I have a Tesla Powerwall that was just connected to my (non-Tesla) solar system. I'm using the self-powered mode. The Storm Watch setting is also currently on. Our power lines are underground so an outage is highly unlikely. Since my battery is new, I let it charge, then turned off the storm watch so I could use the stored power in the battery. I'm confused about the app settings during discharge and charging. My home usage just prior to turning off storm watch said 0.5 kW, and as soon as the battery started charging, it jumped to 5.5 kW (first image). Then I opted back in to storm watch, and went into charging mode (second image). It was night, so how on earth is there 3 kW from solar?
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Trying to understand Powerwall status
- Thread starter ShoeHo
- Start date
Couple different things here...
1. Just because you have buried power lines, that doesnt mean you cant suffer an outage upstream somewhere.
2. Stormwatch mode was actually activated on your system because of a red flag warning. Most of the time, stormwatch mode is "on" but its waiting for the exact circumstance your picture shows (red flag warnings of specific types) to activate grid charging to ensure you have a full powerwall if possible if there is an outage.
3. There shouldnt be power from solar at night, thats normally a mis configured CT situation.
1. Just because you have buried power lines, that doesnt mean you cant suffer an outage upstream somewhere.
2. Stormwatch mode was actually activated on your system because of a red flag warning. Most of the time, stormwatch mode is "on" but its waiting for the exact circumstance your picture shows (red flag warnings of specific types) to activate grid charging to ensure you have a full powerwall if possible if there is an outage.
3. There shouldnt be power from solar at night, thats normally a mis configured CT situation.
jgleigh
Member
Yep, looks like CTs are not setup correctly. Unfortunately a very common occurrence. Your house load shouldn't jump up by 5 kW to match the Powerwall charging and you shouldn't have solar generation at night.
Thank you - new to all this. Agree on #1. For #2, we have high winds frequently here in NM so that's what triggered the red flag warning. For #3, I don't know what a mis-configured CT situation is. All that should be coming from the grid then, right? Do I need to get the electrician to come back out, or is it an app thing?
Electrph
Member
believe CT must be physically reconfigured but i thought i read way in installers menu to reconfigure in certain missinstalls ? but def cannot be corrected in users app
Electrph
Member
correct .. assuming solar is actually avail at that point in time and the settings / charge state of battery of course
That's correct. The way my CTs are configured is that they're on solar and site (grid). The house load is calculated from the CT measurements plus the Powerwall output. If a CT is placed on the wrong line or reversed, the house load will look strange because it is calculated from the other current flows.
charlesj
Active Member
I would rephrase that last section: Solar and/or/not powerwall and/or/not grid or nothing.
A number of conditions and circumstances are in play.
