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Enphase Solar and Powerwall integration

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Tesla refused to sell me a PV system due to the trees around my house (after the end of January storms, the trees fell all over the place including on my roof, so not an issue anymore), I had to use Enphase as my PV system. The good part, they installed my system within 3 weeks of ordering. With that installation I started to use Enlighten app to see my consumption and production. It was easy to see the grid import and export. The CTs are at the envoy solar production and on the main grid lugs. Yesterday, my 2 Powerwalls are installed. The Tesla app shows where the power is flowing very nicely.
The problem is the Enlighten is now complaining about the measurement. Since it does not know I have a Powerwall, probably it sees the difference between what is produced and what is sent to grid.
enphase community is full of marketers and it is not easy to get an answer. Are there any members of this community who resolved the issue? One way is to delete the enlighten app, but it still gives pretty good amount of information. Another option would be to remove the consumption CTs and use the app only for production.
 
Tesla refused to sell me a PV system due to the trees around my house (after the end of January storms, the trees fell all over the place including on my roof, so not an issue anymore), I had to use Enphase as my PV system. The good part, they installed my system within 3 weeks of ordering. With that installation I started to use Enlighten app to see my consumption and production. It was easy to see the grid import and export. The CTs are at the envoy solar production and on the main grid lugs. Yesterday, my 2 Powerwalls are installed. The Tesla app shows where the power is flowing very nicely.
The problem is the Enlighten is now complaining about the measurement. Since it does not know I have a Powerwall, probably it sees the difference between what is produced and what is sent to grid.
enphase community is full of marketers and it is not easy to get an answer. Are there any members of this community who resolved the issue? One way is to delete the enlighten app, but it still gives pretty good amount of information. Another option would be to remove the consumption CTs and use the app only for production.

I have Enphase + Powerwall, Enlighten gateway + IQ6 inverters, and don't have this issue. Granted I don't use the Enlighten portal because the Powerwall provides all I need but I've never had the system complain.

If it's true that Enlighten is complaining about the measurement because of the Powerwall it sounds like the Enlighten CTs are just misplaced - they should be between the Enlighten gateway and the Powerwall, not between the grid and Powerwall.
 
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I have Enphase + Powerwall, Enlighten gateway + IQ6 inverters, and don't have this issue. Granted I don't use the Enlighten portal because the Powerwall provides all I need but I've never had the system complain.

If it's true that Enlighten is complaining about the measurement because of the Powerwall it sounds like the Enlighten CTs are just misplaced - they should be between the Enlighten gateway and the Powerwall, not between the grid and Powerwall.
I understand that the production CTs are comparing the consumption CTs on the Enphase side. Possibly I can move the consumption CTs to the cables that goes to Powerwall sub panel and make them act as grid, but the dryer was left out of the pw2 sub panel, so I will still have a issue.
My current solution will be to tell Enphase envoy not to worry about the consumption.I’ll get that from Tesla app
 
I've had Enphase and PW2 installed since 2017.

This is a common problem AFTER adding a PW2 to the Enphase.

The solution to get production/metering information is to run a line for power from the box that goes straight from where the Solar generates power BEFORE it connects to the Tesla gateway. You then plug in the Enphase monitor there...

Works great and goes out during power outages, but that's ok...

Hope that helps.
 
I've had Enphase and PW2 installed since 2017.

This is a common problem AFTER adding a PW2 to the Enphase.

The solution to get production/metering information is to run a line for power from the box that goes straight from where the Solar generates power BEFORE it connects to the Tesla gateway. You then plug in the Enphase monitor there...

Works great and goes out during power outages, but that's ok...

Hope that helps.
The production CTs are in the envoy box, so it is before the solar power goes to gateway. No issues with production information. My solution was to connect to the envoy using the installer app and disable the consumption CTs. I now use the enlighten app for production only to see the individual panels and for the rest of the info I use Tesla app
 
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The production CTs are in the envoy box, so it is before the solar power goes to gateway. No issues with production information. My solution was to connect to the envoy using the installer app and disable the consumption CTs. I now use the enlighten app for production only to see the individual panels and for the rest of the info I use Tesla app
We have Enphase microinverters on our solar PV as well as wind turbines all of which feed into a single "combiner panel" before feeding into the Powerwall Gateway 2. We use Envoy only to monitor production. We have redundant consumption monitoring using SENSE (R) as well as the Tesla App. The former let's us identify specific devices. Both monitor overall renewable energy systems power production despite labeling all of it "solar". The Envoy system let's use monitor the actual solar PV production and we can extrapolate wind production by subtracting it from the total production in either the Tesla or SENSE Apps.

The Tesla APP does some rounding,so SENSE is more precise.
 
My app was enabled by my installer of the Enphase microinverters. Your site should have been registered by the installer as well, as far as I understand the process. You might call Enphase and ask. They will probably want the serial number of your Envoy(s).

All the best,

BG
I just called them. They added me as an owner and I now have access
 
Maybe off topic here, but how well does the integration work when you are in island mode? Specifically, I am curious how well the system reacts to changing load and production.

I am debating between getting a backup generator that can support the whole house, or a small inverter generator that can just run essentials along with powerwalls. On paper the powerwall seems like a better solution, but if passing clouds knock it offline as generation drops and then recovers it becomes non-viable.
 
My solution was to connect to the envoy using the installer app and disable the consumption CTs.
I did this (disabled the consumption counters) but missed seeing the consumption numbers and ended up switching it back. The little error that pops up from time to time is less annoying to me than not seeing the "full" picture, even if it does not understand the existence of the batteries. Looking at the graph you can easily see when the Powerwalls fill up and excess production starts going to the grid. I like the Tesla app as well but miss a web interface I can look at on my computer.


Screen Shot 2021-10-14 at 2.23.10 PM.png
 
Maybe off topic here, but how well does the integration work when you are in island mode? Specifically, I am curious how well the system reacts to changing load and production.

I am debating between getting a backup generator that can support the whole house, or a small inverter generator that can just run essentials along with powerwalls. On paper the powerwall seems like a better solution, but if passing clouds knock it offline as generation drops and then recovers it becomes non-viable.
PW creates micro grid that Enphase microinverters see as regular grid AC. Power from PV feeds the house and charges PWs. Once battery SOC is around 95% (I think) PW bumps up AC frequency (increase level depends on configuration but typically is between 62 and 65Hz) and Enphase IQ microinverters curtail or suspend power production (Curtailment behavior and cutoff frequency depend on installed profile in IQ). Enphase has white paper for IQs energy curtailment with more details.

Passing cloud means that more power for load would come from batteries than from solar. Usually the biggest problem is how to maintain service when no solar is produced at all, like at night. Sizing batteries is a way to address it.
 
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I do not have a problem that you describe. My Tesla and Enphase solar production CTs are on wires going into combiner panel that combines PW lines and solar. CTs are separated by 6”-8”. My Enphase consumption CT is on the wire going into main panel.

There was some simple configuration when activating Enphase CTs but I do not recall the details.
 
PW creates micro grid that Enphase microinverters see as regular grid AC. Power from PV feeds the house and charges PWs. Once battery SOC is around 95% (I think) PW bumps up AC frequency (increase level depends on configuration but typically is between 62 and 65Hz) and Enphase IQ microinverters curtail or suspend power production (Curtailment behavior and cutoff frequency depend on installed profile in IQ). Enphase has white paper for IQs energy curtailment with more details.

Passing cloud means that more power for load would come from batteries than from solar. Usually the biggest problem is how to maintain service when no solar is produced at all, like at night. Sizing batteries is a way to address it.

100% correct. Great summary!
 
Enphase IQ microinverters curtail or suspend power production (Curtailment behavior and cutoff frequency depend on installed profile in IQ). Enphase has white paper for IQs energy curtailment with more details.
Thanks; do you know if the same is true for the M215’s?
(edit)
Apparently only IQ-Series microinverters work this way, M- and S- series just have a over-frequency trip setting, and will have a re-connect delay. My concern is when I have a train of clouds, I’ll cycle from 2kW production up to 7kW continuously with a period of about 2 minutes. I reliably self-consume about 1.2kW during the day if my car isn’t charging, so once the battery is approaching full I would be fine with 2kW of generation but 7kW would trip it off, presumably for about 5 minutes. When it comes back online, if it is at 2kW it should be fine, but much more would keep it offline for maybe an hour.

This starts to limit solar production to about half to a third of normal, which would mean I would either need to upgrade (at least half of) the microinverters or add sufficient capacity that I can meett my daily demand.
 
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Thanks; do you know if the same is true for the M215’s?
(edit)
Apparently only IQ-Series microinverters work this way, M- and S- series just have a over-frequency trip setting, and will have a re-connect delay. My concern is when I have a train of clouds, I’ll cycle from 2kW production up to 7kW continuously with a period of about 2 minutes. I reliably self-consume about 1.2kW during the day if my car isn’t charging, so once the battery is approaching full I would be fine with 2kW of generation but 7kW would trip it off, presumably for about 5 minutes. When it comes back online, if it is at 2kW it should be fine, but much more would keep it offline for maybe an hour.

This starts to limit solar production to about half to a third of normal, which would mean I would either need to upgrade (at least half of) the microinverters or add sufficient capacity that I can meett my daily demand.

Two or more Powerwalls would solve all of your woes.
 
Two or more Powerwalls would solve all of your woes.
Sorry, how do you figure? My peak daily usage is about 32kWh (without charging the car) and minimum daily production is 4kWh.

My real issue is trying to figure out if I should do a) 2xPW + 4kW additional PV; b) 1xPW + small genset; or c) Just a genset. I have a 250-gallon propane tank already, which without a genset is enough to last us about 10 years for cooking, and my event of concern is a two week utility outage, which is likely to occur once every 10 years.
 
I do not have a problem that you describe. My Tesla and Enphase solar production CTs are on wires going into combiner panel that combines PW lines and solar. CTs are separated by 6”-8”. My Enphase consumption CT is on the wire going into main panel.

There was some simple configuration when activating Enphase CTs but I do not recall the details.


I also have enphase micros (and an enphase envoy) feeding Tesla gateway/Powerwalls.

I’m curious if your Tesla CT and Enphase CT measure the same energy/power. In my experience Tesla will report 10% more solar generation compared to enphase.

For example on a given day, Tesla could say I generate 33 kWh of power.

When I log into Enphase / enlighten it will say my solar production is 30 kWh.

I’m just curious if you also see reporting discrepancy between the two ecosystems.
 
Sorry, how do you figure? My peak daily usage is about 32kWh (without charging the car) and minimum daily production is 4kWh.

My real issue is trying to figure out if I should do a) 2xPW + 4kW additional PV; b) 1xPW + small genset; or c) Just a genset. I have a 250-gallon propane tank already, which without a genset is enough to last us about 10 years for cooking, and my event of concern is a two week utility outage, which is likely to occur once every 10 years.
I think in your case current limit affects ability of PWs + PV to provide power to the house including EV charging. Two PWs would give around 40A limit. Depending on max car charging rate it might not have enough current for AC, if timing is not right. It all depends if the goal is to have power backup system that does not require any adjustments to devices usage, in case of extended blackout. If it is OK to do minor orchestration, like turning off AC while charging EV, it lowers the requirements for max current needs.

In my case I have 3 PWs and 72 IQs. When I had 4 days blackout I charged EVs while batteries were not fully charged and it was sunny. My current limit for Tesla charger is 40A. I had AC off and didn’t use electric dryer while charging cars. It did require a bit of coordination but it was much better than not having power at all or keep fiddling with gas generator, like some of my neighbors.

if you do have propane tank already it might be easier to get ATS with powerful generator.
 
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