Anyone going fully off grid?

[Nuclear Fusion]

I’m thinking a 15kw solar array & 84kw Powerwall.

Well, technically not fully off grid, as there’ll be plenty of surplus electrons to get the government feed in rebate

My general rule of thumb where I am for solar, utilising panels with microinverters, is a 1 to 1 production rate on a cloudy winter day & 7 to 1 on a clear summer day

Plan to get an SR & LR M3

 

[commasign]

Already off-grid for last two weeks. Or least I could have been. I stay connected just to earn some energy credits from the utility. 14 kW solar PV system and 52 kWh batteries. However, December and January will be a problem due to the weather so we’re planning to add another 6 kW solar.

 

[SageBrush]

84kw Powerwall.

Was that supposed to be 84 kWh ?

In areas where the marginal cost of adding more PV can be covered by selling the excess to the grid it makes good sense to build out the PV as much as practical so that increasingly shady days are covered by the PV while sunny days are a wash money wise for the excess capacity. It should also let you get by with less powerwalls.

 

[RedAntisocial]

I would love to go completely off grid, but it's more likely that I'll have to stay on-grid for the foreseeable future. With my roof area, and the average sun exposure here in central Ontario I can look to get about 6kWh from solar when it's installed next year, which likely won't be enough to go completely off-grid, especially in the winter months when we get considerably less sunshine.

 

[Topher]

Staying on grid for the foreseeable future. There is no point in being off-grid if you 1) already have or can easily get a connection to the grid, 2) have a reasonable situation with respect to getting paid (somehow) for your excess.

If you want to move away from centralized power production, consider going to a micro-grid with your neighbors (probably still connected to the larger grid).

Thank you kindly.

 

[number12]

I’m thinking a 15kw solar array & 84kw Powerwall.

Well, technically not fully off grid, as there’ll be plenty of surplus electrons to get the government feed in rebate

My general rule of thumb where I am for solar, utilising panels with microinverters, is a 1 to 1 production rate on a cloudy winter day & 7 to 1 on a clear summer day

Plan to get an SR & LR M3

If tesla would take a note from Nissan and let their cars act like power walls that would help.

 

[kengchang]

If tesla would take a note from Nissan and let their cars act like power walls that would help.

Why not just get more Powerwall and drive the car it's meant to be driven?

 

[number12]

Why not just get more Powerwall and drive the car it's meant to be driven?

Lol

Why not have the option for both?
Why not have portable power for emergencies?
Ie Why not be able to have a cabin that can be powered by your car?

 

[Topher]

Why not just get more Powerwall and drive the car it's meant to be driven?

Say you are one of the 16% of Puerto Ricans with power. Drive your Tesla to a hospital and provide electricity so they can use lights for live saving operations. When battery is low, return home, and recharge. Repeat.

Thank you kindly.

 

[George S. Bower]

Interesting discussion. Could one of you that has a power wall answer a question:

If you are still connected to the grid and you have a power wall and PV panels,...and the grid goes down, does your PV and power wall keep working??

 

[Topher]

If you are still connected to the grid and you have a power wall and PV panels,...and the grid goes down, does your PV and power wall keep working??

No. First you would have to disconnect from the grid. This is usually done with a gen-tran switch, or flipping the main breaker. [Consult your local authorities].

There might be more obstructions after that.

Thank you kindly.

 

[commasign]

Interesting discussion. Could one of you that has a power wall answer a question:

If you are still connected to the grid and you have a power wall and PV panels,...and the grid goes down, does your PV and power wall keep working??

Yes. Solar continues to generate and the batteries continue to charge and discharge. The transition is almost immediate. Quick enough that electronics in the house don’t reset.

 

[George S. Bower]

Yes. Solar continues to generate and the batteries continue to charge and discharge. The transition is almost immediate. Quick enough that electronics in the house don’t reset.

Robert Llewelyn in "Fully Charged" video very clearly said that the PV charging and repeat charge/drain of the battery stopped when the grid went down ie it was not for emergency power.

Are you sure??

 

[daniel]

I don't really see the point in going completely off-grid unless you want to live somewhere that grid power is not available. Grid-tied solar (and wind) make sense because the grid provides power when you need it, and buys your excess when you have it. Unless you live somewhere with unfavorable buy-back rates.

 

[George S. Bower]

My general rule of thumb where I am for solar, utilising panels with microinverters,

Can you use microinverters with power wall?? I thought you needed 1 central inverter.

 

[Topher]

Robert Llewelyn in "Fully Charged" video very clearly said that the PV charging and repeat charge/drain of the battery stopped when the grid went down ie it was not for emergency power.

Are you sure??

My understanding is that is a specific problem that Robert is having. Whether it is local, or UK-wide, I don't know. But it doesn't apply everywhere. That is one of the 'other obstructions' I mentioned.

Thank you kindly.

 

[Chopper]

In the U.K. any grid-tied microgeneration has to shut down in case of grid failure. This is to ensure the safety of workers that may be working on your local distribution network apparently.

 

[SageBrush]

No. First you would have to disconnect from the grid. This is usually done with a gen-tran switch, or flipping the main breaker. [Consult your local authorities].

I may be completely wrong here, and will appreciate any needed corrections ...

I thought that the utility workers protection we are talking about here is called 'islanding,' and is implemented via an inverter protocol that only turns on the inverter if a grid frequency is recognized.

If this is true, how does disconnecting from the grid turn the inverter on ?

 

[Az_Rael]

I’m thinking a 15kw solar array & 84kw Powerwall.

Well, technically not fully off grid, as there’ll be plenty of surplus electrons to get the government feed in rebate

My general rule of thumb where I am for solar, utilising panels with microinverters, is a 1 to 1 production rate on a cloudy winter day & 7 to 1 on a clear summer day

Plan to get an SR & LR M3

This thread might be better in the Tesla Energy section. You will get more info from current PW owners. Just click report and request the thread be moved by a mod if you want.

have a reasonable situation with respect to getting paid (somehow) for your excess.

The OP is in Austrailia and they have incentives for overproduction from what I understand.

 

[Topher]

I thought that the utility workers protection we are talking about here is called 'islanding,' and is implemented via an inverter protocol that only turns on the inverter if a grid frequency is recognized.

There are two issues:

1) Legal: What is required to meet your local utility, and state regulations. Often this means either an automated, or interlocked gen-tran switch to ensure that no power is put onto the grid when it is down. Other jurisdictions outlaw it altogether.

2) Physical (electrical): Many inverter create the AC signal by essentially copying the signal from the grid. Without that grid signal it can't make AC. Other inverters create their own AC signal (either pure sine wave, or some approximation). These can make AC power for you, even if the grid is down.

'Islanding' is the isolating of some section of the grid, such that workers in another section can't be harmed. This can be done on an individual user level, or a larger section of the grid (often called a micro-grid).

Thank you kindly.