Incorporating a Lightning into an existing PV system - without HIS

[world2steven]

As you have found, generic ones are available on Amazon but you may need to rewire them. Solar/inverter companies also offer them. Check Victron, Growatt, SolarEdge, etc.

120V generators also work. However, keep in mind that you need autotransformers that have double the power capacity of the 120V generator.

It's the "rewire" part I don't like but maybe that wouldn't cause problems for a professional electrician.

Since the principal generator would be my Lightning, would I have problems using an autotransformer with twice as much capacity as needed for the Ioniq5?

Any thoughts about code compliance?

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[watchdoc]

The title of the thread was integrating the Lightning into an EXISTING solar setup. Assuming your existing setup already has batteries, just use the Lightning as a battery charger for your existing battery bank using the EG4 Chargeverter. The 7.2 30 amp output really isn't enough to power your home anyway. If you have something like a Sol Ark 15k, you're gonna want the Sol Ark to handle all the loads directly.

I wouldn't want the Lightning to be the main power source in the event of a long term outage. That eliminates your mobility.

 

[Zprime29]

That eliminates your mobility.

I would like to argue that it "limits" as many (if not most) of us have a second vehicle. I chose to buy the lightning as I didn't want a big investment just sitting on a wall and not doing anything 364 days a year. I can sacrifice a little mobility for that 1 or 2 days a year we lose power.

Bottom line is that is all depends on your personal situation.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

The title of the thread was integrating the Lightning into an EXISTING solar setup. Assuming your existing setup already has batteries, just use the Lightning as a battery charger for your existing battery bank using the EG4 Chargeverter. The 7.2 30 amp output really isn't enough to power your home anyway. If you have something like a Sol Ark 15k, you're gonna want the Sol Ark to handle all the loads directly.

I wouldn't want the Lightning to be the main power source in the event of a long term outage. That eliminates your mobility.

Interesting device, thanks for sharing. However, a couple of things to consider:

• The 7.2 kW, 30 amp outlet in the bed of the Lightning would power my house just fine through a generator hookup. A bigger challenge is the ground-fault issue when using the truck to power your house.
• Many of us have additional vehicles to maintain mobility in the event of a prolonged grid outage. In that case, my Lightning is more valuable to me as a big battery bank than as a truck!

In our area, outages are relatively common but seldom prolonged. My three Tesla Powerwall batteries are usually sufficient to handle them. Still, we are often the only house in the entire neighborhood that has power during those outages...

Let's hear it for rooftop solar!

 

[watchdoc]

Again, the original thread was about integrating the Lightning into an EXISTING solar system. Using the Lightning as a battery charger seems like the cheapest and easiest way to accomplish this goal. YMMV

 

[Zprime29]

Not every solar system has an attached battery. I have almost 9kW of panels on a 7.5kW inverter, no battery back up. That's why I bought the truck. I want to use the solar when power is out and the truck is my back up battery. I'm eagerly waiting for @EmporiaEnergy to release their bidirectional EVSE.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

Again, the original thread was about integrating the Lightning into an EXISTING solar system. Using the Lightning as a battery charger seems like the cheapest and easiest way to accomplish this goal. YMMV

Existing solar systems like mine charge backup batteries with solar energy. I don't need my Lightning to charge my Tesla Powerwalls.

What I would like to do, if I can figure out how to do it safely, is to connect the 30 amp outlet in the bed of my Lightning to a generator input and allow it to power my home in the event of a prolonged grid outage. Currently, that would cost me around $5K because it would involve installing a double-throw safety switch to isolate my Powerwalls and solar array from the truck. Probably not worth it.

Like @Zprime29 I hope @EmporiaEnergy releases their bidirectional charger soon. I have their Level 2 EVSE and love the fact that when coupled with their Vue Energy Monitor, it allows me to charge my Lightning and other EVs using excess solar energy!

 

[watchdoc]

Ridgeback, so you're saying you already have a system in place that powers your home in the event of an outage but you want to add a second system to your setup so you would have TWO systems in the event of a prolonged outage.

Seems overly complicated to me. Why not just let the Lightning charge your existing powerwalls when your solar system falls short? I don't know a ton about powerwalls so maybe that isn't possible.

Is your solar setup large enough to power your home AND charge your Lightning?

 

[ridgebackpilot]

Is your solar setup large enough to power your home AND charge your Lightning?

Yes, I have 36 panels (15 kW) and make about 75 kWh per day in the summer. That's enough to charge my three Powerwalls and charge my EVs (Lightning and two Mustang Mach-Es). We drive a fair amount and charge while on the road. But I love having the ability to charge my EVs at home using excess solar power only.

Of course, in the winter, my solar array will only make about a quarter of what it does in the summer months. That should still be plenty to run my house if not charge the EVs.

You're right, I don't really need to use my Lightning to provide backup power to my home. But if I didn't have the Powerwalls, I'd be a lot more interested in backing up my home using the Lightning. That really should be simple and convenient, and not prohibitively expensive!

 

[watchdoc]

So you're more looking for a redundant system rather than integrating the Lightning into your existing system.

Again, since the original topic was how to integrate into an EXISTING solar setup, that was the angle I was going for.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

So you're more looking for a redundant system rather than integrating the Lightning into your existing system.

Again, since the original topic was how to integrate into an EXISTING solar setup, that was the angle I was going for.

Again, I have an EXISTING solar power system! It's a lot more complicated than you seem to think to integrate a Lightning into an existing solar setup, especially one with backup batteries such as the Tesla Powerwalls.

There are other threads here you might want to peruse that discuss in detail the challenges involved. For example, integrating my Lightning into my existing solar system would likely be complex and prohibitively expensive. The Powerwall batteries are set up to charge using solar power; to switch them to charge from the truck would likely be quite involved and expensive.

The point is that integrating the truck into a rooftop solar system should be easier than it is. The Sunrun/Ford Home Integration System has largely been a costly failure for those who have attempted to install it. Even using the 30 amp outlet in the bed to provide backup power to the home and integrate with an existing solar array presents monumental challenges.

The market is ripe for a bi-directional charger that makes this easier than it is today... @EmporiaEnergy, perhaps?

 

[watchdoc]

Actually, it looks pretty simple to use the Lightning as a battery charger for an existing battery bank. Will Prowse has discussed this several times. He just got a bad truck and returned it. The powerwall seems to complicate the issue whereas a more DIYfriendly battery bank would be easier. That being said, I'm pretty jealous of your system and your stable of vehicles.

 

[v2h8484]

Again, I have an EXISTING solar power system! It's a lot more complicated than you seem to think to integrate a Lightning into an existing solar setup, especially one with backup batteries such as the Tesla Powerwalls.

That's in large part due to the complexity of Tesla Powerwall not being a "simple" battery bank with many of its own limitations. There is no good reason why it's so complex and expensive to integrate Tesla Powerwall with just a basic generator. So, while Ford deserves blame, Tesla deserves just as much if not more blame for not making Powerwall easier/cheaper to integrate with other power sources. For example, as owners, you have no direct control over Powerwall charging current limit like you do in Tesla EV's. In addition, owners have very limited control of charging power source (grid vs solar).

The market is ripe for a bi-directional charger that makes this easier than it is today... @EmporiaEnergy, perhaps?

Good luck waiting for that. None will ever likely work with the Lightnings and any other CCS EV's on the road today and even less likely that they will integrate with Tesla Powerwall.

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