TESLA TEP App User Guide
- June 6, 2024
- Tesla
Table of Contents
TESLA TEP App
Overview
Connecting Tesla Energy Plan, Powerwall and solar together as part of the Tesla Virtual Power Plant (VPP) maximises the value of your system while helping stabilise the grid to prevent outages in your community.
Each system is working collectively as a network using Tesla’s world-leading software, creating the grid of the future and ensuring energy is distributed where it is needed most. On the Tesla Energy Plan, you are helping the grid be more stable, preventing the use of fossil fuels and reducing energy costs for you and those in your community.
Value
- Annual $220 (incl gst) grid support credits for each Powerwall owned, calculated equally across 365 days and applied to your Tesla Energy Bill monthly.
- Receive a competitive feed-in-tariff for any solar energy exported to the grid.
- Competitive and flexible Time of Use tariffs for energy used from the grid, where you can take advantage of peak, off-peak and solar sponge rates & manually schedule appliances to run when these rates are at their cheapest.
- Support SA’s electricity network, while helping to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future and driving electricity costs down for you and those in your community.
- Leverage Tesla’s world leading technology to help minimise the cost of using energy from the grid by reducing imports during peak periods.
- Help support Australia’s future energy security.
- Assured 20% back-up reserve in the instance of a grid outage.
System Behaviour
Overview
The Tesla Energy Plan’s peak, off-peak and solar sponge periods match the
time-of-use periods of SA Power Networks tariffs that you are subject to as a
residential customer in South Australia.
Your Powerwall creates value by shifting your home’s energy usage from peak to
the solar sponge and off-peak periods. This ‘load shifting’ minimises your
bill and allows Tesla to reduce
its cost to power your usage in order to offer you low energy rates.
Your Powerwall constantly forecasts your solar consumption and usage based on
historical patterns. It uses these forecasts to typically prioritise charging
from your solar production when it exceeds your usage (e.g. in Summer
typically). When solar production is insufficient to offset your peak usage,
it will charge from the grid during solar sponge or off-peak periods (e.g. in
Winter). Your Powerwall then discharges during the peak period, helping reduce
your electricity bills.
Frequency Support
Your Powerwall is configured to provide frequency support to the grid at all
times. This type of service is rarely needed (about once a month on average,
although contingency events are unpredictable) and consumes very little
energy. Frequency support is a service that all Powerwalls enrolled in the
Tesla Energy Plan provide simultaneously as a fleet, which is not only
critical to keep the lights on in South Australia, but also generates value
that is shared with you in the form of a grid support credits and competitive
energy rates.
Traditionally, Fossil Fuels have been used to perform these services, but
Powerwall can react 100 x times faster with clean energy.
At times, Tesla may charge your Powerwall from and discharge to the grid for
energy arbitrage, using the low rates stored to sell back when energy costs
are high Tesla shares this value with customers through annual grid support
credits applied monthly to your bill and competitive Time of Use energy rates.
This enables you to take full advantage of lower off-peak and solar sponge
times to power your home when your Powerwall or solar is being managed,
helping to offset any consumption from the grid during peak times when you are
typically using electricity.
Wholesale Ma rket Arbitrage
Tesla’s world leading software is constantly assessing the best action to
participate in the energy market while reducing your energy bill by learning
your consumption behaviour and also assessing opportunities to minimise grid
fluctuations by:
- Charging your Powerwall from the grid with cheap Time of Use rates.
- Exporting solar or stored energy from Powerwall to the grid when demand and prices are high.
- This may lead to instances when your Powerwall is idle, waiting for an opportunity to discharge when prices are high.
For example:
If wholesale market prices are low or negative, which is typically due to an
oversupply of electricity in the grid (e.g. during solar sponge or off-peak
times typically) Tesla may charge your battery or import energy from the grid
to take advantage of these prices and cover your home’s energy use.
If wholesale market prices are high, which is typically due to an undersupply
of energy in the grid (e.g. during peak times or unexpected outages) Tesla may
export your solar system or Powerwall’s energy to the grid to take advantage
of these prices. Sometimes, your Powerwall may be ready to discharge but will
wait for prices to increase further, leading it to remain idle.
While your Powerwall is being managed, your system may draw from the grid more
frequently depending on the season. For example:
Summer
There will be more solar energy during summer which means your Powerwall will
be charged more from solar than the grid.
Winter:
There will be less solar energy which means your Powerwall will be charged
more from the grid.
What you may see when there is sun
Solar powering the home,
Powerwall and the grid Solar is generating energy, covering your home’s energy
use, charging Powerwall and exporting to the grid. You are receiving a
competitive feed in tariff for your solar exports.
Solar powering the home
exporting to the grid Solar is generating energy to power your home. Powerwall
is not charging as it may be full or is planning to charge later in the day.
Excess energy is sent to the grid and you receive a feed in tariff.
Solar & Powerwall powering the home
Not enough solar energy is being generated to power your home, so Powerwall
provides the additional energy. This is typical of peak period when Powerwall
is not empty.
Solar & grid powering the home
Not enough solar energy is being generated to power your home, so the grid
provides additional energy. Powerwall is empty or, if during solar sponge or
off-peak period, may be waiting for peak period to power your home. Powerwall
will charge when there is excess sun available or rates are low. You are
charged with flexible time of use rates
Powerwall discharging to grid while powering the home
Powerwall discharging to grid while powering the home. Powerwall is powering
your home while also sending energy to the grid (for grid services or high
wholesale prices). You receive a feed in tariff for grid exports.
Grid powering the home
Your home is powered by the grid and you are charged competitively low Time of
Use rates. Powerwall has been fully discharged or is reserving capacity to
provide frequency support or to optimise energy arbitrage.
Grid importing to Powerwall
Powerwall is being charged from the grid to take advantage of low solar sponge
or off-grid rates, or of low/negative wholesale energy prices. You pay the
time of use rate to import from grid, but receive grid support bill credits
and a feed in tariff for any exports back to the grid.
Understanding Energy Flows – High Solar PV Production
Understanding Energy Flows – Low Solar PV Production
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>