Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Benefits of having Powerwalls in SoCal

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Currently have a 5.78 kw solar panel system. So far I’ve been pretty happy with the system. Had it since March 2021 and was able to build enough credits to not have to pay anything. Are there any benefits to adding a powerall at this point? We hardly get blackouts and trying to figure out if it makes sense to consider powerwall. Can someone please school me on this?
 
Currently have a 5.78 kw solar panel system. So far I’ve been pretty happy with the system. Had it since March 2021 and was able to build enough credits to not have to pay anything. Are there any benefits to adding a powerall at this point? We hardly get blackouts and trying to figure out if it makes sense to consider powerwall. Can someone please school me on this?

TL; DR ---- Not for what you would have to pay to add one to your existing system at this point, especially since your statement sounds like you are not putting any value on having backup power.
 
What if I was planning to add a second EV in the future?

Having an EV doesnt change powerwall worth (or lack of), at least in my opinion. One powerwall is 13.5kW. A LR Tesla model Y has approximately 75-80kW. using powerwalls to charge an EV is like using a AAA battery to charge 2 D batteries.

More solar is good for EVs. Powerwalls are for time shifting electical use, philosophically using less power from the grid, and providing backup in a power outage. One powerwall is going to cost you 11-13k for someone to install, if you can even find someone to sell you just one with no additional solar.

If you dont have any value on backup power, I dont see where 11-13k makes sense, you likely will take several years to time shift that much back to even break even, if you ever do.

Some of the value has to come from "I am less reliant on my electrical grid, I will generally always have power". If there isnt some value in that, then they dont make sense unless you are somewhere they are basically paying you to buy them.
 
Having an EV doesnt change powerwall worth (or lack of), at least in my opinion. One powerwall is 13.5kW. A LR Tesla model Y has approximately 75-80kW. using powerwalls to charge an EV is like using a AAA battery to charge 2 D batteries.

More solar is good for EVs. Powerwalls are for time shifting electical use, philosophically using less power from the grid, and providing backup in a power outage. One powerwall is going to cost you 11-13k for someone to install, if you can even find someone to sell you just one with no additional solar.

If you dont have any value on backup power, I dont see where 11-13k makes sense, you likely will take several years to time shift that much back to even break even, if you ever do.

Some of the value has to come from "I am less reliant on my electrical grid, I will generally always have power". If there isnt some value in that, then they dont make sense unless you are somewhere they are basically paying you to buy them.
Thanks
 
Solar w/o batts... mean's you're tied to the grid, you ride or die along with it.
A generator is a lot cheaper than a PW for the majority of folks who have rare outages. Outages are more common in the winter when there's less solar. We had a week outage in Seattle around xmas 15 years ago. Using my generators on my duplex, both house holds could cook, run each DW, WM, Dryer, and the furnace. Everything was gas, so that's almost cheating.
 
Having an EV doesnt change powerwall worth (or lack of), at least in my opinion. One powerwall is 13.5kW. A LR Tesla model Y has approximately 75-80kW. using powerwalls to charge an EV is like using a AAA battery to charge 2 D batteries.

More solar is good for EVs. Powerwalls are for time shifting electical use, philosophically using less power from the grid, and providing backup in a power outage. One powerwall is going to cost you 11-13k for someone to install, if you can even find someone to sell you just one with no additional solar.

If you dont have any value on backup power, I dont see where 11-13k makes sense, you likely will take several years to time shift that much back to even break even, if you ever do.

Some of the value has to come from "I am less reliant on my electrical grid, I will generally always have power". If there isnt some value in that, then they dont make sense unless you are somewhere they are basically paying you to buy them.
kWh
 
  • Like
Reactions: jjrandorin
Our system is about the same size as yours - 5.8 kW. It has been in service for about 6 years, so it has paid for itself now. We added 2 Powerwalls last month and the added value has been great. Sure, they cost a bit and payback will take a long time. However, the value to us was storing and using the power we generate, reducing reliance on the grid and having backup power day and night.

You just have to decide what factors are important to you, as jrrandorin clearly outlined. For us the benefits were worth the expense of adding the batteries. There are companies that will sell you all the Powerwalls you need, but be prepared to pay a premium for the gear. I love knowing the house is using stored energy at night and that we will have backup power when it is needed. We would make the same decision again in a heartbeat.

BTW, total time from order to installation was about two months.
 
A generator is a lot cheaper than a PW for the majority of folks who have rare outages. Outages are more common in the winter when there's less solar. We had a week outage in Seattle around xmas 15 years ago. Using my generators on my duplex, both house holds could cook, run each DW, WM, Dryer, and the furnace. Everything was gas, so that's almost cheating.
except in Northern Calif where PG&E cuts off power in the summer to prevent fires. PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoff). They can last for days.
Winter outages are very rare
 
BTW.... its probably not apparent from my other posts in this particular thread, but, I LOVE (love love) having my 2 powerwalls. It only takes one multi day outage, when you have solar on your roof already and the sun is shining, to get extremely frustrated at " WHY THE @!#$%!@#! is my solar not working!!!!" (at least for me, anyway lmao).

Knowing that I can either "live like normal" during a shorter outage, and/ or reduce consumption to go longer if needed, still enjoying things in my home, is immensely gratifying to me.

They dont pencil out financially though, especially since I am still on NEM 1 (until they take it away from me, anyway). Still, I am super happy with them, glad I bought them, etc.

I still think the value proposition is a personal one though, and if there isnt some intangible value there, its hard to make them pencil out. I still love them though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BGbreeder and SVDNN
BTW.... its probably not apparent from my other posts in this particular thread, but, I LOVE (love love) having my 2 powerwalls. It only takes one multi day outage, when you have solar on your roof already and the sun is shining, to get extremely frustrated at " WHY THE @!#$%!@#! is my solar not working!!!!" (at least for me, anyway lmao).

Knowing that I can either "live like normal" during a shorter outage, and/ or reduce consumption to go longer if needed, still enjoying things in my home, is immensely gratifying to me.

They dont pencil out financially though, especially since I am still on NEM 1 (until they take it away from me, anyway). Still, I am super happy with them, glad I bought them, etc.

I still think the value proposition is a personal one though, and if there isnt some intangible value there, its hard to make them pencil out. I still love them though.
totally agree with you. Exactly how I feel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MyHeadHurts
Solar w/o batts... mean's you're tied to the grid, you ride or die along with it.
...exactly why I have three power walls. Never without power now. PG&E notoriously goes out several times a month, sometimes for days where I live. I have 20 kwh of batt. Not enough to charge my cars, but enough for a couple days of power, plus I have solar, so I can get 11 kw from them through the sunny part of the day. Living where I live, you gotta spend money or do without the niceties of life, and I started out affording 5 panels, then ten more, until I have 66. My power walls replaced a thousand pounds of PbA batteries, and I upgraded my inverters at the same time. Bit by bit.
 
You can't get a PW without Tesla panels. I charge my EV on sunny days (which is 95% of the days here), never let it pull from the batteries unless a cloud sneaks in for a few minutes.
Just to clarify: You can't buy a Powerwall feom Tesla without buying solar from Tesla, but you can buy a Powerwall or more from a third party without solar. We did.
 
What’s the life span of a powerwall before having to replace it?

I would suggest going by the warranty that is offered, which is "70% capacity at 10 years time, if charged by solar". So, tesla is warrantying at least 70% capacity in 10 years time if charged by solar.

Its doubtful that a battery that has more than 70% at the 10th anniversary completely crashes the next day, but any time after 10 years isnt warrantied.

Thats the only answer anyone can give you on this.