I agree, sometimes I think the "thermal runaway" issue is just a sales tactic from other manufacturers pushing LFP. I never really hear of Lithium Ion batteries catching on fire, and if they were really that dangerous, they would be recalled or not allowed to be used in EVs and in people's homes. They have all passed very stringent 9540A testing requirements to get through International Fire Codes. That being said, the additional cycles and lower rate of degradation out of LFP is the selling point for me personally. It is very strange that the battery chemistry is not shown on the datasheet though. Not really sure what to think about that to be honest.

Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching the channel!

@haroldsvoyage8912 Thanks for the kind words and for watching!

Yes, the International Fire Codes can be a pain in the butt to abide by, and some homes just flat out aren't eligible for a battery when the AHJs don't allow any wiggle room. LA County is about the worst when it comes to that. They are one of a few AHJs out in CA that do not recognize the UL9540A testing that allows these batteries to be stacked closer than 3 feet apart even though the battery manufacturers have shown it is perfectly safe to do so. Unfortunately if you live in one of those areas, you drew the short stick. Thanks so much for the kind words!

Yes, solar panels have come a long way over the years. Depending on the bussing inside the solar panels and the orientation of the panels, shading may or may not be a big issue. Most solar panels have bypass diodes to mitigate shading issues, but in general, if you have lots of shading issues, some good ole microinverters or optimizers are difficult to beat. Thanks for watching!

Hi @bluedrew it is really tough for me to give any advice on this subject, as I am not an expert in this area, but it does appear that on Tesla's website it does show it paired with PW3 and the backup switch. I think the decision would be more based on your home loads. If you want to purchase a PW3, back up your entire home, and you are willing to wait a few more weeks/months for the GW3 to hit the shelves, the GW3 would probably be the better choice just because it is slightly less expensive. But again, I have no experience with bi-directional Tesla charging, so until I got my hands on an installation manual and some datasheets, it is a tough call.

Hi @grahamastor4194 Tesla does not provide any guidance about any way to use 3rd party optimizers on their system. Hypothetically you would think there would be a way to rig them up, but I assume you would be voiding the system warranty if you found a way to do that successfully. I would think if you wanted to use optimizers you would have to AC couple a different solar system with the Powerwall 3, but that would also cause you to loose the benefits of that DC coupled architecture of the all in one Powerwall 3 system. Thanks so much for the kind words and for watching the channel!

Absolutely a good point. It really depends on the bus rating and main breaker rating, but yes, in most cases when using the Gateway, the PW3 breakers will land in the internal panel board in the Gateway. Depending on whether you are using the GW2 or GW3, and some other site conditions, there can sometimes be an advantage of landing the PWs in a downstream sub panel, but in most cases not. The PW3 would have a 60A backfed breaker rating so it would not be compatible for a breaker connection on most existing electrical equipment. In the Tesla GW2 they had two meters....the primary meter X and the secondary meter Y. In some cases even these meters were not sufficient to deal with certain on site conditions, in which case you would need to add a Neurio Meter. This is especially the case when there are non-backed up loads upstream of the GW2 or if there are multiple PV or battery systems on site. From what I understand Tesla is not building out the compatibility between the Neurio Meter and the PW3, so the mysterious "Tesla Remote Meter" is taking the place of both the secondary meter Y and the Neurio Meter. That is about all I know about it until I can get my hands on some datasheets and installation manuals when it comes out. Thanks for watching!

Typo fix. Battery storage costs will need to drop by 80%.

Batteries are certainly the most expensive part of an solar energy storage system. They have come a long way in the last 10 years and the industry is constantly innovating while prices continue to drop. But yes, the average American home is thirsty for energy and replacing the grid entirely is not an easy feat. Thanks for watching!

I think the solution is to store as much energy as possible as heat (and cool, and even gravity) rather than electricity. While this is very hard to retrofit, it’s a travesty it’s not acknowledged in the relevant codes. Of course, a whole system design like this will prioritize efficiency as well. If it were up to me, I’d make it a requirement for new builds, but don’t consider myself an autocrat, just a pragmatist.

Boom!

Great question. As far as I am aware, they don't support off grid applications. I think it would likely void the warranty if the system was not connected to the grid and internet.

Most people only have a sub-panel controlled by the Powerwall. If that’s the case, it will not help in that regard. Basically, you would have to have it set to power your house directly, with a grid backup. This will cost you greatly by having this huge (Powerwall) capacity, and taking an efficiency hit for every kWh you consume.

Hi @VishalRaoOnKZfaq I would always suggest having an external whole house surge arrestor. They are now required by code to protect sensitive electronics such as ground fault circuit interrupters and arc fault circuit interrupters. Most can easily connect through a circuit breaker in your main service panel and only cost about $100-$200. That is much cheaper than replacing a bunch of sensitive electronics. As far as I am aware the Tesla Gateway does not contain any additional surge protection. Now if the grid is unstable and the voltage or frequency goes out of tolerance, the Tesla system will sense that and disconnect from the grid until it is stable again, but a true surge can come through in milliseconds and really do some damage if you aren't protected.

@@RockyBroadSolarLLC Thank you!

You can certainly stack multiple PW3s and multiple solar arrays together, but most AHJs and utilities would not allow neighbors to share solar arrays and batteries. In general it is one system per utility meter, so if each person has their own meter, they would each need their own individual system. That being said, shared community solar is a growing trend that I am not an expert on.

You could do this on a off Grid system

To my knowledge, no. I don't believe Tesla has developed a DC:DC EV charger. The SolarEdge Smart EV Charger is the only product I am aware of that can do that.

@@RockyBroadSolarLLC I just took a look. Up to 24KW, impressive.

Great question! I honestly need to look further into this and get back to you.

Hi @rogerwhite5022. Unfortunately at this time I cannot offer any turn key systems in Tennessee whatsoever. Right now I am an independent energy consultant for one of the largest solar installation platforms in the US and I can offer turn key installations in 23 out of the 50 states. We are constantly expanding but this is the list as of 5/28/2024. Thank you for watching the channel! Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Hawaii Idaho Illinois Massachusetts Maryland North Carolina New Jersey New Mexico Nevada Ohio Pennsylvania Puerto Rico South Carolina Texas Utah Virginia West Virginia

Hi @russbritt4100. I remember the days of having customers waiting for years on the Powerwall 1 after paying a deposit to be put on the list, and certainly there were some supply issues on Powerwall 2 at times, but both Powerwall 2 and Powerwall 3 are now widely available in the U.S. without any delays. We are installing them in 23 states across the U.S. as we speak. Thanks for watching!

That would certainly be an option @KB3M and is a great suggestion. Thanks for watching the channel!

If your utility company allows the use of the Backup Switch and you are buying a whole home backup system, then the Backup Switch is the way to go. Unfortunately the vast majority of utilities in the U.S. have not yet approved it's use in which case you would have to revert to either the Tesla Backup Gateway 2 or 3.

Gateway 3 has that sub panel. Might allow for easier and cheaper wiring to a charger and the PW3 itself. That's an advantage for me. My main panel is at back of garage. Putting PW3 there not a good idea (car can crash into it). For me better to have BG3 on side of house along with PW3 and short cable run to a new UWC.

@@bluedrewtotally in your case that makes sense. I live in AZ where we have combo meter panels where the back up switch is great because you don’t have to rewire a whole panel to install the gateway.

I do not know Joe, but honestly he was an inspiration for me to start my own KZfaq channel. I am one of his subscribers and watch most of his videos. I like to keep tabs on what all of the solar KZfaqrs are up to. Thanks for watching and for the comment sir!