Thanks for the heads-up. After seeing your answer I read the tariff and it states: Renewable Energy Resources are residential applications with a peak generating capacity of less than or equal to 10 kWAC...". While I'm new at this it seems good that it doesn't say anything about 'whichever is less'.
This seems to indicate the inverter is the limiting factor. What this seems to mean is you could pair, for example, 12 kW DC of solar panels with a 10 kW AC inverter and still be within the rules. Oversizing is a pretty standard practice (there are threads discussing it) as in most cases 12 kW of panels will rarely (and maybe never, depending on panel orientation) exceed the 10 kW inverter limit. When it does, it causes some clipping, but this is usually minor and can be offset by efficiency gains elsewhere. And, in this particular case, it is a good way to maximize production when the state is setting a fixed limit. In fact, it is most likely the case that your system is a 16.32 kW (48 340W panel) system and will be paired with 15.2 kW of inverter capacity (two 7.6 kW inverters.)
The specific issue with Tesla is that they are apparently phasing out their 10 kW inverter offering as they focus on selling their own inverters, which do not come in that size. So, with Tesla, if you need to stay under 10 kW, your only option may be to use a single 7.6 kW inverter. Potentially that could be paired with around a 9-10 kW solar array, depending on the specifics of your situation. It is possible Tesla might still have some 10 kW SolarEdge inverters available or that they might be installing them in specific cases like this, but it is something to confirm in writing as they typically reserve the right to use whatever they have available.
I do not know if Georgia would approve a system with over 10 kW of inverters but 10 kW or less of panels. Even if they would, that is likely not a great option, but that was where the "whichever is less" could potentially be a benefit.
So, in sum, I would say you might generally have three options to mover forward with Tesla:
- Stick with the ~16 kW system from Tesla, likely paired with two 7.6 kW Tesla inverters
- Accept a Tesla inverter within the 10 kW limit, which would likely mean ~9.5 kW of solar paired with one 7.6 kW Tesla inverter.
- Convince Tesla to provide you with a 10 kW inverter (likely from SolarEdge), paired with ~12 kW of solar.
You will have to run the numbers on how each of these might work out, based both on current and expected future usage. If you could convince Tesla to provide the 10 kW inverter, I would say #1 and #3 are likely your best options, depending on the details of your usage.