My 11.2kW Tesla Solar Project - Portland, OR

[pdx_m3s]

Tesla was on-site today to fix my energy usage monitoring issues. The issue due to how the installers wired the Powerblaster to both 200 amp main panels.

The installers originally split the Powerblaster to pick up both 200-amp mains, however, that was incorrect. A Powerblaster can only pickup accurate usage from one main panel for a solar-only install, and there's no way to bring in usage data accurately with two 200 amp mains.

So long story short, I'll only get usage from one of my 200 amp mains. I'm surprised Tesla doesn't have a work-around for this. Having two 200 amp main panels can't be that rare, right?

 

[power.saver]

Tesla was on-site today to fix my energy usage monitoring issues. The issue due to how the installers wired the Powerblaster to both 200 amp main panels.

The installers originally split the Powerblaster to pick up both 200-amp mains, however, that was incorrect. A Powerblaster can only pickup accurate usage from one main panel for a solar-only install, and there's no way to bring in usage data accurately with two 200 amp mains.

So long story short, I'll only get usage from one of my 200 amp mains. I'm surprised Tesla doesn't have a work-around for this. Having two 200 amp main panels can't be that rare, right?

While the PowerBlaster only has connections for two CTs, and they each need to be on a hot leg of the same circuit to measure current, you could get two additional CTs and put them on the other panel, and splice the wires together. The two sets of CTs in parallel will add and report the total flow.

 

[BrettS]

While the PowerBlaster only has connections for two CTs, and they each need to be on a hot leg of the same circuit to measure current, you could get two additional CTs and put them on the other panel, and splice the wires together. The two sets of CTs in parallel will add and report the total flow.

This should work, but with one caveat. It’s possible that the powerblaster is only designed to read up to 200A per circuit. So as long as the combined total power draw of both panels stays under 200A then it should work fine. However, if the combined total ever exceeds 200A then you could have inaccurate readings or potentially even damage the powerblaster.

 

[pdx_m3s]

While the PowerBlaster only has connections for two CTs, and they each need to be on a hot leg of the same circuit to measure current, you could get two additional CTs and put them on the other panel, and splice the wires together. The two sets of CTs in parallel will add and report the total flow.

This is exactly how it was wired. And it never reported accurate consumption. It usually reported solar generation as home consumption... In that when I was producing say, 5kW, the app would show that I was consuming 10kW, even though there was actually nothing on/running in the house.

 

[pdx_m3s]

Well I've been up and running for a month and a half now. Production was very strong in October, as we had a lot of sunny weather, but fell off a cliff in November when the sustained rains came (as expected). Had I been producing for the full month of October, I would have beaten the PVwatts estimate by a lot. November was spot on.

Grey line is average daily production for the month. Orange is life-to-date cumulative. October production was 500kWh (full month would have been ~860kWh) and November was 392kWh.

PVWatts estimate:

 

[smaster553]

Just bought a 25 year extended warranty for the inverter for $307. Now everything, including panels, optimizers, and the inverter are covered for 25 years.

How can one buy the extended warranty? What number to call, or email to send to. I have 10kW and a 3.8kW invertor. Thought let me also buy it before I file my taxes and claim 26% off that warranty also. What does everyone think about it? As the warranty is part of the system, it should be eligible for the 26% rebate.

 

[h2ofun]

How can one buy the extended warranty? What number to call, or email to send to. I have 10kW and a 3.8kW invertor. Thought let me also buy it before I file my taxes and claim 26% off that warranty also. What does everyone think about it? As the warranty is part of the system, it should be eligible for the 26% rebate.

Inverter Warranty Extension | SolarEdge US

Need to extend your Solaredge US warranty? Just click the "Extend your Warranty" button and enter your inverter serial number to get your warranty extended.

www.solaredge.com

Never thought about putting on my taxes but would have to do for next year

 

[pdx_m3s]

Inverter Warranty Extension | SolarEdge US

Need to extend your Solaredge US warranty? Just click the "Extend your Warranty" button and enter your inverter serial number to get your warranty extended.

www.solaredge.com

Never thought about putting on my taxes but would have to do for next year

Extended warranty costs are not eligible for the tax credit.

 

[DesertSilver]

Well I've been up and running for a month and a half now. Production was very strong in October, as we had a lot of sunny weather, but fell off a cliff in November when the sustained rains came (as expected). Had I been producing for the full month of October, I would have beaten the PVwatts estimate by a lot. November was spot on.

Grey line is average daily production for the month. Orange is life-to-date cumulative. October production was 500kWh (full month would have been ~860kWh) and November was 392kWh.
View attachment 613464

Hey fellow Oregonian! I’m in Beaverton and have a Tesla Solar order in that’s in the early stages of the process. Out of curiosity, where is this data from? I‘m looking forward to nerding out on the numbers after install so just want to get prepared on different methods to track production/usage.

Thanks

 

[CrazyRabbit]

sunset high school grad here, and go beavers. PVWatts

 

[DesertSilver]

sunset high school grad here, and go beavers. PVWatts

I’m aware of the PVWatts site, was just curious about where the chart with actual production numbers is from.

 

[pdx_m3s]

Hey fellow Oregonian! I’m in Beaverton and have a Tesla Solar order in that’s in the early stages of the process. Out of curiosity, where is this data from? I‘m looking forward to nerding out on the numbers after install so just want to get prepared on different methods to track production/usage.

Thanks

It's a spreadsheet I built. Basically just formulas, pivot tables, and pivot charts. I export the daily data from the Tesla app, paste it in the spreadsheet, and refresh. Here's an updated one. Basically it show the performance of the system (green lines) relative to what PVWatts says it should do (grey lines).

 

[pdx_m3s]

Well, first year down. Very happy with the system performance. Generated 13MWh from my 11.2kW system (west-facing) here in the pacific northwest. Tesla estimated production at 11.4MWh. I'm headed into winter with 2.7MWh of credits, which should take us through January, maybe February.

The seasonal imbalance is extreme with a west-facing system at this latitude. Fortunately my utility has full, bankable net-kWh-metering.

This chart also doubles as a daily cloud-cover report over the last year. The zero production in February was from the ice/snow storm we had here.

 

[nanchux]

6/9/2020 Informed Tesla that the 200 amp panel has a 225 amp rated bus-bar and therefor de-rating the main breaker isn't necessary

Is this the main panel? Is the solar connected to the main-panel or a sub-panel? What is the busbar of the sub-panel and does it have its own breaker?

 

[pdx_m3s]

Is this the main panel? Is the solar connected to the main-panel or a sub-panel? What is the busbar of the sub-panel and does it have its own breaker?

Yes. My house has two 200A main panels in parallel (400A service). Both panels have 225A rated busbars and 200A main breakers.

 

[trautmane2]

I export the daily data from the Tesla app, paste it in the spreadsheet, and refresh.

@pdx_m3s - I've followed a similar process and recently noticed a discrepancy between the downloaded daily total and the total reported in the Tesla app ( see bug with Tesla app energy totals (or user error)? ). Curious if your recent downloaded daily totals match the app?

 

[nanchux]

Nice. I too have a PGE 400A service and a main panel siemens WEP4212 with 2 meters, 225A busbar and each meter having a 200A breaker. One of the meters is connected to a Murray LC4040B1200CU sub-panel with a 200Amp breaker and many smaller breakers per circuit. The second meter is connected to a Murray LC2040L1200 sub-panel (lug load center). Both seem rated for 200A except that LC4040B1200CU has a 200A breaker on it. Is there any difference in calculating how much the solar system can supply to each of these sub-panels? By the 20% rule it seems like I can connect a 40Amp PV system. I am considering IQ8M (1.35A max continuous output current). Would 40/1.35 = 29 micro-inverters be the max panels that I can connect?

 

[pdx_m3s]

Nice. I too have a PGE 400A service and a main panel siemens WEP4212 with 2 meters, 225A busbar and each meter having a 200A breaker. One of the meters is connected to a Murray LC4040B1200CU sub-panel with a 200Amp breaker and many smaller breakers per circuit. The second meter is connected to a Murray LC2040L1200 sub-panel (lug load center). Both seem rated for 200A except that LC4040B1200CU has a 200A breaker on it. Is there any difference in calculating how much the solar system can supply to each of these sub-panels? By the 20% rule it seems like I can connect a 40Amp PV system. I am considering IQ8M (1.35A max continuous output current). Would 40/1.35 = 29 micro-inverters be the max panels that I can connect?

I’m not sure. I have a 10kW inverter feeding one panel. 60A breaker. I think 60A was the largest breaker I could legally use for the inverter on a single 225A busbar panel.