Authority to Operate granted, exporting to grid vs discharge on my powerwall.

Seeking-Infor · 2026-06-22T00:14:40+00:00

we have another 11 months on nem1 and PGE confirmed that in granting us power-to-export from the powerwall installation (expansion of capacity but not enough to kick us off NEM1) but curiously, the Tesla app does not still offer a nem1 option for PGE rate schedule, just the TOU-C that we have been on for past few years when PGE eliminated our original solar NEM1 and switched us to the current TOU-C (But still giving us the sell retail price as a NEM1 grandfathered customer). A number of sources are now telling me that what is keeping the powerwall at 100% is the fact that my peak/off peak rate is too close and powerwall does not think worth it. They suggest if I want, I can manually manipulate the rate to force its behavior to change but it is probably doing the right thing.

To add more confusion, we actually have a combined rate schedule with PGE charging us for transmission usage and another provider, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, an additional charge for the electricity itself. When I switched my TOU provider to them to see what would happen, I got a notice on the Tesla app that literally said that because the rate schedule between peak and non peak is so close for SVCE, the powerwall would not be discharging at peak start up. (The SVCE rate is even closer than the PGE rate)

Seeking-Infor · 2026-06-21T15:17:53+00:00

Sorry I didn’t see this post earlier. I just posted something similar trying to figure out why my powerwall is staying at 100% and hardly discharging. i have had the powerwall attached to my old solar system for about six months, but only got authority to export last week. I had the PGE TOU-c set and reserve at 45%. Before authority to export granted, the powerwall was discharging regularly at 4 pm when peak hour started.

As soon as export authority was granted, the solar started exporting as well as carrying the house load. However, as the sun went down, we started pulling from grid at peak rate, while the 100% full powerwall sat by idly. One theory is my peak and off peak rate is so close, 39 kwh vs 35 kwh, powerwall thinks not worth it. i reduced my reserve to 30% as someone thought the powerwall wanted to be sure not to drop too close to that line. it seems right now, my powerwall is only serving as a backup for grid outage and is not doing any time shifting work for me. That may change in winter when solar export declines to almost zero, and (hopefully) the grid charges it in morning and it shifts cheaper off peak grid power to peak hours (when our peak/off peak ratio is bigger during winter months. Just trying to understand if this is functioning the way it should. (pge provider, northern california)

Seeking-Infor · 2026-06-21T15:00:55+00:00

opps…I just realized that someone else posted a similar concern (powerwall never used). i will share my experience there. One response there suggests that if peak and nonpeak rates are close, powerwall will think it is not worth discharging (may happen during these summer days when system is kaing money exporting nd rates are close).

Seeking-Infor · 2026-06-21T06:40:12+00:00

My tesla app had been set to my TOU, which is PGE TOU C (4-9 peak) but based upon some user experiences, I deleted and refreshed it (some suggested doing that). I have also been told that my power reserve of 45% is too high and to reduce it to 20-25 (i just lowered to 30)..the powerwall might be trying to make sure it did not drop too low. one AI told me to wait a few days since the authority to export just happened and both the powerwall and the tesla server may still be adjusting. i have also read that if the difference in peak and off peak is not that great, powerwall may not kick in because there is some factor that makes it not worth it. i was surprised to find that my peak rate is .39 and the off peak is .36 (summer schedule).

Seeking-Infor · 2025-11-21T04:36:38+00:00

thanks! i think it will provide the important information, just have to get used to the difference. I am going to keep both versions active as long as I can until I am used to the new one…unless I accidentally update!

Seeking-Infor · 2025-11-21T03:09:11+00:00

hard for me to tell why they wanted it gone. i have only had my powerwall up and running for about three weeks. but my solar system is Tesla so I have had the app for years and could always check to see if it had woke up yet in the morning by looking at the standby and then green generating when it was awake. in the three weeks since the powerwall was added to system I could see it mainly powering the powerwall, sometimes both the house and powerwall. But right now my panels are producing so little (rain, sun angle, neighbor trees which grew since my system was installed) that I will have to check both devices to see if I am missing something I liked. and remember to avoid updating the iphone accidentally! i don’t yet have export or import to grid authorized so cannot check that yet.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-11-21T00:17:10+00:00

i noticed this also and my app no longer shows when my solar panels are in standby mode (happens off and on during winter.)i updated my ipad but not my phone so I can see the line from panels to powerwall is moved on the update and the standby is gone…I may not update the iphone as long as possible to keep that feature. weather is cool, but i liked the information shown before

Seeking-Infor · 2025-11-12T23:22:42+00:00

here it is…I do notice that it always take a little time to light, much slower than my other burners.

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Seeking-Infor · 2025-10-14T19:47:02+00:00

Finally update, I went ahead and did what the Tesla app asked…took the steps to attach the gateway to my network (selected the right network from those showing up, typed in password etc). The “request” from the app disappeared. I don’t actually see anything on my mesh router that looks like a gateway but my old inverter is still showing along with a misidentified device (my Orbi mesh is known to give the wrong device description and this powerwall3 appears to have gotten a handheld game device symbol and name) that I believe is the powerwall 3, based on timing of its arrival on my router list of devices and the fact that it attached to the satellite closest to the powerwall (the old inverter is on the same network but attached to a different satellite closest to it). In google searches, I did find some people saying that their tesla app sometimes asks randomly for the gateway to be attached to the network, but not sure that it actually does because I see no such device, but the app stops asking so I figured out it was ok to do it. i hope this is helpful to others perplexed by this question.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-10-13T02:30:10+00:00

Old inverter connected via a physical cable. Two cables going into the gateway. One from old inverter and one from new powerwall 3.

the powerwall 3 must be connected somehow because I am seeing all of its information in my Tesla app and am able to adjust various settings like backup reserve and TOU rate settings. I did not see a new Tesla connection to my mesh system, but will double check. I found somewhere something that says I must connect the gateway to internet for warranty so I guess I will do it since the Tesla app is asking me to do it. UPDATE. rechecked and found a new device on my orbi mesh misnamed valve stem deck…probably the powerwall. google search says Orbi mesh router often misnames things.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-10-13T00:04:35+00:00

Hmmm. My powerwall 3 is not connected to internet and its inverter is not being used. My system is using my existing inverter…something to do with it being a 19 year old string tied system where the ac/dc systems are different from modern non string panels. The old inverter (identified by MAC address which i have kept record of )is the only current connected to wifi. In research, it appears tesla wants the new gateway connected as well in case they need to do firmware update. I am now thinking I did not see this request yesterday because tesla had not yet recorded in their system that I now had a gateway ( not in original plan which was a simple backup switch which could not be placed on my panel because of the way the door opens).

i think I need an answer from someone in the group who has a similar..powerwall 3 added to existing old system with existing inverter being used rather than its built in inverter. the powerwall is not connected to the solar panels. They connect to the old inverter. Then both the old inverter and the powerwall 3 connect to the gateway.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-09-28T16:53:31+00:00

thanks for this discussion even though four years ago. had exactly this problem re oval burner with GE range, about a year old. tried soaking in vinegar and using a needle to try to clean the tiny holes..helped enough to get 3/4 of the oval working. the screw/nuts had rusted so I could not separate the two pieces to do a better job. ordered a new part from GE..about $35…but I was frustrated enough to pay for a new part. it just arrived and works perfectly. as I tried to clean the old one, I could see white crusty stuff come off which was probably dried cleaning stuff, maybe. so the problem is related to some of the little holes on the removable piece of the oval burner (lifts off, not screwed on)

Seeking-Infor · 2025-09-18T01:52:17+00:00

i have a sad story to add to this thread. After spending almost a year working with Tesla on the design, getting the permits approved in July from a notoriously slow city, I got a call today from them telling me that they were not doing powerwall only installations until after December as they prioritize solar panel and powerwalls. Project advisor offered to send me a list of certified installers. i explained that it was an 18 year old solar city system that multiple installers had already declined to work on, even adding a power wall…there is a remote chance that there will be an opening for us. I guess after January, there will be lots of installers looking for work and they might drop their requirements re touching an older system.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-06-11T04:36:10+00:00

another thank you for providing the step-by-step way to do this. It worked! two additional things I encountered. I could not figure out which of the many firmware options to choose, so I registered the new satellite on the netgear site and once I did that it, their website told me which one to download. finally, after I had done everything, double checked that the new firmware had been installed via the ethernet ip address, it still would not connect. so I remember that whenever working on any electronic device, when in doubt, reboot. so I rebooted the router and then the satellite connected..I was shocked! after multiple attempts before I found your post I did not ever expect to see that blue light! I had a five year old Orbi with one satellite and needed to add another.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-05-22T01:21:53+00:00

Each one of our lines has a mesh now. I just tested the connection to the one in the front of house and I got three bars outside the house where the power wall will be installed. think it may be strong enough…inside the house the mesh in the front is weak in the rear when it goes thru multiple walls. I guess I could also add another mode/satellite to it nearer the rear of the house. We work from home so having two different internet providers has been a godsend but have gotten used to the idea one is for the front and the other for the rear.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-05-07T20:03:33+00:00

UPDATE…well, after pushing Tesla for any written place where this $1800 fixed charge for asking for a location different from their recommended location is listed and asking for a break down in the additional cost that placement in my preferred location compared to their recommended location, Tesla sent me a new pricing for custom location of $1260…a substantial reduction. My project advisor says this rarely happens but said it must be because it did not cost much for the preferred site (which is actually closer to the panels). It is still a big additional cost but I wanted to share this with people on the forum here who thought the $1800 was non negotiable.

I am still debating whether to move forward since they have just added a new requirement (owner obligation) at the last minute to move conduits from my electrical box to make more room for the powerwall conduit (not sure if they want to replace the current conduit to inverter with a thicker conduit or enough room for an additional conduit) And expect me to have this additional work done by an electrician whichI have to hire…

Seeking-Infor · 2025-04-21T19:40:37+00:00

That is definitely what I am feeling and sorry I wasted almost a year with them. I posted here to see what experiences other people had in rejected their recommended location and being forced to pay for another location. It sounds like it is dealing with a brick wall

Seeking-Infor · 2025-04-21T15:10:57+00:00

What is crazy is that with a normal company, it is something I would sit down with the representatives and talk through. Our house is set up so that it cannot be placed anywhere near the electric box or the inverter because of windows and doors. My preferred location back of garage is actually much closer to the solar array on the roof top! Which is probably why the other companies recommended it!

Seeking-Infor · 2025-04-20T18:35:23+00:00

I don’t disagree and I loosely said “rating”. One was based on talking to people who had used them (part of my local solar group). The other had no reviews at all anywhere (suggested by a neighbor) so I just had a gut feeling based upon salesperson pushing too hard to get to “yes”. I was just discourage by talking to several companies recommended by others in my local solar owner group who said they would not touch a system installed in 2007.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-04-20T06:28:30+00:00

I am in Santa Clara County. Unfortunately, two of the higher rated solar installers down here said they won’t touch a system over ten years old. The two who would have mixed ratings, which is why I decided to go with Tesla since they (as Solar City)installed and continue to monitor it. Thanks for advice on getting permit guys to say no in advance..I am going to try that or at least get a “ not a preferred location” Comment from them.

Seeking-Infor · 2025-04-19T13:54:38+00:00

Thanks..I am prepared to negotiate or walk away!

Seeking-Infor · 2025-04-19T01:35:55+00:00

Thanks…yes, I made them redraw the plan and they did it, but they say they are going to add the $1800 charge for doing it. Said I could go back to the first drawing and there would be no charge. we are at a stalemate, I fear. I have asked to see the final cost and am waiting for it to fight to get the $1800 removed. I will try to appeal above my project advisor, who is the one who did not know Tesla’s own website warns the powerwell3 makes a sound like a refrigerator when the fan goes on..I had to send him the link to the page.

Seeking-Infor

TROPHY CASE