during Off-Peak.
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Any way to keep Powerwalls from charging without turning off their breakers?
- Thread starter sorka
- Start date
Yes, I would be more worried about the circuit breakers wearing out than i would the Powerwall.
Maybe it's not working correctly for you because you've been flipping your breakers on and off each day. Try just leaving it in balanced mode for a week and see what happens. If it still draws from the grid during peak you've got a problem with your system and should contact support.
Yeah, it sounds like something is wrong. We have our system in Advanced-balanced mode and it will do everything it can to avoid pulling power from the grid during the Peak. Of course, if our load exceeds the PW output it has to pull from the grid, but that seems to be the last resort.
skepticcyclist
Member
Yeah, it does take time for it to learn usage habits. But balanced will always send to the grid during peak. If he wants to use solar during this time instead of sending it all to the grid, then he needs to set this time as partial peak and set peak to occur after sunset. During this shoulder period all solar will still go to the house with excess to the grid, and the battery will be used to supplement the house when solar isn't enough.
He currently has his peak set from 3:00 pm - 12:00 am. I suggest he set partial peak from 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm and peak from 7:00 pm - 12:00 am. This way from 3:00 - 7:00 his solar will still go to the house and excess to the grid. Then when solar isn't sufficient to run the house the battery will supplement the solar.
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...and by the same logic, 2+2 = 3.
Pennies per kwh, not pennies. And if that energy makes a round trip to the battery instead of directly consumed, it's 14% lost in the round trip conversion.
I only just started flipping breakers because I've had it with my batteries charging from 50% to 100% every day and hitting 100% early even in self powered mode. I've experimented with all the modes leaving them untouched for weeks at a time.
The problem is it's only been a few weeks and it's getting old plus I won't always be here.
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That's how I had it setup originally after the install. Part peak started at 3. I played with the partpeak/peak bondary setting anywhere from 4 to after sunset and it never made a difference and during the day regardless of whether I had balanced or cost saving set, 100% of all solar would go to the batteries until they were 100% charged....just like the screen shots I showed a few messages back.
Can you post some screen shots showing advanced balanced mode during the day when it's off peak and the sun is shining and your house is consuming only from solar with the balance going to the powerwalls?
My chart at the top of this page shows exactly that. The system has to think that it will have enough solar to fill the Powerwalls though. If it doesn't have enough history or your solar and usage are imbalanced, then it won't do it.
I'm obviously not @skepticcyclist but here are some screenshots that I took a few moments ago. Sun is shining, it is off peak, house is running with zero grid and the batteries are charging (Advanced Mode set to Balanced):
Both of my GW's are doing this right now. But, it seems it had to learn there was going to be enough solar to charge the batteries to 100% of it would at times do 100% of the house need from the grid, while the solar was going 100% to the batteries.
For me, this micro managing is NOT worth the effort. I have just set it to balanced with peak and non peak, and most of the time now, I am 100% batteries in peak and even most of the time 100% batteries and or solar in non peak. Off the grid most of the time now.
I added a few more screenshots that shows was is close to a perfect day yesterday (98%). Almost zero grid usage, batteries cycled appropriately: Powerwall Advanced Balanced
I'm obviously not @skepticcyclist but here are some screenshots that I took a few moments ago. Sun is shining, it is off peak, house is running with zero grid and the batteries are charging (Advanced Mode set to Balanced):
Thanks. That's helpful. 4 days after my system was activated, the advanced mode appeared in the app. I set it and selected balanced (was already the default). I left it like that for several weeks and never once had any behavior other than 100% of all solar going to the batteries during off peak until fully charged.
I've now set it back to that and assume that at some point the system should start doing the right thing? Any idea how long it will take?
No kidding. I'd rather set it and forget it. If I can't get it to "learn" and do the right thing, I'll have to to setup an http request timer on my RPI to automate changing the modes. Downside to that is I'll have to refresh my token every three months.
I'm willing to leave it back in this mode again, like I had when the advanced mode first showed up, but if it doesn't sort it self out in a few weeks and just keeps sending 100% of all solar to the batteries first, I'm going to give up and automate the switching myself.
Yes there is clearly some forecasting/learning that is happening. I watched the system initially leave too much "money on the table" but as its "confidence" went up that it can replace the energy it started discharging more during off peak. I also noticed that would do the discharge closer to charge time versus discharging early, (and sitting at a relatively low state of charge). This seemed smart. Now that have lowered the reserve so it has enough to pretty much cover all non-solar production time I was able to hit something close to perfect where the powerwall is discharging whenever there is load that is not solar covered and charging.
BTW when I had in cost saving mode it really wanted to sell as much as could to the grid. Balanced has been way better for me.
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