Tesla Solar System Questions

[philly4]

I'm looking into getting a Tesla solar system. I've done quite a bit of looking but haven't been able to nail down a few questions.

If I get a 7.2 kW system (no PW) and have net metering:

1. If my house is demanding more power than the solar system can provide at any given time (say 11 kW cause I'm charging my M3LR) does the solar sytem put 7.2 kW (or max pull from my system....whatever it's generating) while pulling the excess (~ 3.8 kW) from the local power company? i.e. can it combine the power? Or, does it decide that it can't handle the load and pull all power from the power company and "waste" the power generated from my solor until my demand goes down?

2. If I decide I want/need more capacity in a year or two; can I just buy/add/upgrade another 2.4 kW of panels (and maybe get another inverter) and increase my system to a 9.6 kW? Would that be way more expensive than just getting a 9.6 kW system to start with?

Thanks so much for any help!

 

[h2ofun]

I'm looking into getting a Tesla solar system. I've done quite a bit of looking but haven't been able to nail down a few questions.

If I get a 7.2 kW system (no PW) and have net metering:

1. If my house is demanding more power than the solar system can provide at any given time (say 11 kW cause I'm charging my M3LR) does the solar sytem put 7.2 kW (or max pull from my system....whatever it's generating) while pulling the excess (~ 3.8 kW) from the local power company? i.e. can it combine the power? Or, does it decide that it can't handle the load and pull all power from the power company and "waste" the power generated from my solor until my demand goes down?

2. If I decide I want/need more capacity in a year or two; can I just buy/add/upgrade another 2.4 kW of panels (and maybe get another inverter) and increase my system to a 9.6 kW? Would that be way more expensive than just getting a 9.6 kW system to start with?

Thanks so much for any help!

From first hand experience, get ALL the panels you think you might ever need, and more, NOW!! Add on may not even be possible!
I maxed out room, including north facing, and what PGE would approve!! We can be certain we always will be finding more needs for electrical going forward. I just installed 5 EV charging lines, and I do not even own an EV yet

 

[philly4]

From first hand experience, get ALL the panels you think you might ever need, and more, NOW!! Add on may not even be possible!
I maxed out room, including north facing, and what PGE would approve!! We can be certain we always will be finding more needs for electrical going forward. I just installed 5 EV charging lines, and I do not even own an EV yet

Thanks. That's totally my attitide except I expect to be moving in a few years....and I doubt I'll recoup my ROI if I go extra big.

 

[sunwarriors]

I wouldn't do solar if I was moving in a few years (what's "a few"?), but I also suggest getting as much as you can in 1 shot. Not sure about NM, but some installers won't touch someone elses earlier work so you'll have 2 systems if you add on later and there is the added cost/hassle of having to update the utility, pull permits probably, be at home while someone shows up, etc...

You can research more if you want PWs depending on what your utility does.

 

[philly4]

I wouldn't do solar if I was moving in a few years (what's "a few"?), but I also suggest getting as much as you can in 1 shot. Not sure about NM, but some installers won't touch someone elses earlier work so you'll have 2 systems if you add on later and there is the added cost/hassle of having to update the utility, pull permits probably, be at home while someone shows up, etc...

You can research more if you want PWs depending on what your utility does.

Probably 3 years and I'll move. Anybody know the answer to question #1? Thanks!

 

[roblab]

Probably 3 years and I'll move.

And in 3 years there will be more people buying EVs and wanting/needing your system, but it's not like you can't take it with you, either, because you can. I mean, you'll have an empty truck. Stack those power walls AND all the solar that will fit in it unless your buyer has seen the light and is willing to pay a little more for the home with them included.

 

[h2ofun]

Thanks. That's totally my attitide except I expect to be moving in a few years....and I doubt I'll recoup my ROI if I go extra big.

I agree with other comment. If you are going to be moving soon, I would do nothing

 

[arnolddeleon]

I'm looking into getting a Tesla solar system. I've done quite a bit of looking but haven't been able to nail down a few questions.

If I get a 7.2 kW system (no PW) and have net metering:

1. If my house is demanding more power than the solar system can provide at any given time (say 11 kW cause I'm charging my M3LR) does the solar sytem put 7.2 kW (or max pull from my system....whatever it's generating) while pulling the excess (~ 3.8 kW) from the local power company? i.e. can it combine the power? Or, does it decide that it can't handle the load and pull all power from the power company and "waste" the power generated from my solor until my demand goes down?

2. If I decide I want/need more capacity in a year or two; can I just buy/add/upgrade another 2.4 kW of panels (and maybe get another inverter) and increase my system to a 9.6 kW? Would that be way more expensive than just getting a 9.6 kW system to start with?

Thanks so much for any help!

1. No wasted production, you will get a blend of your production and the grid. You can think of the solar just like any other load except instead of pulling power it pushes it.

2. Adding more later is generally more expensive in the short to medium run assuming you are paying someone to do it. Over (a long time) solar gets cheaper but there is a fixed overhead to doing an install. Many systems are not easily expanded (if they are, you paid for it up front like a larger inverter). Micro inverters are probably the easiest to expand in small steps but Tesla doesn't sell those.

Advice you didn't ask for:

Figure out why you are doing solar. Is it to save money? Save the planet? Have cool tech? All could be true. This will influence choices that you make. Knowing much much each aspect is "worth to you" will make it easier to make choices.

If you are moving in 3 years,as I saw in other posts you, will be hard pressed to get a great return on your investment if the only objective was to save money (Unless your electric rates are excessively high). However if you choose to have solar then you will miss out on 3 years of joy (assuming solar gives that do you). In some situations your finances basically come ahead on day 1 because your financed cost for solar will be less than what savings you get.

When you sell/move the existing system will have value however it will not be what you paid for it. Remember solar in general is getting cheaper over time so the buyer should value it at the prevailing cost of solar in 3 years. This is what I did when I purchased a property with existing solar. You may get lucky and hit a case where your solar is worth more because it might have "grandfathered" terms that are favorable to the consumer and you can pass them on to the new buyer. An example of this is likely to happen in California. Solar installed in CA right now will likely be worth more than solar installed in a year because of the proposed new net metering rules.

If that is too complex then my net advice is if you can afford the solar and the net cash flow is roughly the same with solar and without I would go for it. Enjoy life.

 

[jjrandorin]

I'm looking into getting a Tesla solar system. I've done quite a bit of looking but haven't been able to nail down a few questions.

If I get a 7.2 kW system (no PW) and have net metering:

1. If my house is demanding more power than the solar system can provide at any given time (say 11 kW cause I'm charging my M3LR) does the solar sytem put 7.2 kW (or max pull from my system....whatever it's generating) while pulling the excess (~ 3.8 kW) from the local power company? i.e. can it combine the power? Or, does it decide that it can't handle the load and pull all power from the power company and "waste" the power generated from my solor until my demand goes down?

2. If I decide I want/need more capacity in a year or two; can I just buy/add/upgrade another 2.4 kW of panels (and maybe get another inverter) and increase my system to a 9.6 kW? Would that be way more expensive than just getting a 9.6 kW system to start with?

Thanks so much for any help!

1. Yes (and a 7.2 kW system will likely not be generating 7.2kW at any given point, but thats another discussion)

2. In general, just about any additions to a solar system will be a brand new system. The only way you would be adding panels to an existing system would be if you installed it yourself, or the company that installed it would be willing to add panels (none of them do that, pretty much).

Adding onto your system is adding an entire new system, along with its wiring, inverter, etc so will always be more expensive than getting the larger size now. So, "Yes it would be way more expensive since you would be buying an entire new system, in pretty much all cases". Get what you want now, dont plan on adding on later.

EDIT: Just saw that OP plan was to move in 3 years. If thats the case, I would also agree with the other posters in this thread that say "In that scenario, I would do nothing".

 

[BGbreeder]

With the disruptions to global supply chains in general, and the changing tariffs and lawsuits around imported solar panels, in particular, I would hesitate to forecast future solar PV prices, although I agree that wholesale cost at the factory will continue to go down in many places.

On the other hand, given global politics oil isn't going to get a lot cheaper in the the next few years, and the way the weather has been going, I wouldn't count on hydro to be reliable, which may backup on your local grid reliability.

I think @arnolddeleon makes some great points and asks the key questions to sort out for yourself. If you plan on moving on moving ina few years, you could view this as a trial run for finding out what you like / don't like about solar installations, solar capacity, and how it affects your view on home energy. I do think that there is a pretty good group here whose collective wisdom would be beneficial.

For someone who is moving in a few years actual solar ROI will depend quite strongly on the residual value of the solar system to your home buyer. From what others have shared here, I would doubt that there is any solar system, electrical usage pattern, and New Mexican electrical tariff that would pay for itself in three years, leaving you with a residual solar cost.

Whether solar is a plus, minus or neutral to your home buyer is TBD. Unless you know that you would give a discount to someone because the buyer "loved" your solar, you are most likely going to sell your home to whomever offers the most, right? How much of that price is the solar "value" is known only to that buyer. Trying to forecast that is not doable with any certainty, so I wouldn't try. Most people can't rationally comparison shop in the grocery store, so why expect them to be rational about home buying, where it is truly not apples to apples?

My bottom line: do it because you want to learn first hand, learn from your own decisions, for the planet, or for bragging rights. Trying to do it for an ROI with a three year term is a boondoggle in my mind. (And I think that any realtor that tells you that they can forecast what the value of a solar system is to a home price is in three years should be made to guarantee the purchase price in writing. There are truly way too many unknowns. "Past performance is no guarantee of future results...")

All the best,

BG

 

[arnolddeleon]

I love @BGbreeder 's notion of a trial run. The amount of money you will save or lose over three years is not going to be huge. So as experiments go this is low risk.

 

[philly4]

Thanks all for the advice. I'm moving forward for now. By my assumptions, I'll break even if I get about 7k extra on the sale price of the house due to the added value....which is hard to determine but I think in the corect ballpark for the system I'm going with.

Figure out why you are doing solar. Is it to save money? Save the planet? Have cool tech?

All of the above. I'm happy to pay a bit more to reduce coal usage (the main grid supply here).

 

[sunwarriors]

I personally think installing solar gives you $0 extra in selling a home, but that's me with my CA mindset (with our prop 13 and insane price increases). Solar is a puddle in what houses cost when 1 mil is the ghetto and a $25k-$50k install is nothing compared to the price of houses now.

Still, I definitely wouldn't do an install with all the headaches and hassles if I was moving soon. I don't assume I'd get any sale bump since as a home buyer, I sorta rather pick/plan my own system vs. something someone else picked for me. Unless you plan to install it yourself, I also don't think there is much to "learn", and you can pick up quite a bit even if it's your forever home.

Like most home upgrades, added value for home renovations is a lie (IMO). If you can't enjoy the solar savings and tell the IOU to bugger off, I'd just use coal till I move.

 

[philly4]

Yeah, most home improvements are really hard to quantify value added. Out here in NM we're nowhere near the crazy home prices as CA.

That being said, IMO for my situation, there's def some home value added where an average electric bill for a perspective buyer would be $220-250 a month and instead is $7 (access fee and net metering). Hopefully anyway...

 

[ptdusn]

Yeah, most home improvements are really hard to quantify value added. Out here in NM we're nowhere near the crazy home prices as CA.

That being said, IMO for my situation, there's def some home value added where an average electric bill for a perspective buyer would be $220-250 a month and instead is $7 (access fee and net metering). Hopefully anyway...

Here in AZ, average increase in home value with Solar and PWs is $25k

 

[BGbreeder]

Here in AZ, average increase in home value with Solar and PWs is $25k

Great! Where does that information come from?

All the best,

BG

 

[ptdusn]

Great! Where does that information come from?

All the best,

BG

From my Mortgage company

 

[MJ_CA_2019]

Great! Where does that information come from?

All the best,

BG

What about using something like this to quantify the increase in value?

Pearl Certification for Homeowners

Pearl Certification helps you increase the appraisal and resale value of your home by capturing the added value of key home performance improvements.

pearlcertification.com

 

[Fruitcake]

I'm looking into getting a Tesla solar system. I've done quite a bit of looking but haven't been able to nail down a few questions.

If I get a 7.2 kW system (no PW) and have net metering:

1. If my house is demanding more power than the solar system can provide at any given time (say 11 kW cause I'm charging my M3LR) does the solar sytem put 7.2 kW (or max pull from my system....whatever it's generating) while pulling the excess (~ 3.8 kW) from the local power company? i.e. can it combine the power? Or, does it decide that it can't handle the load and pull all power from the power company and "waste" the power generated from my solor until my demand goes down?

2. If I decide I want/need more capacity in a year or two; can I just buy/add/upgrade another 2.4 kW of panels (and maybe get another inverter) and increase my system to a 9.6 kW? Would that be way more expensive than just getting a 9.6 kW system to start with?

Thanks so much for any help!

I would strongly suggest you consider Powerwalls (or any other home battery solution, like LG, etc.)

Not only does it buy you a huge amount of flexibility in terms of storing energy for cost reasons, but it buys you resiliency in the case of power outages. You need power to generate power. In an outage scenario, your glorious 7.2 kW system will be down with the rest of the neighborhood. Of course, it will twinkle nicely in the bright afternoon sun. And that's about all the value you will get out of it, during an outage.

How frequent the power outages are in your area, I don't know. But you can't predict the future, either. "Past performance does not guarantee future results," as the financial industry escape clause saying goes.

I have two PWs and considering the nights my family and I were reasonably comfortable while my neighbors were without power due to (take your pick! summer derecho, fall hurricane, car sliding on ice and taking out a pole in the winter), it's one of the best investments I've ever made.

 

[philly4]

Not only does it buy you a huge amount of flexibility in terms of storing energy for cost reasons

I will have net metering with excess that carries over indefinitely....so I don't agree with this for my situation.

I've lived here for one year...still haven't had a single power outage. I love the idea of having a PW....I don't think they make financial sense for my situation.