How to Surge Protect a Tesla Powerwall and Solar System

Solar and battery systems, like the Tesla Powerwall, create multiple electrical entry points into your home, leaving it especially vulnerable to surge damage. During a storm, direct or nearby lightning strikes as far away as one-quarter mile can send destructive surges straight to solar inverters and batteries! Powerwall damage may also be caused by everyday grid events like utility switching or power restoration after outages. Without proper surge protection, these events can damage Powerwall electronics, destroy solar inverters, cause repeated system faults, damage EV chargers, and lead to expensive repairs.

The Tesla Powerwall does not come with built-in surge protection devices (SPDs), leaving it extremely vulnerable to damage from power surges. The best way to prevent damage to a Tesla Powerwall system is to install layered surge protection from TPD.

• First, install a TPX-1S240-F-150 just after the service meter. That becomes the first layer of protection. It now protects the Tesla Gateway, Powerwalls, the solar interface, and adds a first layer of protection for the downstream breaker panel inside the home or office.
  • Important note: If you currently have surge protection on the breaker panels in your home, that’s great, but that will not protect the Tesla Powerwall system. Surge protectors on the breaker panels inside your home are protecting everything that is downstream from those breaker panels. Once a Powerwall system is installed, the Tesla Gateway and batteries are typically upstream from the breaker panels they are feeding, leaving the Tesla system unprotected from utility surges and lightning.
• Then, you should have a TPX-1S240-F-100 on the breaker panel. This becomes the second layer of surge protection, protecting the rest of the home from externally generated surges, and the Powerwall system from internally generated surges created by equipment within the home.
• If there is a generator in the system, that path should also be protected with a TPX-1S240-F-100 at the point where it ties into the system to protect both utility and generator power before it gets to the Tesla Gateway.

If you have a Tesla Powerwall or other solar battery backup system that needs to be protected, please reach out to us at TPD at info@tpdsurge.com or 888-281-7856. We are happy to help and will find you just what you need!