Wait for Utility to turn system on?

[brian954]

im finally getting my solar system (8.2kwh and 2x powerwalls) on 9/19. Do I really have to wait for the utility company permission to operate it? I’ve been so excited I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wait.

Tesla has stated over the phone that many users opt to just turn it on with the knowledge that they will not receive credits from the utility until they are given final approval. Is this the only downside? Are their any safety concerns?

 

[woferry]

Yes, the utility owns the lines/equipment that connect to your house, they need to approve proper installation/operation of things that connect and could potentially cause fires / transformer failures / etc, affect other connected houses, electrocute lineworkers, and so on. If anything went wrong caused by your system without PTO I'd imagine there are extra legal/financial risks involved. Likely also wouldn't be covered by your insurance. So there's no way I'd risk it.

For me the final inspection took even longer than the wait for PTO, it's just that PTO doesn't start until the permit is closed. So my install had finished 3/19, permits closed 4/10, PTO'ed 4/26. I didn't flip the switches for good until 5/3 because the day I received the PTO I was flying cross-country for a death in the family, so I wasn't comfortable leaving a newly-installed system active for the first week completely unattended. So I flipped the switches for the last 3 hours of sunlight to put some charge in the PW (and diagnose/fix Tesla's CT wiring mistakes), then shut it all down for one more week.

 

[groovidad]

Yes, best to wait for the "green" light from your utitlity co.

 

[miimura]

"testing" is usually allowed. If everything is working with the grid, you could try running the system without the grid. After you get everything running in Self Powered mode and then turn off the main breaker, there's nothing for the utility to complain about.

However, you should at least wait for the installation team to say everything is OK. Best to wait for city inspection too, just in case the installers missed something.

 

[Gixx1300R]

Your utility company will need to install a Net meter before you turn on the system

 

[troptop]

anyone else would like to share their experience on this topic?

 

[Zaxxon]

Just from a liability standpoint I'd wait.

In fact, this is timely. My new Tesla system passed county inspection today. Further, I already have a net meter because this is my 2nd system. Just need the prod meter.

Clock's ticking...

 

[MorrisonHiker]

We had our system inspected on the final day of installation. Our utility company then had an 8 week deadline to give us PTO. You guessed it, they arrived 7 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes later and installed our two meters with a few minutes to spare.

 

[Zaxxon]

We had our system inspected on the final day of installation. Our utility company then had an 8 week deadline to give us PTO. You guessed it, they arrived 7 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes later and installed our two meters with a few minutes to spare.

 

[mspohr]

I turned my on after all the inspections were done and approved but before the power company came to install the new meter. It took about three weeks for them to show up. Since my original meter was very old, it just ran backwards during the day so I did get credit for the power.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

I just went back and watched the video we made at the time. I guess I got the number of days incorrect but basically they showed up 15 minutes before the deadline. Nothing like waiting until the last few minutes!

 

[Zaxxon]

When my original system was turned on back in 2014, Xcel took only around a week. Fingers crossed...

 

[Ulmo]

im finally getting my solar system (8.2kwh and 2x powerwalls) on 9/19. Do I really have to wait for the utility company permission to operate it? I’ve been so excited I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wait.

Tesla has stated over the phone that many users opt to just turn it on with the knowledge that they will not receive credits from the utility until they are given final approval. Is this the only downside? Are their any safety concerns?

My system was plugged in and operating for something like a year before I knew that there needed to be some type of approval. The "approval" process was entirely slow and paperwork oriented, and had nothing to do with installation. Check your homeowner's insurance: you could lose a million dollars. In my experience, PG&E did not respond within the 8 week deadline period at all. Nor did Tesla. Or the county. They each dragged their respective feet and refused to lift a finger. I had to prod all of them like pigs.

 

[BobAbooey]

My system was plugged in and operating for something like a year before I knew that there needed to be some type of approval. The "approval" process was entirely slow and paperwork oriented, and had nothing to do with installation. Check your homeowner's insurance: you could lose a million dollars. In my experience, PG&E did not respond within the 8 week deadline period at all. Nor did Tesla. Or the county. They each dragged their respective feet and refused to lift a finger. I had to prod all of them like pigs.

what do mean "homeowner's insurance" do most not insure if you have solar on the roof?

 

[Zaxxon]

what do mean "homeowner's insurance" do most not insure if you have solar on the roof?

If you're operating without PTO it's unclear whether your insurance would cover an incident.