Tesla Solar Panels and Powerwalll

[chrisski]

I am pretty close to getting solar installed and am seriously considering Tesla solar panels and a powerwall. I’m also waiting to hear from an Outback installer.

I realize Tesla gets a bad rap, but initially their prices seem competitive and with people who own them I’ve talked to are very happy. This includes someone who started with Solar City who was bought out by Tesla and when panels blew away in the wind, Tesla honored the warranty.

These good words about Tesla seem to not match what I read about here and on another forum.

My planning for the local area is $15k prior to rebates per 5kw of panels installed not including battery. They come in slightly under that.

[Ampster]

You cannot beat Tesla prices except by doing it yourself. I self installed a solar system after getting a Tesla quote and came very close to to matching their price. I knew I would need a new main service panel and that would jack up the Tesla price and delay the install. I already had the batteries and the hybrid inverter from a home I had just sold so I did not consider a Powerwall. I also see ads for Mona Lee which claims to be very competitive and a quick Google search says they operate in Arizona. It looks like they offer a battery system but I do not know the details.

[AzSun]

I would be most concerned about the battery chemistry. I believe they are still lithium/cobalt. There is no need for that in a stationary application. Consider lithium iron phosphate.(LiFeP04) - much less fire risk.

[Ampster]

I would be most concerned about the battery chemistry. I believe they are still lithium/cobalt. There is no need for that in a stationary application. Consider lithium iron phosphate.(LiFeP04) - much less fire risk.

That is a good point when considering stationary storage. I have owned three Tesla vehicles and not experienced any issues. I think Tesla understands the fire risk and has had years of experience with implementing strategies to mitigate the fire risk with NMC chemistry. Clearly others including LG CHem have had issues with both stationary storage and vehicle batteries.. I used Nissan Leaf modules for a couple of years but eventually migrated to LFP for my staionary storage to reduce the risk of fire.

[solardreamer]

If price is the most important factor then Tesla is the choice. However, based on many forum posts, Tesla customer support is bad. So, they may honor warranties but it may take you next to forever to get the warranty replacement. Also, if you are used to any DIY with full control of your systems then you are likely to be disappointed with Tesla as owners only get limited control.

[chrisski]

I am checking a couple places off solarreview.com, and hope to hear from Outback about a local installer.

[Ampster]

.......and hope to hear from Outback about a local installer.

i am a long time fan of Outback. However, since they were acquired by Enersys, their support for any battery systems other than Enersys batteries has deteriorated. They are probably still Tier One with prices that are not, in my view, competitive, at least compared to the DIY options. I sold my Outback Skybox when I acquired a SolArk and now have closed communication with my Orion BMS and the SolArk. I also have great data and graphs by using Solar Assistant if data is your thing.

[JoeS]

Tesla customer support is whoreAble. I got two PW2 and panels last year. Two weeks after the installation the fan died in the gateway box. It's just a common computer fan, but Tesla doesn't make them easy to replace. Power production dropped 70%. I put an external fan on and had full power production until they replaced the gateway box. 6 months later about every 3rd day I'd only get 50% production. An external fan didn't help. They replace the gateway last week. Now I get 50% production every day. They are coming out soon to replace the lines and other things to try and fix the problem. Thank goodness tesla didn't do the install or I'd really be in trouble. The installer is good but at the mercy of Tesla. Tesla is slow to ship replacement parts.

[Ampster]

Tesla customer support is whoreAble. .....

I have heard the same from several sources. I recently saw a report that they have sold 500,000 Powerwalls. They are still a big player in the market. I cancelled an order for two Powerwalls four years ago. I was able to get a better mix of inverter capacity and battery capacity by using a hybrid inverter and a DIY battery pack.

[chrisski]

I am now leaning towards an outback radian with 10 kw of panels and a 10 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack.

More options with the Outback plus a Dc coupled battery is something I’m used to and if something goes wrong, I can troubleshoot.

[GoingElectric]

I am NOT a fan of Tesla solar. Info is limited and it tries to get you in contract before you can see everything. The cars OTOH are best BEV one can get.

Same with Mona Lee, and the prices are not that good either.

[SamirD]

Does anyone know how hail resistant the 'shingle' style panels are? My parent's home room had hardi slate installed when it was built in the 1990s, but it is going to need a complete replacement due to hail damage. Wouldn't want to run into the same thing with the Tesla shingles.

[SunEagle]

Does anyone know how hail resistant the 'shingle' style panels are? My parent's home room had hardi slate installed when it was built in the 1990s, but it is going to need a complete replacement due to hail damage. Wouldn't want to run into the same thing with the Tesla shingles.

I am unaware of any solar shingle that can withstand large impacts from hail.

[SamirD]

I am unaware of any solar shingle that can withstand large impacts from hail.

I wouldn't expect them to deal with large hail too well, but would even the pea size hurt them? That seems to be getting more common in their area unfortunately.

[SunEagle]

I wouldn't expect them to deal with large hail too well, but would even the pea size hurt them? That seems to be getting more common in their area unfortunately.

Hard to tell. What does the manufacturer state about hail damage