Goldin Solar is a Tesla-certified Powerwall installer. We service the majority of Florida.
Tesla Powerwall is the most exciting piece of technology in the Goldin Solar toolkit. Powerwall paired with solar allows you to access your solar energy anytime, even at night or during a power outage. In this guide, we will share information about Tesla Powerwall key benefits, hardware and software elements, and technical specifications. Powerwall is available throughout the world, but this guide will specifically discuss the benefits of Powerwall to homeowners in Florida.
Contents:
-Benefits of Powerwall in Florida
-Powerwall Hardware and Software
-Getting Powerwall
-Tesla Powerwall Specs
Three Powerwalls installed at Goldin Solar CEO Daren Goldin’s home in Miami, Florida.
Benefits of Powerwall in Florida
Tesla Powerwall offers benefits to the owner and to the grid as a whole. Here are our favorite benefits of Powerwall:
- Powerwall keeps you powered during an outage
- Powerwall is an easy retrofit for an existing solar system
- Powerwall reduces your dependence on the utility company
- Powerwall helps make the grid more resilient and assists the transition toward a renewable energy future
In Florida, many people own diesel generators to power key electronics in the case of a hurricane outage. Powerwall with solar offers many of the benefits of owning a generator, but with less hassle. In the graphic below, we compare battery storage with solar to a generator:
Powerwall Benefit One: Backup Power During Outages
Many people are surprised to learn that a solar array can’t power their home when the grid is down. However, solar paired with Tesla Powerwall allows your home to stay powered on during an outage. This is the number one reason our customers choose to install Powerwall in Florida.
When your solar array is producing more energy than your home needs, the extra is delivered to Powerwall. Then, when your home needs more energy than your solar is producing, it can draw the stored energy from Powerwall. This is a fantastic benefit here in Florida where outages are common.
Each additional Powerwall increases your backup capabilities because Powerwalls are able to discharge together. This means that the more Powerwalls you have, the more energy-hungry appliances they can power simultaneously. With three Powerwalls, Goldin Solar CEO Daren Goldin can easily power his entire home for three sunny days without changing his energy consumption habits. In fact, he once disconnected his home from the grid during a Powerwall demonstration and then forgot to reconnect it after the demonstration. His home remained continuously powered for several days before he realized what happened.
Powerwall Benefit Two: Easy Retrofit
Powerwall is an AC-coupled battery. This allows it to connect to a standard solar inverter. This is in contrast to many other battery storage options, which require special inverters in order to connect to a solar array. This means that Powerwall can be added to an existing solar system much more cheaply than other storage options. In addition to the reduced equipment costs, this makes Powerwall installation faster and easier. This is one of the primary reasons Powerwall is the only energy storage solution Goldin Solar offers in Florida.
Powerwall Benefit Three: Reduce Your Dependence on the Utility Company
Beyond merely protecting you from grid failure, Powerwall reduces your overall dependence on the utility company. Here in Florida, grid outages due to hurricanes are a part of life, and can sometimes last for days or weeks. During uncertain times, it may take even longer for the utility to restore power after a disaster. Installing Powerwalls is like installing seat belts in your car: it gives you peace of mind so you can spend less time thinking about what could go wrong.
Tesla has also hinted that future software updates could enable another mode of Powerwall operation: off-grid. This would open a new world of possibilities for those looking for increased independence in our increasingly fragile and chaotic world. For those building their dream home on a piece of vacant property, it could mean not having to pay anything for a new grid connection. Powerwall updates like this one are often possible using existing hardware.
Powerwall Benefit Four: Increasing Grid Resilience and Quickening Renewables Transition
As we have learned, Powerwall can keep your home powered with solar even when the grid is disconnected. However, during normal use, Powerwall is connected to the grid and actively coordinating the transfer of power between your home’s solar array and the power lines.
By doing so, Powerwalls make the grid more resilient to unpredictable sources of voltage by acting as a buffer between your house and the power lines. This is another reason why energy storage is becoming more and more popular in utility-scale solar and wind installations. Installing Powerwalls at your home makes rooftop solar easier for the utility to handle, which in turn will increase their willingness to extend programs such as net metering, and eventually could save them lots of money by increasing grid efficiency through virtual power plant technology. By purchasing Powerwall, you are helping Tesla invest in further research and development, advancing its mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. In other words, installing Powerwalls is another way you can create a more sustainable future for all.
Powerwall Hardware and Software
Tesla Powerwall can be installed with or without solar. However, nearly every single Powerwall we install is installed with solar, which allows for continuous backup in the case of an outage because your home solar system can recharge the battery. We can install Powerwalls with new solar installations, or easily retrofit an existing solar array with Powerwall.
Powerwall Installation Hardware
Tesla Powerwall requires the following hardware for installation:
- Powerwall itself (most of our customers install 2 or 3 Powerwalls)
- Mounting hardware
- The Backup Gateway
Tesla Backup Gateway is the interface between Powerwall and the grid. It helps your Powerwall know when to switch to backup mode and disconnect from the grid. As of July 2020, we are installing the brand-new second generation of Tesla Backup Gateway for our new Powerwall contracts. Here’s a video describing the benefits of the new Backup Gateway:
Powerwall Software
Tesla Powerwall is supported by the following software:
- Tesla mobile app
That’s right, you can monitor your Powerwall and change its operating mode by using the same app that Tesla provides its car owners. Through the Tesla app, you can see how energy is flowing through your Powerwall and view its charge status in real-time.
The Tesla app can be used to switch Powerwall between three modes of operation:
- Self-powered
- Backup-only
- Time-based control
In self-powered mode, Powerwall will charge itself with your excess solar energy during the day and discharge at night to power your home. This is the most common mode of operation for Powerwall since nearly all Powerwall customers also have solar. It allows you to reduce your carbon footprint and also helps create a more resilient grid. Usage of Powerwall in this way can be described as “virtual power plant” or “virtual grid” technology at the mico-level.
In backup-only mode, Powerwall will charge itself to 100% using grid power and only discharge when it becomes disconnected from the grid.
In time-based control mode, Powerwall will charge and discharge based upon changing energy prices. This is only applicable in areas with time-based electricity billing, which does not exist here in Florida.
In addition to these three operating modes which Powerwall owner can control, there are two modes of operation which Powerwall will activate automatically based on current weather conditions.
- Storm Watch
- Preconditioning
The Storm Watch mode, which can be enabled or blocked in the Tesla app, will allow your Powerwall to communicate with the National Weather Service and prepare for severe weather events. If severe weather is coming, Powerwall will charge more quickly to maximum capacity in preparation.
Preconditioning mode allows your Powerwall to heat itself if temperatures fall below freezing. This allows your Powerwall to operate more efficiently.
Getting Powerwall in Florida
In this section of this guide to Tesla Powerwall, we will share considerations for getting Powerwall in Florida. These include determining how many Powerwalls you need and getting a quote for Powerwall.
How Many Powerwalls Do I Need?
There are two variables that determine how many Powerwalls your home needs. These are your energy use and your home’s maximum load (your home’s maximum load is the total current consumed by the appliances). To understand these factors, we compare Powerwalls to buckets of water.
Energy and Current
Each Powerwall is like a bucket that can hold a certain volume of water. Imagine that the bucket also has a tap at the bottom that can empty at a certain rate. In this analogy, the volume of water held is equivalent to the total energy stored by the Powerwall. The speed at which it can empty is equivalent to the maximum current the Powerwall can deliver. Your home needs a certain volume of water (energy) each day and also needs to feed it to your appliances at a certain rate (the current).
You need enough Powerwalls to store a night’s worth of energy and discharge quickly enough to power the maximum load used by your home. The maximum load used by your home will occur when many major appliances are in use, such as the stove, air conditioner, or clothes dryer.
Tesla Powerwall can store 13.5 kWh of energy and deliver a current of 30 Amps. We use these values to calculate the number of Powerwalls your home needs based on your home’s energy use and maximum load. Your home’s energy use and maximum load can be found on your utility statements.
In the graphic below, you can see how these data are used to calculate the number of Powerwalls we recommend for our customers.
One of the reasons Powerwall is a great choice for battery backup is that the new Backup Gateway allows you to selectively back up certain loads within your home. This means you can have your Powerwall automatically backup your air conditioner but skip your pool heater. Therefore, you can use your most critical appliances during an outage but not worry about the extra loads that you might not need all the time.
Getting a Quote for Powerwall in Florida
To get a free quote for Powerwall, or Powerwall + solar, fill in your request using the messenger tool on the bottom right or head to our quote page and we will connect you with a consultant in your area. We install Powerwall throughout Florida.
Tesla Powerwall Specs
In essence, Tesla Powerwall is a battery. But it’s not just any battery, it’s an AC-coupled battery that can power your house.
Powerwall has the following technical specifications:
Tesla Powerwall Technical Specifications
Type: AC-coupled with integrated inverter
Chemistry: Lithium NMC cells
Special Features: Liquid cooling
Energy Capacity: 13.5 kWh
Discharge: 100%
Efficiency: 90%
Continuous Power: 5 kW
Warranty: 10 years
Maximum Connected Number: 10
Operating Temperature: -4-122°F
Dimensions: 45.3″ x 29.6″ x 5.75″
Weight: 251.3 lbs
Installation: Floor- or wall-mounted, indoor or outdoor
For more detailed technical specifications for Powerwall, look at the datasheet provided by Tesla.
Want to Install Powerwall in Florida?
Outside our service area? Head to Tesla’s list of certified installers.
Kevin Arnold
