Powerwall in New England ?

[robby]

We just got a confirmed installation date of Jan 3. Getting two Powerwalls installed in conjunction with an existing 10.395 kW solar setup. We are allowed to keep our net metering.

 

[EdA]

@robby - is that National Grid or Eversource or municipal or ...?

 

[robby]

National Grid. We had done the paperwork before National Grid started fighting net metering with Powerwalls -- not sure whether that timing played a role in our approval.

 

[ivolodin]

Couple of updates. My neighbor, after talking to me, called Tesla to install powerwalls and panels on his house in September. His installation is scheduled for tomorrow with 2 powerwalls and 11kWh worth of panels. He did sign net metering agreement. And this is with Eversource. I still will not believe that they will install 2 powerwalls for him until I see it with my own eyes. However, I got a call from Tesla yesterday in the afternoon, saying that they finally got an approval from Eversource for my second system, which includes additional 3kWh worth of panels + 2 powerwalls. After talking to the guy on the phone, he did mention that Eversource just changed their rules in regards to powerwalls. Again, I'll only believe it once my powerwalls are installed, since I put my deposit in August of 2017... But at least it sounds like there's hope.

 

[EdA]

@ivolodin - did your neighbor ever get his Powerwalls installed? Are you in Boston "Boston"? Otherwise, what town?

Thanks,
/Ed

 

[ivolodin]

Yes, he got all of the panels and 2 power walls installed. Took them 3 days to do his installation, but it's all set now (just waiting to be turned on).
I also got a call from scheduling team a day or two later, saying that my second system + 2 powerwall has been approved and they can schedule an appointment for early February. I told them that's fine and go ahead, schedule it. And then yesterday I got a call from somebody at Tesla, saying that since my first system is 7.6kWh AC, and the smallest inverted that Tesla has is 3kWh AC, it went over 10kWh limit for Eversource installations, and Eversource declined my installation request... I asked why did they schedule the installation without getting approvals first, and she said that they shouldn't have done that... I also told her that even through Eversource limit is 10kWh, MassACA allows installations up to 21kWh or something like that, and that Tesla already submitted application to MassACA on my behave. She had no idea what I was talking about, and now it seems I'm back to square one. At this point, I think I'm about ready to just give up and install a propane tank and backup generator instead... Although she did say that Eversource approved installation of my powerwalls, so maybe I'll just go with 2 powerwalls without the second system.
I'm in Weston, MA.

 

[EdA]

Ugh, best of luck. We're neighbors I'm in Natick.

Hopefully I get a call from Tesla soon...

 

[yousexy]

or you can wait till DPU issues a ruling.

I'm a bit confused as your neighbor's system is 11KW? Isn't that over the 10kw limit?

Thanks for sharing the information. I'm thinking about adding a 2nd system + power wall myself next Summer.

 

[ivolodin]

When I looked at his documents, the system size was listed in kWh DC, it was somewhere around 11.6, which translates to 10kWh AC, which is the cap that Eversource have (at least based on what Tesla told me). In regards to the second system, I was told that Tesla will not do second system at all anymore, I was given an exception because the salesperson who installed my first system promised me that I will be able to upgrade later, and she was promoted to a regional sales manager, so she was able to push it through. She was since laid of from Tesla (in the middle of her maternity leave, which sounds very strange)...
And in terms of waiting for ruling, who knows where it's going to come. And I do loose power quite often (at least a few time a year), since Weston is basically located in the middle of the woods, and more or less every storm brings some trees down. My house is in between railroad and a stream, so there's no gas anywhere around my house. So the only options I have for back-up power is either powerwalls or propane tank plus generator. And once my power goes down, everything is down, water (well pump), heating (water heating so again, pump), stove (electric), etc. With a small baby in the house, I need some sort of back-up option.
I wish Tesla would enable powering the house from the car. Since I have two of them, it would last me a long while, and I could always drive and recharge one of them from the supercharger, while the other is powering the house.

 

[yousexy]

Thanks ivolodin. My parents live near North Ave at Weston. They too have power outage in the winter consistently every year. I feel your pain.

I'll ask DPU's general counsel about this order next week. The hearing officer who handles this order has just left the DPU so I'm not sure when they will make the ruling but we can always be hopeful.

The solution has to come from the DPU, not the utilities.

 

[robby]

@ivolodin What do you mean by a "second system"? Do you mean that once you have Powerwalls, Tesla will not add more of them?

 

[ivolodin]

@yousexy As far as I understand it, DPU ruling is going to affect Powerwall installations, not the net metering limit for the system, right? In that case, based on what I've heard from Tesla and the fact that my neighbor did get powerwalls installed, it looks like Eversource already lifted the restriction on installation of the powerwalls that they had since the spring of this year. In that case, DPU ruling might make it easier to claim tax rebate on the Powerwall installation, but not actually change anything in terms of the pain associated with the installation process itself. As I mentioned, the person who called me, said that Eversource did approve installation of my 2 Powerwalls, but denied installation of second solar array.
@robby No, I mean that once you installed one solar array with Tesla, they will not install a second one. My first array is PPA, so they can't just replace the inverter on it and add more panels, they have to install a whole second system, with it's own inverter. I did ask Tesla about adding more Powerwalls later, after the initial installation, and they said they have no problem doing it, but you have to get yet another approval from the electrical company that serves your area (makes absolutely 0 sense to me, since Powerwalls are plug-and-play and chained, so you don't even have to touch electric wiring at all). And it's usually a major pain.

 

[tga]

but you have to get yet another approval from the electrical company that serves your area (makes absolutely 0 sense to me, since Powerwalls are plug-and-play and chained, so you don't even have to touch electric wiring at all). And it's usually a major pain.

They want to reevaluate the interconnect. More powerwalls = more power flow to/from the grid, and they need to make sure your transformer, etc are size appropriately.

 

[ivolodin]

They want to reevaluate the interconnect. More powerwalls = more power flow to/from the grid, and they need to make sure your transformer, etc are size appropriately.

Powerwalls by themselves don't produce energy, they just store it. So you might be able to output more energy to the grid in the short period of time, but total amount of energy output stays unchanged. And even that isn't going to happen, since Powerwalls don't usually dump energy into the grid, they charge up, and once they are full, they redirect energy output from the solar array into the grid. Also, since Tesla doesn't usually connect Powerwalls to the grid directly (as an input), the amount of electricity from the grid stays unchanged (Tesla usually connects Powerwalls to be chargeable only from the solar panels, that's a prerequisite for getting federal tax break). So overall, unless you add more panels, you input/output from the grid should stay more or less unchanged (it should be slightly lower then before due to the loss of efficiency from DC to AC conversion). But when did common sense every stopped companies from creating more regulations?

 

[jeffsutherland]

Tesla says Eversource is blocking battery installations in Massachusetts. I have been waiting for a year and a half. Have testified before the Dept of Public Utilities and am constantly complaining to my representatives in the State House who all strongly support solar. They all seem hamstrung by Eversource.

 

[ivolodin]

@jeffsutherland Try calling Tesla again, it does look like Eversource lifted that restriction few weeks ago. At the very list, I know for sure that my neighbor got 2 Powerwalls installed just a few weeks ago.

 

[tga]

@ivolodin - I agree with everything you said, especially the last sentence.

 

[yousexy]

The point is that powerwall is an energy storage device. For utilities to put up restriction is a bunch of bull. Only the DPU can put a stop to it.

 

[robby]

Our Powerwalls were installed on Friday. Tesla staff were great and had it done in a day. No outages yet but I did test the system by shutting off the grid supply and it worked near-instantly (appliances did not turn off). Town inspection is TBD, expected later this week.

Our National Grid nightmares are almost over.

 

[masam]

@robby - when did you place your order ? We've been waiting since Summer and still no word on our install.