☀️Looking for Tesla Poweralls? Get $100 back with my referral! ts.la/chris41676 Want Powerwall in Michigan? Email thillaker @ thegreenpanel.com and say Chris from Dirty Tesla sent you!
How does winter work? How much power does your geothermal HVAC use? Could you power that & how long? Would your generator have enough power &/or can it be connected to the powerwall? In theory, could you install propane & a propane generator and go fully off grid? In theory, could you install a solar array in your yard and not need a generator to power your HVAC? In theory, could you install a solar array in your yard and a propane generator and be 100% reliable fully off grid? How does winter work? Why don't you install a couple window air conditioners & how much power would this draw? I wound up with more questions than answers, Michigan gets both hot & cold. Btw, great channel!
@@tsamuel6224 Ha. Well theoretically anything is possible. Usually in a rural setup like this, people have propane. We opted for geothermal because 1. over the long-term it costs FAR less than propane, and 2. we didn't want to have to rely on deliveries of the propane and fluctuating prices (just like gasoline). Our geo in a year uses power equivalent to our home, but most of that is used in the winter. I really want to make a geothermal video explaining all this but YT and my subscribers would probably not appreciate it very much :) We could install solar to power everything, but to get enough energy in the winter we would need an insane amount of panels because not only is there less hours of sun per day in winter, the geo uses more energy, AND on average our days are very grey and cloudy. For window air conditioners we could easily power those, but didn't find it necessary. Fans did us fine. Our house is well insulated and we have a basement we can go to if we need to cool off.
@@tsamuel6224 good questions. It would be very good to power up his geothermal heat pump instead of shutting off solar when it hits 11kW (or the battery is full) :), even if that was the only time it was running. I wonder what power it uses (probably can’t have water heater and Geo-AC running at the same time). There’s been talk of smart appliances for years, but I’m not sure what’s really happened. Ideally you’d want to run an AC and have it adjust based on available power - have it get the temperature down to 85°, and boost cooling to 75° when there’s excess solar etc.
I have a air-water heat pump tied into my PV installation and have the pumps settings properly setup. Together with two PowerWalls. I literally have not taken any energy from the grid since March and there were also 2 grid outages since. I totally love it.
I was pretty blown away by the amount of power those panels can generate even when cloudy. And in Michigan no less! I've been listening to solar naysayers too long and had this idea that the solar panels weren't feasible but this video has pleasantly proved me wrong
Michigan is not that much to North, actually. If you compare it to Europe, it's equally close to equator as France and there's zero question if solar power makes sense in France. I live in Finland which is equally long distance from the equator as Alaska, and even here some home owners are doing ~6 kWp solar installations but I'm sceptical if it really makes any sense because the winter is so long and dark. Sure, you can get electricity during summer daytime without Powerwall but the amount of electricity you actually need at that time is very minimal and you would need the panels and the inverter to last at least 15 years to break even.
@@MikkoRantalainen I believe Mr Dirty Tesla believe his investment was already pay back, given that you don't have to worry about power when the grid couldn't supply any, don't need to worry if nearby gas station have enough gas for the area, and sit back at home with a bit more peace of mind than your neighbors. Especially you have wife and kids, power really means a lot in these dark days.
@@xwf80 I interpreted the message that Powerwall that Dirty Tesla has hasn't yet paid itself in money but in purpose. The uninterrupted power is valuable in itself and Powerwall can produce that. And Dirty Tesla also considered the value of uninterrupted power when he was saying that it's already worth it. Note that when you have Powerwall, you don't need to get device specific power backup systems such as UPS for all your computers. If you intend to have battery backup for many multiple devices anyway, it may be cheaper in long run to get Powerwall instead and get battery backup for *all* your devices at once. I'd guess the Powerwall batteries already have longer lifetime than typical lead batteries in UPS products.
Another Tesla product that is just so good it doesn't need advertising. An absolute no-brainer if you have regular outages. It's been years since an outage for me in the Netherlands so for me it would just be nice to power almost everything from our 20kw solar install, not really a necessity. Too bad it's quite expensive still, hopefully with Tesla's new diversified battery roadmap the prices can come down!
Hi fellow dutch man lol. Happy to see im not alone. Yeah its funny, power outages are not really a thing for us. Even when they happen once every 4 years its minutes, not hours and never days
I've had my Tesla solar + Powerwalls for 15 months and the longest I've been without power was two hours. Just patiently waiting for a big hurricane to cut my power for a week so I can make a video like you. 😔 🤪
It's like when you buy a snow blower and then it doesn't snow more than an inch at a time for the next two years. I actually just started the process for getting Tesla solar and a PowerWall. How was the installation experience?
@@tempesttube Installed everything in one day for our first 10kw and 2 pw, then the expansion to more solar and one more pw took 7 hours (finished up 3 days ago). My house is Texas massive but has the energy footprint of a tool shed. Fantastic process overall. The Tesla energy advisors are extremely busy so communicating can sometimes lag, but its not a deal breaker at all.
@@GoatDirt Mine will be a smaller installation and there’s easy access to the panel and where I want the PowerWall, so hopefully it goes just as smoothly. Thanks for the input!
Bring yourself and your Powerwalls to my house, because someday there is going to be an earthquake as big or bigger than the 1906 major earthquake and who knows how long the power will be out then?
What a great success story! You forgot to mention that families that rely on a portable generator need to worry about having somebody home to know how to get it started and hooked up. If both spouses are at work when it happens, there is no power. That means the fridge and freezer start warming up and the sump in the basement starts filling up. Your solution works regardless of anyone being home, to me that is a big aspect of it.
I build a energy efficient house with a PV installation and 2 PowerWalls. The PV system was switched on in October last year and I had 4 grid outages since. One of these outages took 3 days to be resolved and I had several neighbours come by asking whether I could store their frozen goods or if they could do their laundry. I now see several neighbours installing PVs on their roofs, as well as at least one also installed a PowerWall. 🙂 I am so absolutely happy with the decision with going for a large PV installation - totally worth it.
I was advised not to get the powerwall because they wouldn't pay themselves off but after the winter storm we had in Texas I'm not going through that again
@@DirtyTesla Thinking about doing Solar and Powerwalls as well but curious about night time operation for the Powerwalls. Do they provide battery power to the home when there is no solar at night until the threshold hits to draw from the grid?
Additionally over last three years we have used our Powerwalls in self-powered mode and are able to operate our all electric home as a microgrid for ~9 months of the year in Edmonds, WA. During that period we do not draw any grid energy, and actually export about 60 percent of our excess solar back to grid for others to use. We also use our system to charge our two Tesla's.
I am looking forward to the arrival of 2 PowerWalls within 2 weeks. Duke Energy installed my bidirectional meter yesterday, and I can't wait to have my solar system commissioned very soon. Your video was most instructive and reassuring. Thank you!
Everyone worries about how much and payback. You have real energy security. Glad you didn't go lower Kwh solar. Great setup. FUD "solar only works in sunny regions"
Powerwall explained so very well and way to protect your own family!! This must have been somewhat tiring bu mostly just pleasant journey. I'm convinced to buy my own in the future. Thanks again for editing this long vid and sharing this, Chris!!
Thanks for watching! The experience was actually fun on a way. While I'd rather the grid just didn't have problems, we were happy to be self sufficient!
Yep, we had two PW2's installed in 2018 to complement our 13.2 kWh solar PV system, and they work as advertised to keep the lights on during grid outages. Zac and Jessie (Now You Know) actually did an episode during a power outage due to their PW2's.
Powerwall can pay themselves off if taking into account a generator costs 7-11k and never lets time shifting or buffering energy rates to occur. Convenience wise its paid for itself by no spoiling food, so work downtime, etc. GREAT point about the oreos!
It’s crazy to see your home taking 0.5 kW , whereas another RUclipsr in a mansion testing his powerwall was taking ~50 kW . Of course his mansion was enormous, but goes to show you how wide the range is.
All electric home with geothermal heating/cooling, rooftop solar with power wall and electric car!!! This is my ultimate setup that you have. So much intrinsic AND extrinsic value. I am working my way toward the same setup, one system at a time.
We used to get 15 outages/month in Texas until my solar and powerwall 2s came in. Just finished adding 1 more and 4 more kw on the roof. FANTASTIC product. Energy bill is only my elderly donation and "customer" scam fee.
It's just a shame Nabisco doesn't currently pay their workers a fair wage or provide flexible realistic work conditions. Until they fix that, F_ck Nabisco!!!
I started the process of getting my solar system a year ago. They just came online. I live in Lahaina. Our power was out for a long time after the fire. Undoubtedly, our energy rates will increase dramatically from our power company. I am so happy. I made the right decision
26:40 If a fuel/gas station does not have a generator, their pumps would be dead too during a power outage. A water boiler is in a way a heat battery. The company Sunamp makes an actual heat battery, which uses phase changing material to store heat. Before a storm, you could also cool the house a degree or two extra in the summer, or heat the house a degree or two extra in the winter, as preparation. (and hope you have good insulation)
Excellent video! You hit all of the thoughts, reasons and feelings about this product. I live in Puerto Rico and was planning for a solar + battery system for a year before Hurricane Maria hit us on Sept 2017. Then the local power company took 5 months to reestablish the service on Feb 2018. That gave me the final push and, like you said, haven't regretted the decision. No gas stations to visit, no oil maintenance, or no repairs for a gas generator. Most of the times you don't even notice there's a power outage. I'll be sharing this video with family and friends that have doubts or fall on the return-of-investment trap. The peace of mind this product gives has no price. Thank you!
Hmmm, instead of turning off the solar when the battery can't accept the charge, there should be a way to turn on an electric water heater or air conditioner...both are "energy storage" methods.
There are multiple ways of implementing this... Solaredge have their own smart devices that can turn on a electrical element for heating water when the battery is full. There is also "home assistant" that could do the same thing
hey, just want to say thank you for this video. This answered all of my questions that I had left about a PW in an outage. I wish I had you talking stamina for my channel. Thanks again!
Very nifty setup you have there-a nice glimpse into the future. It’s pretty obvious that the future is going to require absurd levels of battery production.
Very few Powerwalls here in South Africa. After our PW was recently installed, we have not used the grid. We can even use the electric oven and electric geyser. Very happy.
The Power Wall Plus upgrade is rated for 7.5 kW per battery, and 9 kW per battery when they are functioning in off-grid mode. We had signed our contract with Tesla at the end of May and the power walls were installed at the end of July and they had given me 3 Power Wall Pluses.
Hi: We watched your video not once but twice, taking down notes the second time. Thanks very much for it. It was forwarded to us by Tara Hillaker of Green Panel because we are seriously looking into installing Solar Panels with a Tesla Battery system and are conversing with her. This is one of the BEST videos we could ever imagine, demonstrating the capability of Solar Panels coupled with Dual Tesla PowerWall batteries in "real time", with the power outage actually going on. Keeping the App running on the side was a brilliant idea, showing clearly how the power was directed to the home, either directly from the Solar Panels or from the Battery or sometimes "both" working together, and how the Battery was getting charged from the Solar Panels when your home was not using that much energy. Also, it was a great idea to explain that when "more energy" is generated by the Solar Panels than what we are consuming in the house and what the Battery could accept at that moment, would shut the Solar Panels down from producing any current to prevent overheating of the Panels. It clearly told us what kind of safety mechanism was built into it to prevent any dangerous malfunction possibly leading to fires. I have one question. You said you had 14-Panels - right? Each Solar Panel produces around 400-Watts or 0.4-kW. That means, 14-Panels produce around 5.6-kW. I hope my interpretation is correct. However, often your App said that 10.7 kW or 10.9 kW was being produced and being sent down to the Home or Battery. My question is, how could Solar Panels rated for a total of 5.6-kW production actually produce 10+ kW of power at any instant? Have I understood the rating of 400-W/Panel wrong? There was something else you said which I/we could have misunderstood. I 'thought" you said that when Solar Panel production was more than the Battery Rated Power (and you were hardly using any power at home at that moment), then Battery Charging would shut down. Now, supposing your Batteries are 50% full. However, the Solar Power generated was still more than the Batteries' Rated Power, then in my interpretation no battery charging could take place at all. The system would prevent the high Solar Energy from reaching the Battery, even though the Batteries themselves are at 50% and actually need to be charged. I am sure that I have misunderstood you in the matter but don't know "where" I have misunderstood. Could you please clarify this bit for us? Thanks very much again for the wonderful video. I will forward it to others of our local community in case they are interested in Solar+Battery Backup during outages - which are becoming more and more frequent.
I have 14.4kW worth of panels, not just 14 panels. We have 37 panels. 2PW can take 10kW in. Due to my inverter, I can produce 11.7kW, so if I am getting full solar, the PW can't handle that amount of power, even if they need to charge. Glad you enjoyed and sorry for the late response
We had a 20+hours outage last weekend due to Storm Arwen in the north if the UK - the first red catagory storm in years. Unfortunately we were totally let down by our powerwall as Storm Watch failed to activate meaning we were at 20% charge when the power went out in the late evening!! Next time I need to force it to fill if you can't rely on it doing what it's supposed to.
I love my power walls! What most people don’t realize is that if you only have solar and the grid goes down the solar shuts off and you have zero power unless you have power walls or battery backup. I love the freedom from worry over generators extension cords etc. involved in a power outage especially since I’m a retiree. I also have a geothermal system and it is hooked up to my power walls so the air conditioning keeps me cool 😎
Great explanation! If you upgrade to a heat-pump equipped dryer, it uses only 800 W peak and a whole load only uses 1 kWh instead of 4+ for an old school dryer.
Great video and showcase of a real event where it's super useful.. Can't believe it's only got 21k views as of today.. With so many americans yearly having power outages, it's weird there isn't more traffic on these kinds of videos.. Hoping for an updated video over the winter/next year - And preferably this long.. Really well done
Now I really see the use case for the Powerwall. I didn't know it's that bad in the states. I never had a power outage in Switzerland. Maximum was a seconds or two. To say, nuclear and hydro are very stable, the European grid seems to be mostly stable too.
@@Wendy-xe4gk The European grid covers about the same land mass as the US so that’s not the reason. What Chris mentioned is one of the main differences and real reasons.
@@MacGuyver85stability varies alot state to state. I’ve lost power for 2 days in the last 10 years and that was due to hurricane sandy which took lots of power lines down where I live in NJ. But I still want Tesla solar/power wall setup
We’ve never experienced a power outage here in Southern California and our ideal use case Is around time of use and keeping us from pulling power between 4 PM and 9 PM where it’s almost to 300% increase in cost. Also we are hoping to keep both of our Tesla cars charged and not pay gas prices.
Nice video. Im in Northern CA and every winter we lose power about 3 times, each time lasting 2 to 4 days . This year for sure I will be installing solar panels plus one Tesla PW for sure, likely two. Even if power goes out, we only need PW energy for the refrigerator, microwave, hot shower, and cell phone use. We dont need every room lit up, or any need to do laundry, etc. Dont even have electric cars. Thanks
If you don't need everything, look into a sub panel for 1 Powerwall and put critical loads on that. You could even include a few lights of the house just to have them, super low draw anyway. Good luck!
It's my understanding that it uses frequency manipulation to turn the solar on and off. Did your stove clock or microwave clock drift off time while the grid was out?
@@JandCanO In North America some of the plug-in clocks like oven, microwave, dishwasher or anything with a timer circuit rely on the 60hz power grid to keep time. When the Powerwall batteries are full the Powerwall will increase the power frequency from 60hz to something like 60.5hz or 61hz and that signals the solar inverters to turn off. If the frequency changes like that for a long period of time the clocks will drift a little. I was just curious how much. :D
Over the 10 year warranty period we're bound to experience several more storms like this and who knows what else. And they should easily last longer than the warranty.
One more quick consideration for those considering solar / storage. If your utility has net metering, then you essentially can use the grid as a battery. Every kwh that you send to the grid can later be gotten back for no charge. FPL in FL works this way and I have net metering. Also if your utility has strong time of time of day pricing it is often worth getting a battery so that you can use stored power during peak charge times. This is usually true in CA.
Hi Chris , love your shows. I live off grid in Queensland Australia were you can't get a power wall and am forced to use AGM batteries which we just replaced the other day. Hoping that in about 2 to 3 years from now there will be sufficient lithium or other chemistry to to bring the price down and quality up to go to the next battery generation, being retired now must watch my pennies. what we do in bad weather is run a 6 kva generator straight to the batteries thus gaining the maximum return from the generator, that way in about 4 hours a day in the wet season we keep our batteries well charged. You can do this with an automatic transfer switch that would only come on when the grid is off and there is insufficient solar coming and you are below a certain level. Again like the Power Wall does not make you money but will give you power in the worst of circumstances without hassel. Automatically, not a very expensive addition but very very welcome when you are in a blizzard and the mains go down. Any way great show and what's the use of havi g a dollar if you can't protect your most precious asset the FAMILY. Gene
Wow really informative. I live in an apt and do not have access to the roof, so I am not a candidate for private solar/Powerwall (but I do participate in my utility's "community solar"). I knew theoretically what Powerwall was supposed to do, but it was informative to see it in real life to see whether it lives up to expectations. Very happy (small) Tesla investor and looking forward to "AI Day" tornight. And BTW, I do use UPS devices to back up my modem/router, notebook computer and HDTV (and cable box) so I don't lose communications right away in hurricane.
Given that you are interested in controlling the charging situation of your car based on solar production, I'd recommend a home automation software to automatically manage your charging! I don't use it for this purpose because I live in an apartment, but Home Assistant can connect to the Tesla API and turn charging on and off. I use mine to integrate Tesla commands with Google assistant currently.
Last year Tesla announced that they would not install solar without having a powerwall. Recently, however, my local (Denver) Tesla rep said this wasn't true anymore.
Powerwalls here in Southern California will actually pay for themselves if you’re on time of use. For example Southern California Edison charges about $.22 a kilowatt for 20 hours a day and then from 4 PM to 9 PM the rate goes up to $.54 a kilowatt. If the power wall covers you from 4 to 9 PM that’s going to be some huge savings.
My wife and I each have a Tesla (Model 3 and Model Y) with Tesla solar panels and two Powerwalls. With all the storms and flooding in our area of New Hope and Washington Crossing, PA it's extremely comforting knowing our power is not going to be impacted. Our neighborhood has lost power at least 5 or 6 times in the past 2 days. Thankfully I'll be able to charge up my Bose noise cancelling headphones so I can cancel out the sound of my neighbors' very loud generators. 😂 BTW, Storm Watch mode activates regularly for us.
Great video and educational. We have a single powerwall we got through referrals a few years ago but no solar. Tesla solar won't touch our metal roof after after looking at it for a few years we finally signed a contract to add SilFab panels with Enphase micro inverters which will be integrated in to the Powerwall like you have. Looking forward to it.
Thank you very much for a very informative video about the Tesla power wall, I’m in Australia and thinking of moving to solar panels with a Tesla wall battery or a Sonnnen power wall battery. I really appreciated the walk-through of how your system is set up and how your family lives with solar and battery power.
subtract the cost of a 10kw generator from the cost of the powerwalls and then calculate .5/gal hr for diesel for your outage times see how your powerwall costs look...
I have seen several videos where people have poerwall(s) installed in their home, and all have the low down on the wall. I am thinking of all the floodings that are becoming more and more regular all over the world. Wouldn't it be wise to have the powerwall(s) on risers that would keep them safe from at least 20” of water (~50 cm)?
thanks for the great review! one question - when powerwall was 95%, why did it shut off solar and used powerwall to power the house? shouldn't it be like use solar if available and save batteries for backup?
Thank you! It will do that, but if there is too much solar coming in and nowhere for the energy to go, it needs to cut the panels. When the grid is up, that excess would be exported.
I think it's great what your doing with the solar power and the Powerball. I think it would be great if you have kids in the house for them to learn all of this basically naturally in a sense in the home. It's different getting used to all the times and percentages, but for the kids growing up using all of this it would be like second nature. It would just evolve into every day life. Sort of like when we went from the horse drawn carriages to cars. People at first were awe struck by the automobile. For kids growing up it's just part of every day life. Technology is great. The advancement of technology is greater!!
Ran across this old YT video. Tesla's PowerWall sounds like a great system, Chris. Our power grid here in northeast Illinois (ComEd) is very stable, so it didn't make much sense to go all in on a PowerWall system. The grid acts as an infinite capacity battery with net metering. But we still wanted an emergency battery backup system to automatically maintain power to lights, refrigerator, freezer, furnace, and communications should the gird fail, particularly when we are away during the winter months. Our 9.6 kWh battery bank and bi-directional AC to DC and DC to AC inverter cost just a bit over $5K (DIY install). If we consume stored energy judiciously, it will see us through a 10 hour power blackout or longer depending on how much energy the solar panels can deliver during daylight hours. Just thought people should know there are less expensive ways to cover those frustrating grid outages.
You're right, it's very expensive. But solar on its own will pay for itself. As I said, the batteries do not. All together, it will probably break even and most likely still be a net positive, while being self sufficient and being covered during grid outages which when considering the benefits along with convenience, food savings, etc, is well worth it for us. But it's not for everyone.
My brother currently has battery without solar. The contractor will install the solar one day, but they have been busy at the moment. My brother has had the battery for six weeks or so, he got his lowest power bill ever, because the battery is part of a smart virtual power station system, and the computer is buying electricity when it is cheap and selling electricity at peak to offset his electricity costs.
How much energy does your geothermal system draw? With how much you’re already self powered how big of a hit would it be to put HVAC on the powerwalls?
tbh I don't know how much it draws for the AC (in terms of kW) but the heat uses a TON, especially if you have to use the auxiliary heat which we do occasionally on the coldest days.
@@DirtyTesla Question. If it uses a TON, why in the world would anyone want to use it? I am guessing the only metric you might be seeing is the auxiliary heat current draw. Otherwise, Geo would not be a good option for anyone. It should use much less. My bet is they put your AC./Heating on a separate panel because that's what they do for everyone.
Great content DT! I was looking into solar panels and the Powerwall recently so this was very helpful. I think the Tesla solar panels and Powerwall look awesome. If you are in area where power outages are rare then one thing to keep in mind is that going through Tesla for solar, the package needs to include a Powerwall which is more pricier. Be sure to look at other solar power companies who can just install only the solar panels without the Powerwall.
In the U.K. where I’ve got two Powerwalls we can charge them from the grid. This is especially useful during the winter months when solars not so great and mean I can make use of our cheap overnight tariff that’s just 7p per kWh as apposed to the daytime tariff of 32p per kWh. I’m surprised the USA doesn’t have off peak tariffs.
The US does have "time of use" (TOU) rates in many places, and it is spreading quickly. As Chris explained, you cannot charge the powerwalls from the grid except in certain conditions. Because of that, a powerwall owner cannot yet do "Energy Arbitrage" with their powerwall. I want to charge at off peak rates and sell it back to the utility at on-peak rates. The prices you have quoted imply that Chris could earn $7.22 EVERY NIGHT through energy arbitrage even without ANY solar panels.
Great overview! We just installed solar with Powerwall. We are in Michigan and used Green Panel as well. Would like to hear how your system work over the winter.
Thanks! Hope you're enjoying. Well luckily we don't see as many outages in winter as there's not much sun! Haha. So for the winter I kept reserve pegged at 50% in case of outages and occasionally filled the battery/dropped reserves a bit to use more. We now have a second EV which is home during sunlight more often, so we have a huge power sink there as well.
Thanks. That what I was thinking as well; raising the reserves in Winter. Our system and needs are smaller than yours. No EVs yet and gas runs dryer and water heater. Just tuned on this month. App is addictive.
With my 1300 sq ft home, it sounds like I would be quite comfortable with your setup. I live in Texas so the sun shines most of the year here. I can see myself getting a next to nothing power bill during the hottest months of the year.
Awesome video Chris! I definitely plan on getting Tesla Solar for my house someday. I am just waiting for better panels and better powerwalls and of course price drop. I plan on upgrading my panel to span.io in a few years. Keep up the great videos!!
Great report & review! I'm so happy for you and your family! My question is... when solar panels are active & the PowerWalls are full, doesn't the every 5 min check and micro top off of the batteries damage or degrade them? Cheers, Eric
Thanks for the great video. It's the best I've seen regarding Powerwall usage. I'll use your referral code when I order my solar and Powerwall system. Thank you!
You could install a small window AC unit in a bedroom and everyone could sleep there for the few days without power. Also, you could split your panels into two series and if the solar output gets too high, rather than cut out the entire solar system, just cut out half.
We have electric Heat Pump and Heat Pump water heater, and the heat pump has a cooling option, which got through some 100+ degree days and work well with out solar/PW2 system. I would recommend heat pump to conventional air conditioner. Much more efficient and works well for us.
Thank you so much for the great video! For me it would be great if you could make the little facecam in the top left bigger when you show your screen but thats just my opinion. Anyway Thanks again!
I live in the Hudson Valley in NY and my longest outage has been 7 days (my parents in NJ- 10 days)- would have loved to have a powerwall. Looked into it and last I asked but Tesla told me they won't sell it to me unless I got tesla solar (I already have solar from different installer so they told me I was out of luck) and my biggest problem is that my power meter is on a completely opposite side of the house from anyplace I can have powerwalls - and this is a problem because in the Northeast you can't have them outside due to low temps- so the wiring alone would be ~$5k to put them into the garage. BTW- we had the same gas problem where after day 3 gas stations were running out of gas. I wish they would create an outdoor enclosure for cold climates and of course let non-tesla solar people get the walls.
When the grid is connected and solar power gets redirected from charged Powerwalls to grid, what feed in tariff does your electricity provider pay you per kWh?
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How does winter work? How much power does your geothermal HVAC use? Could you power that & how long? Would your generator have enough power &/or can it be connected to the powerwall? In theory, could you install propane & a propane generator and go fully off grid? In theory, could you install a solar array in your yard and not need a generator to power your HVAC? In theory, could you install a solar array in your yard and a propane generator and be 100% reliable fully off grid? How does winter work? Why don't you install a couple window air conditioners & how much power would this draw? I wound up with more questions than answers, Michigan gets both hot & cold. Btw, great channel!
@@tsamuel6224 Ha. Well theoretically anything is possible. Usually in a rural setup like this, people have propane. We opted for geothermal because 1. over the long-term it costs FAR less than propane, and 2. we didn't want to have to rely on deliveries of the propane and fluctuating prices (just like gasoline).
Our geo in a year uses power equivalent to our home, but most of that is used in the winter. I really want to make a geothermal video explaining all this but YT and my subscribers would probably not appreciate it very much :)
We could install solar to power everything, but to get enough energy in the winter we would need an insane amount of panels because not only is there less hours of sun per day in winter, the geo uses more energy, AND on average our days are very grey and cloudy.
For window air conditioners we could easily power those, but didn't find it necessary. Fans did us fine. Our house is well insulated and we have a basement we can go to if we need to cool off.
@@tsamuel6224 good questions. It would be very good to power up his geothermal heat pump instead of shutting off solar when it hits 11kW (or the battery is full) :), even if that was the only time it was running. I wonder what power it uses (probably can’t have water heater and Geo-AC running at the same time).
There’s been talk of smart appliances for years, but I’m not sure what’s really happened. Ideally you’d want to run an AC and have it adjust based on available power - have it get the temperature down to 85°, and boost cooling to 75° when there’s excess solar etc.
I have a air-water heat pump tied into my PV installation and have the pumps settings properly setup. Together with two PowerWalls.
I literally have not taken any energy from the grid since March and there were also 2 grid outages since. I totally love it.
@@DirtyTesla Hi so I’m about to get Solar and 2 powerwalls and started to wonder about charging to 100%. Do you know if it works the same way as EVs?
I had a 9 days power outage after a hurricane and my powerwalls work like a charm. Even using a dryer during the day.
I was pretty blown away by the amount of power those panels can generate even when cloudy. And in Michigan no less! I've been listening to solar naysayers too long and had this idea that the solar panels weren't feasible but this video has pleasantly proved me wrong
They're great. Even when it's raining we can generate well over 1kW
Same here.
Was surprised when I heard he installed solar in one of the coldest state in USA.
Michigan is not that much to North, actually. If you compare it to Europe, it's equally close to equator as France and there's zero question if solar power makes sense in France. I live in Finland which is equally long distance from the equator as Alaska, and even here some home owners are doing ~6 kWp solar installations but I'm sceptical if it really makes any sense because the winter is so long and dark. Sure, you can get electricity during summer daytime without Powerwall but the amount of electricity you actually need at that time is very minimal and you would need the panels and the inverter to last at least 15 years to break even.
@@MikkoRantalainen I believe Mr Dirty Tesla believe his investment was already pay back, given that you don't have to worry about power when the grid couldn't supply any, don't need to worry if nearby gas station have enough gas for the area, and sit back at home with a bit more peace of mind than your neighbors.
Especially you have wife and kids, power really means a lot in these dark days.
@@xwf80 I interpreted the message that Powerwall that Dirty Tesla has hasn't yet paid itself in money but in purpose. The uninterrupted power is valuable in itself and Powerwall can produce that. And Dirty Tesla also considered the value of uninterrupted power when he was saying that it's already worth it.
Note that when you have Powerwall, you don't need to get device specific power backup systems such as UPS for all your computers.
If you intend to have battery backup for many multiple devices anyway, it may be cheaper in long run to get Powerwall instead and get battery backup for *all* your devices at once.
I'd guess the Powerwall batteries already have longer lifetime than typical lead batteries in UPS products.
Another Tesla product that is just so good it doesn't need advertising. An absolute no-brainer if you have regular outages. It's been years since an outage for me in the Netherlands so for me it would just be nice to power almost everything from our 20kw solar install, not really a necessity. Too bad it's quite expensive still, hopefully with Tesla's new diversified battery roadmap the prices can come down!
I think you would have some trouble since you also have three phase system in the house and powerwall can not handle that. Only one phase system.
Hi fellow dutch man lol. Happy to see im not alone. Yeah its funny, power outages are not really a thing for us. Even when they happen once every 4 years its minutes, not hours and never days
@@samuvisser Netherlands 🇳🇱 Country of engineers and scientists!
I've had my Tesla solar + Powerwalls for 15 months and the longest I've been without power was two hours. Just patiently waiting for a big hurricane to cut my power for a week so I can make a video like you. 😔 🤪
Good luck??
It's like when you buy a snow blower and then it doesn't snow more than an inch at a time for the next two years. I actually just started the process for getting Tesla solar and a PowerWall. How was the installation experience?
@@tempesttube Installed everything in one day for our first 10kw and 2 pw, then the expansion to more solar and one more pw took 7 hours (finished up 3 days ago). My house is Texas massive but has the energy footprint of a tool shed. Fantastic process overall.
The Tesla energy advisors are extremely busy so communicating can sometimes lag, but its not a deal breaker at all.
@@GoatDirt Mine will be a smaller installation and there’s easy access to the panel and where I want the PowerWall, so hopefully it goes just as smoothly. Thanks for the input!
Bring yourself and your Powerwalls to my house, because someday there is going to be an earthquake as big or bigger than the 1906 major earthquake and who knows how long the power will be out then?
What a great success story! You forgot to mention that families that rely on a portable generator need to worry about having somebody home to know how to get it started and hooked up. If both spouses are at work when it happens, there is no power. That means the fridge and freezer start warming up and the sump in the basement starts filling up.
Your solution works regardless of anyone being home, to me that is a big aspect of it.
I build a energy efficient house with a PV installation and 2 PowerWalls. The PV system was switched on in October last year and I had 4 grid outages since. One of these outages took 3 days to be resolved and I had several neighbours come by asking whether I could store their frozen goods or if they could do their laundry.
I now see several neighbours installing PVs on their roofs, as well as at least one also installed a PowerWall. 🙂
I am so absolutely happy with the decision with going for a large PV installation - totally worth it.
Best solutions advertise themself....
I was advised not to get the powerwall because they wouldn't pay themselves off but after the winter storm we had in Texas I'm not going through that again
Exactly. It's something you buy for its utility. Very rarely do things you buy pay for themselves.
@@DirtyTesla Thinking about doing Solar and Powerwalls as well but curious about night time operation for the Powerwalls. Do they provide battery power to the home when there is no solar at night until the threshold hits to draw from the grid?
@@coolguysixtynine yes they do. You can customize it however you like
One of the most comprehensive videos showing how the powerwall works during a power outage. Kudos!!
Additionally over last three years we have used our Powerwalls in self-powered mode and are able to operate our all electric home as a microgrid for ~9 months of the year in Edmonds, WA. During that period we do not draw any grid energy, and actually export about 60 percent of our excess solar back to grid for others to use. We also use our system to charge our two Tesla's.
I am looking forward to the arrival of 2 PowerWalls within 2 weeks. Duke Energy installed my bidirectional meter yesterday, and I can't wait to have my solar system commissioned very soon.
Your video was most instructive and reassuring.
Thank you!
You'll love them!
Everyone worries about how much and payback. You have real energy security. Glad you didn't go lower Kwh solar. Great setup. FUD "solar only works in sunny regions"
Try solar in northern part of Sweden during winter. =)
I’m jealous and wish I had your setup. Both the Powerwall and solar panels are needed for long outages. Thanks for the education and entertainment.
Powerwall explained so very well and way to protect your own family!! This must have been somewhat tiring bu mostly just pleasant journey. I'm convinced to buy my own in the future. Thanks again for editing this long vid and sharing this, Chris!!
Thanks for watching! The experience was actually fun on a way. While I'd rather the grid just didn't have problems, we were happy to be self sufficient!
@@DirtyTesla You made it look so easy and fun! xD My eventual goal! Thanks for the retweet, Chris! :D
Yep, we had two PW2's installed in 2018 to complement our 13.2 kWh solar PV system, and they work as advertised to keep the lights on during grid outages. Zac and Jessie (Now You Know) actually did an episode during a power outage due to their PW2's.
Great overview of how it works. Can’t wait for mine
Powerwall can pay themselves off if taking into account a generator costs 7-11k and never lets time shifting or buffering energy rates to occur. Convenience wise its paid for itself by no spoiling food, so work downtime, etc. GREAT point about the oreos!
It’s crazy to see your home taking 0.5 kW , whereas another RUclipsr in a mansion testing his powerwall was taking ~50 kW . Of course his mansion was enormous, but goes to show you how wide the range is.
If we did everything we could get it over 30 when we get our second EV but that wouldn't sustain long
why are you comparing extreme usage when everything is turned on in enormous house with normal house with almost nothing on? it makes no sense
What RUclips channel to watch the mansion powerwall testing?
All electric home with geothermal heating/cooling, rooftop solar with power wall and electric car!!! This is my ultimate setup that you have. So much intrinsic AND extrinsic value. I am working my way toward the same setup, one system at a time.
We used to get 15 outages/month in Texas until my solar and powerwall 2s came in. Just finished adding 1 more and 4 more kw on the roof. FANTASTIC product. Energy bill is only my elderly donation and "customer" scam fee.
What?! Oreos totally pay for themselves with their yumminess!
It's just a shame Nabisco doesn't currently pay their workers a fair wage or provide flexible realistic work conditions. Until they fix that, F_ck Nabisco!!!
Modern LED lighting and TVs etc. use much less power than they used to.
But put the aircon on and watch the power disappear.
Modern arcon are also much more energy efficient
My car uses much more than an AC unit.
That is the reason a love this company. One of many. When you have a stable product, all things stacked up at the end. 😊
Excellent episode! I’ve not seen the home system in operation. It was great how you broke out all facets of operation. Thanks!
I started the process of getting my solar system a year ago. They just came online. I live in Lahaina. Our power was out for a long time after the fire. Undoubtedly, our energy rates will increase dramatically from our power company. I am so happy. I made the right decision
You must be soo glad to have electricity still. I’m definitely gonna buy one when i have the money
26:40 If a fuel/gas station does not have a generator, their pumps would be dead too during a power outage.
A water boiler is in a way a heat battery. The company Sunamp makes an actual heat battery, which uses phase changing material to store heat. Before a storm, you could also cool the house a degree or two extra in the summer, or heat the house a degree or two extra in the winter, as preparation. (and hope you have good insulation)
Nice review! Hope to see a microgrid with your neighbors in the future. Would also be great to see you get a wind generator of some kind.
Excellent video! You hit all of the thoughts, reasons and feelings about this product. I live in Puerto Rico and was planning for a solar + battery system for a year before Hurricane Maria hit us on Sept 2017. Then the local power company took 5 months to reestablish the service on Feb 2018. That gave me the final push and, like you said, haven't regretted the decision. No gas stations to visit, no oil maintenance, or no repairs for a gas generator. Most of the times you don't even notice there's a power outage. I'll be sharing this video with family and friends that have doubts or fall on the return-of-investment trap. The peace of mind this product gives has no price. Thank you!
Hmmm, instead of turning off the solar when the battery can't accept the charge, there should be a way to turn on an electric water heater or air conditioner...both are "energy storage" methods.
There are multiple ways of implementing this... Solaredge have their own smart devices that can turn on a electrical element for heating water when the battery is full.
There is also "home assistant" that could do the same thing
He should charge the vehicle all the way up.
hey, just want to say thank you for this video. This answered all of my questions that I had left about a PW in an outage. I wish I had you talking stamina for my channel. Thanks again!
Very nifty setup you have there-a nice glimpse into the future. It’s pretty obvious that the future is going to require absurd levels of battery production.
This is so cool! Definitely something I’d like to get for my house
Very few Powerwalls here in South Africa. After our PW was recently installed, we have not used the grid. We can even use the electric oven and electric geyser. Very happy.
The Power Wall Plus upgrade is rated for 7.5 kW per battery, and 9 kW per battery when they are functioning in off-grid mode. We had signed our contract with Tesla at the end of May and the power walls were installed at the end of July and they had given me 3 Power Wall Pluses.
Hi:
We watched your video not once but twice, taking down notes the second time. Thanks very much for it. It was forwarded to us by Tara Hillaker of Green Panel because we are seriously looking into installing Solar Panels with a Tesla Battery system and are conversing with her.
This is one of the BEST videos we could ever imagine, demonstrating the capability of Solar Panels coupled with Dual Tesla PowerWall batteries in "real time", with the power outage actually going on. Keeping the App running on the side was a brilliant idea, showing clearly how the power was directed to the home, either directly from the Solar Panels or from the Battery or sometimes "both" working together, and how the Battery was getting charged from the Solar Panels when your home was not using that much energy. Also, it was a great idea to explain that when "more energy" is generated by the Solar Panels than what we are consuming in the house and what the Battery could accept at that moment, would shut the Solar Panels down from producing any current to prevent overheating of the Panels. It clearly told us what kind of safety mechanism was built into it to prevent any dangerous malfunction possibly leading to fires.
I have one question. You said you had 14-Panels - right? Each Solar Panel produces around 400-Watts or 0.4-kW. That means, 14-Panels produce around 5.6-kW. I hope my interpretation is correct. However, often your App said that 10.7 kW or 10.9 kW was being produced and being sent down to the Home or Battery. My question is, how could Solar Panels rated for a total of 5.6-kW production actually produce 10+ kW of power at any instant? Have I understood the rating of 400-W/Panel wrong?
There was something else you said which I/we could have misunderstood. I 'thought" you said that when Solar Panel production was more than the Battery Rated Power (and you were hardly using any power at home at that moment), then Battery Charging would shut down. Now, supposing your Batteries are 50% full. However, the Solar Power generated was still more than the Batteries' Rated Power, then in my interpretation no battery charging could take place at all. The system would prevent the high Solar Energy from reaching the Battery, even though the Batteries themselves are at 50% and actually need to be charged. I am sure that I have misunderstood you in the matter but don't know "where" I have misunderstood. Could you please clarify this bit for us?
Thanks very much again for the wonderful video. I will forward it to others of our local community in case they are interested in Solar+Battery Backup during outages - which are becoming more and more frequent.
I have 14.4kW worth of panels, not just 14 panels. We have 37 panels.
2PW can take 10kW in. Due to my inverter, I can produce 11.7kW, so if I am getting full solar, the PW can't handle that amount of power, even if they need to charge.
Glad you enjoyed and sorry for the late response
We had a 20+hours outage last weekend due to Storm Arwen in the north if the UK - the first red catagory storm in years. Unfortunately we were totally let down by our powerwall as Storm Watch failed to activate meaning we were at 20% charge when the power went out in the late evening!! Next time I need to force it to fill if you can't rely on it doing what it's supposed to.
Yeah storm watch unfortunately doesn't seem to work for me. If we have bad weather, or now in winter with less sun, I up the limit
I love my power walls! What most people don’t realize is that if you only have solar and the grid goes down the solar shuts off and you have zero power unless you have power walls or battery backup. I love the freedom from worry over generators extension cords etc. involved in a power outage especially since I’m a retiree. I also have a geothermal system and it is hooked up to my power walls so the air conditioning keeps me cool 😎
Great explanation!
If you upgrade to a heat-pump equipped dryer, it uses only 800 W peak and a whole load only uses 1 kWh instead of 4+ for an old school dryer.
They're not as popular in the US but if we upgrade we will get that next time!
@@DirtyTesla Great! I got mine in 2012 and it has been a champ! We still hang most of our laundry to dry, as that uses 0 kWh... :)
Great video and showcase of a real event where it's super useful.. Can't believe it's only got 21k views as of today.. With so many americans yearly having power outages, it's weird there isn't more traffic on these kinds of videos.. Hoping for an updated video over the winter/next year - And preferably this long.. Really well done
Awesomely helpful video in showing a real-world scenario -- nice job. 👍🏻
Very comprehensive review. I live in So Cal and I already have my Tesla system and 2 PWs in order. Thank you for sharing !
Now I really see the use case for the Powerwall. I didn't know it's that bad in the states. I never had a power outage in Switzerland. Maximum was a seconds or two. To say, nuclear and hydro are very stable, the European grid seems to be mostly stable too.
It's because most of our power lines are above ground and no one wants to spend the money to bury them
We are a very large country. Your square miles are measured in thousands, ours are measured in millions.
@@Wendy-xe4gk The European grid covers about the same land mass as the US so that’s not the reason. What Chris mentioned is one of the main differences and real reasons.
@@MacGuyver85stability varies alot state to state. I’ve lost power for 2 days in the last 10 years and that was due to hurricane sandy which took lots of power lines down where I live in NJ. But I still want Tesla solar/power wall setup
We’ve never experienced a power outage here in Southern California and our ideal use case Is around time of use and keeping us from pulling power between 4 PM and 9 PM where it’s almost to 300% increase in cost. Also we are hoping to keep both of our Tesla cars charged and not pay gas prices.
Sounds like solar power and power walls are the way to go! Great video DT! 🙂
This video is Extremely well put together and informative. You literally answered all my questions.
Thank you!
Nice video. Im in Northern CA and every winter we lose power about 3 times, each time lasting 2 to 4 days . This year for sure I will be installing solar panels plus one Tesla PW for sure, likely two. Even if power goes out, we only need PW energy for the refrigerator, microwave, hot shower, and cell phone use. We dont need every room lit up, or any need to do laundry, etc. Dont even have electric cars. Thanks
If you don't need everything, look into a sub panel for 1 Powerwall and put critical loads on that. You could even include a few lights of the house just to have them, super low draw anyway. Good luck!
Thank you
It's my understanding that it uses frequency manipulation to turn the solar on and off. Did your stove clock or microwave clock drift off time while the grid was out?
Yes, my clocks got off but a few minutes but strange enough they all were normal after the grid came back on.
Wait, those appliance clocks rely on the input voltage for their clocks!? Today I learned
@@JandCanO In North America some of the plug-in clocks like oven, microwave, dishwasher or anything with a timer circuit rely on the 60hz power grid to keep time. When the Powerwall batteries are full the Powerwall will increase the power frequency from 60hz to something like 60.5hz or 61hz and that signals the solar inverters to turn off. If the frequency changes like that for a long period of time the clocks will drift a little. I was just curious how much. :D
Sounds like it remembers how much clocktime it added and corrects for it by applying lower frequency when able. Neat!
Having gone through this same outage in southeast mi, you really have me considering getting this setup...
Over the 10 year warranty period we're bound to experience several more storms like this and who knows what else. And they should easily last longer than the warranty.
Awesome video! This is like an ad for Solar and the Power Wall. I really appreciate the information showing the amount of charge even when cloudy!
Great video! I’m super excited to get our solar and powerwall installed. Supposed to be in the next few weeks 🤞🤞
This is great! Love the powerwalls and are waiting for Tesla to start delivering in Sweden
Another excellent video on a topic near and dear to my heart, Thanks Chris for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Excellent video!!
One more quick consideration for those considering solar / storage. If your utility has net metering, then you essentially can use the grid as a battery. Every kwh that you send to the grid can later be gotten back for no charge. FPL in FL works this way and I have net metering. Also if your utility has strong time of time of day pricing it is often worth getting a battery so that you can use stored power during peak charge times. This is usually true in CA.
Hi Chris , love your shows. I live off grid in Queensland Australia were you can't get a power wall and am forced to use AGM batteries which we just replaced the other day. Hoping that in about 2 to 3 years from now there will be sufficient lithium or other chemistry to to bring the price down and quality up to go to the next battery generation, being retired now must watch my pennies. what we do in bad weather is run a 6 kva generator straight to the batteries thus gaining the maximum return from the generator, that way in about 4 hours a day in the wet season we keep our batteries well charged. You can do this with an automatic transfer switch that would only come on when the grid is off and there is insufficient solar coming and you are below a certain level. Again like the Power Wall does not make you money but will give you power in the worst of circumstances without hassel. Automatically, not a very expensive addition but very very welcome when you are in a blizzard and the mains go down. Any way great show and what's the use of havi g a dollar if you can't protect your most precious asset the FAMILY. Gene
Really informative and interesting video! Thanks! 👍
Wow really informative.
I live in an apt and do not have access to the roof, so I am not a candidate for private solar/Powerwall (but I do participate in my utility's "community solar").
I knew theoretically what Powerwall was supposed to do, but it was informative to see it in real life to see whether it lives up to expectations.
Very happy (small) Tesla investor and looking forward to "AI Day" tornight. And BTW, I do use UPS devices to back up my modem/router, notebook computer and HDTV (and cable box) so I don't lose communications right away in hurricane.
Given that you are interested in controlling the charging situation of your car based on solar production, I'd recommend a home automation software to automatically manage your charging! I don't use it for this purpose because I live in an apartment, but Home Assistant can connect to the Tesla API and turn charging on and off. I use mine to integrate Tesla commands with Google assistant currently.
I'll check it out thanks
Thought this was from yesterday! 😂
Great job. Solar in Michigan!
Perfect timing on this video. I'm seriously considering Solar with Powerwall's. I've got zero interest in Solar without the backup battery storage.
The system is much more enjoyable with the batteries.
Last year Tesla announced that they would not install solar without having a powerwall. Recently, however, my local (Denver) Tesla rep said this wasn't true anymore.
Powerwalls here in Southern California will actually pay for themselves if you’re on time of use. For example Southern California Edison charges about $.22 a kilowatt for 20 hours a day and then from 4 PM to 9 PM the rate goes up to $.54 a kilowatt. If the power wall covers you from 4 to 9 PM that’s going to be some huge savings.
My wife and I each have a Tesla (Model 3 and Model Y) with Tesla solar panels and two Powerwalls. With all the storms and flooding in our area of New Hope and Washington Crossing, PA it's extremely comforting knowing our power is not going to be impacted. Our neighborhood has lost power at least 5 or 6 times in the past 2 days. Thankfully I'll be able to charge up my Bose noise cancelling headphones so I can cancel out the sound of my neighbors' very loud generators. 😂 BTW, Storm Watch mode activates regularly for us.
Amazing content man, thanks for sharing the experience.
Going without AC is one thing, going without heat in the winter is another. You may want to get that heat pump switchable while the weather is good.
Having to dealt with both types of outages here in Texas both can be deadly!
Great video and educational. We have a single powerwall we got through referrals a few years ago but no solar. Tesla solar won't touch our metal roof after after looking at it for a few years we finally signed a contract to add SilFab panels with Enphase micro inverters which will be integrated in to the Powerwall like you have. Looking forward to it.
Have been 'off grid' since august 2022 when the powerwall was installed. No bills
you just need starlink to be a fully powered tesla guy😁
Thank you very much for a very informative video about the Tesla power wall, I’m in Australia and thinking of moving to solar panels with a Tesla wall battery or a Sonnnen power wall battery. I really appreciated the walk-through of how your system is set up and how your family lives with solar and battery power.
I live in the uk. Mine has done storm watch a few times. It is cool.
subtract the cost of a 10kw generator from the cost of the powerwalls and then calculate .5/gal hr for diesel for your outage times see how your powerwall costs look...
I have seen several videos where people have poerwall(s) installed in their home, and all have the low down on the wall.
I am thinking of all the floodings that are becoming more and more regular all over the world.
Wouldn't it be wise to have the powerwall(s) on risers that would keep them safe from at least 20” of water (~50 cm)?
thanks for the great review!
one question - when powerwall was 95%, why did it shut off solar and used powerwall to power the house? shouldn't it be like use solar if available and save batteries for backup?
Thank you! It will do that, but if there is too much solar coming in and nowhere for the energy to go, it needs to cut the panels. When the grid is up, that excess would be exported.
you can buy solar hot water tank 2 or 4 and more solar panels and more battery
I think it's great what your doing with the solar power and the Powerball. I think it would be great if you have kids in the house for them to learn all of this basically naturally in a sense in the home. It's different getting used to all the times and percentages, but for the kids growing up using all of this it would be like second nature. It would just evolve into every day life. Sort of like when we went from the horse drawn carriages to cars. People at first were awe struck by the automobile. For kids growing up it's just part of every day life. Technology is great. The advancement of technology is greater!!
Damn, its like you are living in the future :D
Cyberpunk future where the grid is failing 😂
Or possibly that the US generally is regressing to being medieval.
Ran across this old YT video. Tesla's PowerWall sounds like a great system, Chris. Our power grid here in northeast Illinois (ComEd) is very stable, so it didn't make much sense to go all in on a PowerWall system. The grid acts as an infinite capacity battery with net metering. But we still wanted an emergency battery backup system to automatically maintain power to lights, refrigerator, freezer, furnace, and communications should the gird fail, particularly when we are away during the winter months. Our 9.6 kWh battery bank and bi-directional AC to DC and DC to AC inverter cost just a bit over $5K (DIY install). If we consume stored energy judiciously, it will see us through a 10 hour power blackout or longer depending on how much energy the solar panels can deliver during daylight hours. Just thought people should know there are less expensive ways to cover those frustrating grid outages.
Wouldn’t this setup be like $40k+ tho? Man I just can’t justify that
You're right, it's very expensive. But solar on its own will pay for itself. As I said, the batteries do not. All together, it will probably break even and most likely still be a net positive, while being self sufficient and being covered during grid outages which when considering the benefits along with convenience, food savings, etc, is well worth it for us.
But it's not for everyone.
This was a great video man, thanks for posting. I have a Model Y but have been going back and forth on the solar + pws.
My brother currently has battery without solar. The contractor will install the solar one day, but they have been busy at the moment. My brother has had the battery for six weeks or so, he got his lowest power bill ever, because the battery is part of a smart virtual power station system, and the computer is buying electricity when it is cheap and selling electricity at peak to offset his electricity costs.
Great video. Very comprehensive
How much energy does your geothermal system draw? With how much you’re already self powered how big of a hit would it be to put HVAC on the powerwalls?
tbh I don't know how much it draws for the AC (in terms of kW) but the heat uses a TON, especially if you have to use the auxiliary heat which we do occasionally on the coldest days.
@@DirtyTesla Question. If it uses a TON, why in the world would anyone want to use it? I am guessing the only metric you might be seeing is the auxiliary heat current draw. Otherwise, Geo would not be a good option for anyone. It should use much less. My bet is they put your AC./Heating on a separate panel because that's what they do for everyone.
Great content DT! I was looking into solar panels and the Powerwall recently so this was very helpful. I think the Tesla solar panels and Powerwall look awesome. If you are in area where power outages are rare then one thing to keep in mind is that going through Tesla for solar, the package needs to include a Powerwall which is more pricier. Be sure to look at other solar power companies who can just install only the solar panels without the Powerwall.
Yeah we got our solar panels in 2020 and our powerwalls this year.
In the U.K. where I’ve got two Powerwalls we can charge them from the grid. This is especially useful during the winter months when solars not so great and mean I can make use of our cheap overnight tariff that’s just 7p per kWh as apposed to the daytime tariff of 32p per kWh. I’m surprised the USA doesn’t have off peak tariffs.
The US does have "time of use" (TOU) rates in many places, and it is spreading quickly. As Chris explained, you cannot charge the powerwalls from the grid except in certain conditions. Because of that, a powerwall owner cannot yet do "Energy Arbitrage" with their powerwall. I want to charge at off peak rates and sell it back to the utility at on-peak rates. The prices you have quoted imply that Chris could earn $7.22 EVERY NIGHT through energy arbitrage even without ANY solar panels.
Great overview! We just installed solar with Powerwall. We are in Michigan and used Green Panel as well. Would like to hear how your system work over the winter.
Thanks! Hope you're enjoying. Well luckily we don't see as many outages in winter as there's not much sun! Haha. So for the winter I kept reserve pegged at 50% in case of outages and occasionally filled the battery/dropped reserves a bit to use more. We now have a second EV which is home during sunlight more often, so we have a huge power sink there as well.
Thanks. That what I was thinking as well; raising the reserves in Winter. Our system and needs are smaller than yours. No EVs yet and gas runs dryer and water heater. Just tuned on this month. App is addictive.
The question is how many friends called and wanted to come over and get some of that sweet sweet tesla energy
Gotta be like being that one friend with the pickup truck
We stored a neighbor's food in our freezer haha
With my 1300 sq ft home, it sounds like I would be quite comfortable with your setup. I live in Texas so the sun shines most of the year here. I can see myself getting a next to nothing power bill during the hottest months of the year.
Awesome video Chris! I definitely plan on getting Tesla Solar for my house someday. I am just waiting for better panels and better powerwalls and of course price drop. I plan on upgrading my panel to span.io in a few years. Keep up the great videos!!
Great video here, I was looking in to solar and I wasn't sure about some of the details for the powerwalls
Great report & review! I'm so happy for you and your family!
My question is... when solar panels are active & the PowerWalls are full, doesn't the every 5 min check and micro top off of the batteries damage or degrade them?
Cheers, Eric
I've only have my system on for a week and wish i bought an extra PW. The single PW is fine but 2 would have been golden.
Thanks for the great video. It's the best I've seen regarding Powerwall usage. I'll use your referral code when I order my solar and Powerwall system. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment. It's a great system!
Thank you for sharing your experience! Supherb video! I hope more people will see this and buy this awesome Tesla product.
You could install a small window AC unit in a bedroom and everyone could sleep there for the few days without power. Also, you could split your panels into two series and if the solar output gets too high, rather than cut out the entire solar system, just cut out half.
We have electric Heat Pump and Heat Pump water heater, and the heat pump has a cooling option, which got through some 100+ degree days and work well with out solar/PW2 system. I would recommend heat pump to conventional air conditioner. Much more efficient and works well for us.
Yep that's what we're using it's just on its own panel.
Thank you so much for the great video! For me it would be great if you could make the little facecam in the top left bigger when you show your screen but thats just my opinion. Anyway Thanks again!
I live in the Hudson Valley in NY and my longest outage has been 7 days (my parents in NJ- 10 days)- would have loved to have a powerwall. Looked into it and last I asked but Tesla told me they won't sell it to me unless I got tesla solar (I already have solar from different installer so they told me I was out of luck) and my biggest problem is that my power meter is on a completely opposite side of the house from anyplace I can have powerwalls - and this is a problem because in the Northeast you can't have them outside due to low temps- so the wiring alone would be ~$5k to put them into the garage. BTW- we had the same gas problem where after day 3 gas stations were running out of gas. I wish they would create an outdoor enclosure for cold climates and of course let non-tesla solar people get the walls.
When the grid is connected and solar power gets redirected from charged Powerwalls to grid, what feed in tariff does your electricity provider pay you per kWh?
They pay around 10 cents per kWh all things considered.
U can charge ur car in supercharger or normal charger or in free charger in blackout
My Tesla solar panels and powerwalls got me through the 44hr Houston blackout
☀️⚡🏡
I would love a solar array that tracks to the sun and provides shade while it is above you, that would be nice