SMA Sunny Island will shift the frequency a little high to signal SMA SunnyBoy inverters to curtail their production. So, there are ways to manage this even without a tightly integrated system. Obviously, inverters that are only meant for on-grid use, probably have no need for this feature. I have resolved that my Enphase inverters will just go offline when the grid goes down, even after I add a hybrid inverter to my house.This is what I learned in the thread and why the SolarEdge beats out other inverters for this feature. I guess in the future, all inverters would do this (I would hope that also Enphase would eventually do this for off-grid type living with inexpensive solar AC). The older string inverters were not designed with this in mind - but the new stuff appears to all be working toward a blended standby solution with or without batteries. Good for the industry. Bad for some of us who have older systems
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
My new solar and Powerwall installation
- Thread starter ecarfan
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Powerwall Tesla Energy
Garlan Garner
Banned
I used to have enphase. The most glaring issue I have with Enphase is that I had to have a totally separate battery backup system. Because the Enphase micro-inverters output is 120VAC....you never have access to integrate batteries on the DC side.
Also with my Enphase micro-inverters....I could never get my outback system to properly shut down the micro inverters because their shutdown timing was so long. Lastly - out of 54 microinverters I had 5 go bad in the first 7 months....and I got tired of going up there on the roof.
I'm not slaming Enphase...I just couldn't find a wonderfully integrated system until Solar Edge that could manage battery backup all in one system - while providing per-panel monitoring.
Lastly. I couldn't get 240VAC out of Enphase and I had to acquire a TON more permits and evaluations because I had AC coming off my roof instead of DC. I had to have lightning arrestors and everything. Anywhoo Its not my intention to slam Enphase...I just want people to know what they are getting no matter what system they choose.
Garlan Garner
Banned
All Kudos go to ecarfan for starting this thread. It will probably immensely help many people to power their M≡ with sustainable energy or at least to start thinking in that direction.
I have a nearly opposite opinion of Enphase. I had my solar installed during construction, so the installer just put two 240V 20A circuits of Romex from the main panel into the attic while the walls were open, then waited for the roof structure to be done, installed his standoffs and junction boxes on the roof, then the roofers did their thing around the solar gear. That is much better to me than string inverters with the HVDC that must be in conduit. Among my extended family we have three houses with a total of over 60 micro-inverters. No failures so far in 3-5 years of use. Nice monitoring system too.
Since I already have Permission To Operate that system on PG&E NEM 1.0, any additional solar I add will include batteries and will not be interconnected. I hope to make the entire 125A subpanel that has most of my household loads a "critical loads" panel and power it directly from the hybrid battery inverter(s). I would just use the feed line to that subpanel for backup battery charging when the solar production is not enough, or to absorb the excess solar produced by the Enphase inverters. That is one reason that I like systems like the Outback Radian - you can completely control what the system does. The StorEdge+PowerWall operating strategy is controlled by them. That's the problem with being an engineer - you have your own ideas about how things should work.
I am finding that the SolarEdge Zigbee Gateway wireless communication from my inverter to my home router is not reliable. It seemed to briefly work last Monday, the day my system was commissioned and powered up, then it stopped working (no data shown in my web portal account). My system installer tried several times to restart it with no success. Then Friday morning I noticed there was data showing in my web portal account, so the Zigbee must be working. I can see the system power generation curve every day in the graph on the main Dashboard page but there is only Self-consumption data for two days out of five. My refrigerator runs 24/7 and my wife and I were home every day so there were definitely various things drawing power. I am consulting with Tesla Energy to see if my system is working correctly.
Attachments
Personally, I would never rely on wireless communication, especially something as low power and short range as Zigbee, for critical monitoring. Run a cat 5 cable and wire it in.
Garlan Garner
Banned
Garlan Garner
Banned
The SolarEdge inverters have the ability to store over a weeks worth of data, so there really isn't a risk of losing data.....Its just that data won't be as instantaneous as a wired in device.
Now let me correct myself. Zigbee is the problem - not wireless.
This is what I use.
N300 - WiFi Range Extender
I wired my Inverters to this. There is an Ethernet port on there as it wirelessly connects to my home router. I've had it connected for 4 years. It automatically re-connects after power outages.
Garlan Garner
Banned
This is what I use.
N300 - WiFi Range Extender
I wired my Inverters to this. I daisy chained my Inverters together where the last router in the chain connects to the Ethernet port. There is an Ethernet port on there as it wirelessly connects to my home router. I've had it connected for 4 years. It automatically re-connects after power outages.
Actually the autotransformer isn't a transfer switch at all. It is just a large inductor(transformer). The transfer switch is made up of relays inside the storedge component (box under the inverter). I think ecarfan posted a picture with the cover off of it. There are only 3 wires going to it; 2 hots and a neutral. I was curious about what it did too, so I asked the solaredge rep.
Last edited:
For the internet connection on my inverter, I ran an Ethernet connection from my router next to the inverter, then put a switch by the inverter to plug other wired devices into. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2H0YFU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Yes. For some unknown reason, Tesla decided to not even sell their occasional backup Powerwall and instead only sell a daily cycler Powerwall. So that is indeed how you are supposed to use the Powerwall. You configure the Powerwall with peak/non peak time info and it automatically cycles every day. You also input how much reserve you want the Powerwall to keep at all times so that if you have a power outage at 8pm, for instance, it'll still have some energy to act as a backup power source.
jeffro01
Active Member
So the Zigbee wireless models are known to be sketchy... The good news is the inverter stores all of that data so while you may have a day here and there where is no "live" data, it'll all be there the next day...
My solaredge setup has the same issue yours does so I've gotten used to it at this point...
Jeff
My solaredge setup has the same issue yours does so I've gotten used to it at this point...
Jeff
May come down to the 30% ITC. A daily cycler may be able to use 30% ITC. While battery backup only is not a renewable solution, so not capable of qualifying. I assume initial interviews with the reservation holders since Apr 29, 2015 may have indicated lack of desire just for backup. Daily cycler would be sold for off grid solutions, power price arbitrage and other similar solutions like peak load shaving if qualifying for a rebate program under NYSERDA and SGIP.
Garlan Garner
Banned
That's what I meant the Inverter performs all actions. It is the brains of the whole operation.
Thought I'd show this link - for those of us who are technical, pretty interesting.
Now, it is not about an actual Tesla powerwall but the discussion goes over how such systems work.
EV West built their own wall using Tesla Smart Car battery pack components and walks through how it works. I would like a similar walk-through discussion about the SolarEdge inverter solution w/ PowerWall inclusive of using a 2nd PowerWall in parallel (double capacity).
Now, it is not about an actual Tesla powerwall but the discussion goes over how such systems work.
EV West built their own wall using Tesla Smart Car battery pack components and walks through how it works. I would like a similar walk-through discussion about the SolarEdge inverter solution w/ PowerWall inclusive of using a 2nd PowerWall in parallel (double capacity).
When Tesla Energy launched in 2015 I immediately filled out the online form with my name and email address to indicate my interest in buying a Powerwall and (if I recall correctly) also indicating that I would be getting solar installed at my home at some time in the near future. 9 months later I got a call from Tesla Energy saying they had a Powerwall reserved for me and did I have solar yet? I said I did not but would move forward with solar now that I knew I could get a Powerwall. And 6 months after that phone call I got my solar installed and my Powerwall (that 6 month delay was definitely not due to Tesla, it was due to other factors).
At this point in time, Tesla Energy has way over 100,000 people just in the US who want Powerwalls, according to one of my contacts there. You cannot just call them up, order a Powerwall, and get it in a few weeks or even a few months. I really have no idea how long you will have to wait. Other people on TMC have posted that they have contacted Tesla Energy recently about getting a Powerwall but have nothing definite as to when they might get one.
Like Tesla Motors in the early years of the Model S had many customers waiting months for their car, Tesla Energy seems to in a similar situation right now.
Similar threads
