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New Powerwall Advanced Options [Toggles for charging from and discharging to grid from powerwalls]
- Thread starter dailo
- Start date
the full NEM credit, not just generation charges?
If so, I stand by my original question.
No, it wouldn't make sense. My roof orientation sucks with all of the large areas northwest and northeast. The northwest might be able to take another 2 panels and the northeast could take another 3-4 but it really wouldn't be worth it.
My more than 110% with planned increased usage PTO went through without a hitch in 2020, but I would be surprised if I would get a PTO approval for more while I'm still a net producer at this point.
This is the email response I got from PCE a month after my True-Up:
I heard back from our billing service provider that your meter read date on 3/30 was technically your April meter read date per the meter reading schedule. At that time, your NEM balance was below $100.00 so you will not receive a cash-out check this year, but your balance will continue to be rolled forward to be applied to charges you may receive in months when you are a net-consumer.
See my attached True-Up and month after True-Up.
Attachments
My NEM balance is generation only with PCE, I pay PG&E for consumption delivery charges only and do not settle NEM with PG&E. You on the other hand have everything in the same PG&E bag.
Interesting, but don't you lose out on the distribution credits? Do I understand this correctly?
Lets say Peak is $.40/kWh of which $.10 is generation. So if you use 10 kWh during peak, you get charged $4. ($3 to PG&E and $1 to PCE). If you export 10 kWh during peak, do you get credit of $4. or $1.?
He is on E-TOU-C. PCE gives credit according to their Generation rates, found here:
That is $0.16966/kWh Summer Peak. So, the PCE credit in your example is about $1.70.
If you are a net generator or your PG&E true-up balance is negative, then it just gets wiped out. You only get what the CCA gives you for your surplus generation. PG&E Net Surplus Compensation does not apply.
That's my point. IF I export to PG&E during peak I get credited for the entire amount (Generation plus distribution). So if I export same as I use, I'm zero NEM. If he exports same as he uses, he is losing the distribution fees in his total rates.
PG&E is still doing their own NEM calculations for all the non-Generation portion of the tariff. If you owe money on the Total Rates, it will be basically the same. If you are Zero NEM, it will be the same. If you are a surplus generator, there is a very good chance you will get more money from the CCA than you would from CCA opt-out straight PG&E billing. With straight billing there is the no-man's land between zero dollar energy charges with positive kWh consumption and true net surplus kWh. In that zone, the CCA may still pay you something while PG&E will never pay you anything. Most CCA's also have higher reimbursement than PG&E NSC if you were net surplus kWh at true-up.
Which means that you pay the higher of MDCs or NBCs, your NEM charges reset to $0 and that's it.
So, your real April true-up was $134.95 which is why they sent you a check? And your next month bill starts over at zero?
yes correct
My first year was solar and no PWs. My NEM was ~$200. I added PWs and was fairly aggressive with the rate arbitrage setting my Reserve around 33%. I figured this may make me negative on NEM and it did at -$900. That was last year. So this year, I'm being more conservative with the Reserve by setting it at 75 to 80%. I was tracking to a zero NEM which is what I want with the added safety in the PWs. I say "was tracking" because I got converted to a CCA 60 days before my true-up unbeknownst to me. They had told me it would be 30 days prior and even said I could not opt out until close to the 30 days. Now I'm sitting at 70+ days since my CCA conversion with no bill whatsoever.
Now that they cash me out I’m certain that $134.95 NEM credit will be gone from my PCE running balance and will start with my May NEM credit. Strange thing is everyone True-Up in April with PCE, and as the email from them told me my True-Up balance of $80.00 or so would be carried over to the new year, instead they pay me the $80.00 + April NEM credit of $54.00 and call it even.
no SGIP - The Fed credit is a bit more fuzzy on ability to claim and utilize this function it seems.
You're probably right on the NBCs, but I have no real control over that unless I really play with the rates since no ability to toggle the rate of discharge during peak hours.
Regardless, I plan to restart Ohmconnect.com now that I'm actually USING grid energy 6p-9p and setting up for a nice baseline usage -- then during ohm hour days by turning OFF the discharge to grid during 4-6pm and discharge during the ohm hour -- making bang that way on credits.
Solar powers the house nicely to about 630right now and anticipate that to extend to 730p at best.
What I'm really hoping for is Elon to make PW2 adapter to plug into the EVs to allow daisychain batteries and discharge that way so don't have to install yet another inverter. This maintains the value of PW2 installs, and leverages the huge EV battery for home support (and arbitrage).
Attachments
yes correct
My first year was solar and no PWs. My NEM was ~$200. I added PWs and was fairly aggressive with the rate arbitrage setting my Reserve around 33%. I figured this may make me negative on NEM and it did at -$900. That was last year. So this year, I'm being more conservative with the Reserve by setting it at 75 to 80%. I was tracking to a zero NEM which is what I want with the added safety in the PWs. I say was tracking because I got converted to a CCA 60 days before my true-up unbeknownst to me. They had told me it would be 30 days prior and even said I could not opt out until close to the 30 days. Now I'm sitting at 70+ days since my CCA conversion with no bill whatsoever.
People who have time running on ITC and do not wish to give it up are not entitled to use grid charging (this is not 100% solar charging). NOTE: if you want to , you can rebate the remainder ITC without giving up past usage, i.e., you do not have to rebate the whole ITC). Anyway, that is my view. If you want to keep the ITC, consider the following:
Summer Settings
Energy Exports=Everything
Grid Charging=No
****************************
Midnight: Reserve 100%, Mode=Self-Powered, StormWatch=enable
3PM: Reserve=50%, Mode=Self-Powered, StormWatch=disable
4PM: Reserve =0%, Mode=Time-Based
I have not thought thru Winter settings. Hubitat Rule Machine or Darwin's Powerwall Manager can be used to avoid manual changes. I used 50% because I need that to get thru partial-peak and peak, and I use 0% reserve because I'm willing to risk a power loss, I enable/disable StormWatch because I do not want to pay to fully charge at pp/peak rates.
I expect the system to dump stored and current unneeded solar at peak rates. I've not tested this because I'm testing settings my installer gave me after telling me about the new settings. He has me using the Grid Charging.
Opinions/experience please?
I'm in CA with PGE, EV2-A. 2PW.
Summer Settings
Energy Exports=Everything
Grid Charging=No
****************************
Midnight: Reserve 100%, Mode=Self-Powered, StormWatch=enable
3PM: Reserve=50%, Mode=Self-Powered, StormWatch=disable
4PM: Reserve =0%, Mode=Time-Based
I have not thought thru Winter settings. Hubitat Rule Machine or Darwin's Powerwall Manager can be used to avoid manual changes. I used 50% because I need that to get thru partial-peak and peak, and I use 0% reserve because I'm willing to risk a power loss, I enable/disable StormWatch because I do not want to pay to fully charge at pp/peak rates.
I expect the system to dump stored and current unneeded solar at peak rates. I've not tested this because I'm testing settings my installer gave me after telling me about the new settings. He has me using the Grid Charging.
Opinions/experience please?
I'm in CA with PGE, EV2-A. 2PW.
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I found that there is a setting in the Android app under Settings...Powerwall...Advanced that now allows you to manually turn on and off grid charging. I'm trying it now, but it seems that it will only charge from the grid up to your Backup Reserve setting. This makes sense since you would always want to top off your backup power whenever you can so it's ready for unforseen power outages.
It behaves differently depending on whether you're using time-based control or self-consumption.
There is more discussion here: New Powerwall Advanced Options [Toggle for charging from the grid that is not stormwatch mode!]
Here is Tesla's documentation of the new setting: Powerwall Modes | Tesla Support
Also see the new Energy exports setting just above that section that may be available to some: Powerwall Modes | Tesla Support