A few months ago, we shared a video about the launch of the Tesla Powerwall 3 and its exciting new features.
We wanted to give you a real-world update on the installation of the Powerwall 3 for our real solar customers, as well as our experience at Green Power Energy as a certified Tesla installer.
If you’re considering a Tesla Powerwall for your home, this update will give you all the insights you need! Contact us at Green Power Energy today to schedule a consultation and have us install your new Tesla Powerwall 3.
Features and Benefits of the Tesla Powerwall 3
The Tesla Powerwall 3 has great new features, such as its ability to be mounted outdoors, and it has an 11.5-kilowatt AC inverter built within it. These new features have really made the design and installation of our battery storage projects much better and more cost-effective.
We’re able to save space on the homeowner’s installation by putting these units outdoors, and they’re really working well in the cold winter months we’re currently having. We’re also able to use fewer batteries to get the same amount of power to power people’s homes.
In the past, when we were doing a lot of homes that were only partially backed up, we’re now doing more and more projects where we’re able to back up the entire home, similar to how you would have a whole-home backup with an automatic transfer switch for a gas generator.
Real-World Installations
We’re doing a whole-home backup with the Tesla Powerwall 3 and the new Gateway 3. These Tesla products are really working out well, and here are some pictures of our customers that we’ve installed so far.
Installation Advantages
Outdoor Installation
As discussed in the earlier video, the Powerwall 3 can be mounted outdoors. At this customer’s home, you can see how we mount it on the outside wall of their house, freeing up space from their garage or basement that we would have otherwise had to install it in.
This also made it easier for our installers to complete the installation in record time, saving money for our customers.
Customers considering battery storage often have to consider where they’re going to put the battery units, and space inside is typically limited. A basement or a garage is where we typically mount them, but if we’re able to mount them outside now with the Powerwall 3, there’s a lot more available space to us.
We typically mount these units near your existing electric utility meter.
Performance During Power Outages
Over the past several months, the Powerwall 3 has definitely proven its value. This customer experienced an outage, and the Powerwall 3 instantly took over, powering the entire house without them even knowing.
The other unique installation advantage of the Powerwall 3 over previous models is its ability to have a 60-amp output for its backup power during the loss of the utility grid. This allows people to power more with one battery unit.
The battery storage system kicks on immediately at the loss of grid power. With just one Powerwall, you’re able to back up most of your appliances and lights, and with more than one Powerwall, you can back up your entire home.
Now, what’s great about the Powerwall is it’s very expandable, from 1 to up to 16 units of 13.5 kWh of battery capacity.
Integration with Solar Panel Systems
Another great feature of the Tesla Powerwall 3 that our customers have been taking advantage of is the ability to have the solar from the roof tied into the same inverter as the battery system within the Powerwall.
This is a fantastic feature because it saves on cost. We’re now using the same Powerwall for the battery system as well as the solar system on the roof. This is a great feature of the Powerwall 3 that wasn’t available in previous versions.
The day-to-day experience for our Tesla Powerwall 3 customers has been incredibly user-friendly.
The Tesla app has the ability for them to monitor their battery levels, check the status of their solar system, and see all lifetime production. It also has a variety of settings unique for each customer’s specific needs.
So, compared to the Powerwall 2, which only had a 5-kilowatt inverter, the Powerwall 3 has an 11.5 kW inverter and has the ability to be DC-coupled with the solar system.
The solar system being able to be tied in directly to the Powerwall 3 allows the customer to save on the inverter cost of their solar system, and it can save them overall 10% on the total system.
Design Considerations and Utility Approvals
The Tesla Powerwall 3 is superior to the Powerwall 2 because it has more than double the output capacity of the inverter. This allows the customers to back up more with one battery unit than they ever did before.
On top of that, our customers are able to tie their solar system directly into the Powerwall 3, achieving greater savings on their overall project.
There are a lot of design considerations when you’re doing an energy storage project, and the Powerwall 3 gives you many different options. You can have one Powerwall 3, two Powerwall 3s, or even now, you can have one Powerwall 3 with one Powerwall Expansion Pack.
The new Tesla Expansion Pack gives you the same battery storage capacity, but it doesn’t have an inverter built within it. So, this actually has a great advantage when you only need that 11.5 kW of output, and you want more battery capacity.
Working with a Certified Installer
The increased power output of the Powerwall 3 compared to the Powerwall 2 has allowed us to design some incredible systems for our customers. We’ve more than doubled the output capacity of each Powerwall unit, allowing us to cover more of the home during a grid outage.
It really is a superior product with its ability to be mounted outdoors and all this capacity to back up your home.
We really recommend this product, and the ability for us to couple the solar installation on the roof into the Powerwall itself allows for overall savings on the solar system like never seen before.
Most of our customers who are installing the Tesla Powerwall now are taking advantage of this feature and are only using the inverter within the Powerwall itself for their project.
Technical Considerations and Utility Approvals
Let’s get technical for a minute and talk about why this feature of DC coupling and using the same inverter for your solar panels as well as the battery is becoming more and more important and more of an actual real use case.
The existing utility grid is a crucial factor in each project we install, whether it’s solar, storage, or a combination of both, as it has to be reviewed and approved by your local utility company. We’re essentially installing a power plant at your home, and it’s very important that we get the proper approval and engineering review from your utility company.
The existing utility grid has to be compatible with the system that we design and install at your property. If the system is too large, then the utility company may not approve it. There is also an existing infrastructure that we have to design within; otherwise, it might trigger a utility upgrade.
Now, a lot of these upgrades may be covered by the utility company, but they can add some time to the overall project timeline to get them installed. For example, if the existing utility grid only has 15 kWs of capacity left on it for your specific transformer that feeds your house, and you want to install two Powerwalls plus an inverter system, you might be looking at 30 kW of output, and the utility company wouldn’t approve that.
But if you are able to put all of that in one Powerwall and design a system that meets the utility’s criteria for quick approval, you can make that happen with one Powerwall 3 and the solar system on the roof. So, instead of having 20 to 30 kW of AC capacity spread across multiple inverter systems in the past, you can now have it all in one unit. It’s more efficient, it saves time, it saves money, and it allows for a seamless approval process with your utility company.
Why You Should Have Green Power Install Your Tesla Powerwall 3
Now, knowing all these different parameters is very important when designing your system because it allows you to take advantage of the options of the products that we install.
There are a lot of moving parts to a battery storage system, and it is very important that you discuss your project and your needs with a design engineer to make sure that the system is being installed correctly and planned for properly.
Knowing how much solar you have on the roof, what you want to back up, and how many units you can install are all important factors that go into planning for your storage project.
It’s essential to work with an experienced installer like Green Power Energy to make sure that the project goes through flawlessly and works well for you for years to come.
From design to implementation, having the right team can make the difference.
We strongly encourage you to talk to a certified Tesla installer for your Powerwall project, and we encourage you to reach out to Green Power Energy for a custom quote.
What to Expect When You Install With Us
The process typically involves talking with one of our energy consultants about your specific needs, at which point you will decide how many units you want to work with preliminarily. If you’re looking for a powerful and reliable energy solution, Powerwall 3 is a great choice.
We encourage you to speak with one of our energy consultants to talk about your specific project, and they will help guide you through all the options and products that we have.
Once you have a preliminary plan in place with your energy consultant, we will send out a certified technician to survey your home to get all of the information we need for our mechanical engineers to come up with a final plan for you.
We like to have a specific consultation phone call with you about your home and your needs for the energy storage system to make sure we have a proper plan in place before we go to engineering and submit for all the approvals with your town and your utility company.
Once we have all of the approvals in place, we will schedule your installation, and you’ll be going solar with battery backup in no time at all.
Schedule Your Tesla Powerwall 3 Installation Today
In summary, the Tesla Powerwall 3 has exceeded our expectations in the first few months. The ease of installation and the reliability of the product has been superior. Our customers are really enjoying it, and I love looking at all of their sites on the Tesla app to see how they’re performing every day. It’s really a wonderful app and a great user experience. The Tesla support for us has also been nothing but great.
Contact us at Green Power Energy today to book an initial consultation for the Tesla Powerwall 3 installation.
