Cost & Value: Sol-Ark vs. Powerwall

[Mayer]

I am investigating back up power for my home in Pennsylvania after installing a 15.33 kW SunPower array last year.

I come to this post without a reasonable understanding of the technology but learned a great deal over the weekend after posting about compatibility of SunPower with Powerwall.

I am communicating with a Tesla approved installer with solid Google reviews who just quoted $46k for 3 Powerwalls (Tesla quoted $33k with install per screen shot below).

Installer appears to be nudging me toward Sol-Ark, which appears to be good option since I would like to preserve ability to add a generator.

I’m wondering what someone more knowledgeable thinks about the installers pricing pitch. My concern is that if the quote for Powerwalls is unreasonably high, is the quote for Sol-Ark also unreasonably high.

The pricing quotes are as follows:

“We can install 2 Tesla PowerWalls for $31,495.
This would provide you with 27 kWh of storage.
If you wanted a 3rd Powerwall, for a total of 40 kWh of storage, then you would be looking at a cost of $45,995

One big thing here is to make sure that you have enough wall space available inside, near your main panel for the powerwall.

If you are interested in other options, we can set you up with a Solark/Homegrid system. This system comes with a SolArk 15 kW Inverter and Homegrid Batteries ranging from 10 kWh of storage up to 40+ kWh of storage. With this system you have a bit more flexibility in terms of battery size, as well as adding batteries in the future.

15 kW SolArk with 10 kWh of storage would be your minimal entry point for a cost of $22,500. We can add 5 kWh increments of storage for $4,000 a piece.
The other nice feature with this system is that it has an input for an external generator as well.“

 

[charlesj]

One point on internet/wi-fi and power outage. You may or may not have it as it depends on power availability to that internet provider's station being powered, how extensive to outage is.
I had outages and still have internet and outages when the cable provider's station lost power as well.

 

[cali8484]

Perfect.
Regarding the concern with AC coupling issues with Enphase iQ8, I would not need to worry about that issue with Enphase IQ7HS inverters?

iQ7 should be fine with an appropriate grid profile config. Similar config change is required with other home battery systems except for Enphase battery systems.

 

[sunwarriors]

I see you have Powerwalls.
I understand it is not too difficult to integrate a generator with the Powerwalls.
So that’s a minor issue.

I don't think I've seen many/any real use cases of anyone cleanly integrating a Powerwall with a generator here so it's a non-starter IMO actually. As an Enphase owner, I still feel they are the best in class solution so far that does pretty much everything I can think of at least.

Pricing depends on who you have in your area, but pricing wasn't really more than a PW solution in my case, but I did have lower max power and capacity. I'm waiting for Matt Ferrell's video on the why he chose his solution, but you can google other videos of stuff out there.

My main reasons are:
1) Generator integration is already working out of the box and it can charge your batteries (plenty of videos out there and there are live installs).
2) They are a larger company and has a larger install base I think than the smaller names I see tossed out there like SunVault (who actually has one of these?), Generac (tons of lawsuits right now on their batteries), they are publicly traded (feeling pains from CA NEM3.0 now). Franklin looks great on paper, but newer.
3) They have V2G/H on the road map already to launch in 2024. My own thought is get as much home batteries as you can. then see if V2G/H shows up. If I wasn't in a rush, I'd personally wait to see how this plays out since having 100kWh in an EV means you have a lot of excess power capacity in a disaster. There is nothing that I've seen current systems can integrate with the new Enphase stuff so waiting maybe worth it.
4) PW3 is on the road map. If it's LFP, I'd wait for that alone. Simply less parts, moving fans/coolant (leaks (you see posts here occasionally)) and from someone else's post, makes your garage hotter. Why the rush for PW2? I'd also wait for any install in CA right now since we have legislation pending shaking up solar (monthly fee thing).

 

[Mayer]

I don't think I've seen many/any real use cases of anyone cleanly integrating a Powerwall with a generator here so it's a non-starter IMO actually. As an Enphase owner, I still feel they are the best in class solution so far that does pretty much everything I can think of at least.

Pricing depends on who you have in your area, but pricing wasn't really more than a PW solution in my case, but I did have lower max power and capacity. I'm waiting for Matt Ferrell's video on the why he chose his solution, but you can google other videos of stuff out there.

My main reasons are:
1) Generator integration is already working out of the box and it can charge your batteries (plenty of videos out there and there are live installs).
2) They are a larger company and has a larger install base I think than the smaller names I see tossed out there like SunVault (who actually has one of these?), Generac (tons of lawsuits right now on their batteries), they are publicly traded (feeling pains from CA NEM3.0 now). Franklin looks great on paper, but newer.
3) They have V2G/H on the road map already to launch in 2024. My own thought is get as much home batteries as you can. then see if V2G/H shows up. If I wasn't in a rush, I'd personally wait to see how this plays out since having 100kWh in an EV means you have a lot of excess power capacity in a disaster. There is nothing that I've seen current systems can integrate with the new Enphase stuff so waiting maybe worth it.
4) PW3 is on the road map. If it's LFP, I'd wait for that alone. Simply less parts, moving fans/coolant (leaks (you see posts here occasionally)) and from someone else's post, makes your garage hotter. Why the rush for PW2? I'd also wait for any install in CA right now since we have legislation pending shaking up solar (monthly fee thing).

Thank you for the info.
I secured quote for SunVault from outfit that installed my SunPower panels last year.
Pricing looks good. He told me SunPower and Enphase have some kind of reciprocal relationship, leaving me with the impression that the Enphase and SunVault batteries are nearly the same product.
Attached are the specs for SunVault if your interested.
I will look for some videos, as you suggested.
Still considering PowerWall, probably from a sense of brand loyalty. If the pricing is comparable AND the Powerwalls can be hung in my garage (rather than basement next to Panel) I’ll likely stick with Tesla. If both products are going in my basement, then likely SunVault so a generator can be easily integrated. Also Tesla panels will take up too much wall space in my basement.

 

[sunwarriors]

Thank you for the info.
I secured quote for SunVault from outfit that installed my SunPower panels last year.
Pricing looks good. He told me SunPower and Enphase have some kind of reciprocal relationship, leaving me with the impression that the Enphase and SunVault batteries are nearly the same product.
Attached are the specs for SunVault if your interested.
I will look for some videos, as you suggested.
Still considering PowerWall, probably from a sense of brand loyalty. If the pricing is comparable AND the Powerwalls can be hung in my garage (rather than basement next to Panel) I’ll likely stick with Tesla. If both products are going in my basement, then likely SunVault so a generator can be easily integrated. Also Tesla panels will take up too much wall space in my basement.

Sunpower sold their micro inverter business to Enphase back in 2018 so Sunpower panels use some version of rebranded Enphase micro-inverters now:

SunPower and Enphase team up with microinverter acquisition

Through the deal SunPower gets $25 million and stock; however the bigger deal may be Enphase’s right to be the company’s exclusive residential inverter supplier.

www.pv-magazine.com

The batteries aren't the same, this, I'm fairly certain. They look totally different and specs are different too, but I don't follow many companies now outside of Enphase or Tesla.

In your shoes, I'd google and try to find anyone with the SunVault installed and actually working generator hook ups if that was important to you. It's one thing to say integration is possible vs. actually seeing something working/live. I did a quick youtube search and nothing popped up from an actual install/customer.

If you're still getting quotes, I can't see a reason to not get more quotes and add Enphase in the mix since why not? Let the salespeople do their salesey thing and compare with maximum info. No reason not to add Franklin as well. Of course, I got like 15 quotes when I was researching so different people may have different tolerance for time/research.