As noted in Required Supplies, only use stranded wire
or fine stranded wire for PV connections. Do not use solid core or single core wire.
Note
As noted in the Powerwall 3 System
Design Guide, third party MLPE solutions, such as optimizers,
are not compatible with Powerwall 3.
Turn Powerwall 3 OFF to de-energize the system.
Warning
Wiring Powerwall 3 while it is energized may result in injury and/or product damage. Confirm lack of
voltage at the PV terminals before proceeding.
Route the PV conductors and PV array
equipment grounding conductor into the enclosure.
Connect the PV array equipment grounding
conductor to an equipment grounding terminal in Powerwall:
Strip the conductor insulation up to
3/4-inch (19 mm).
Insert the grounding conductor in an
equipment grounding terminal and tighten the screw in the Earth terminal to 35 in-lb (4 Nm).
Note
It is best practice to connect the ground circuit before making any PV
circuit connections.
CAUTION
Any wire routing
must be done through the wire management tabs at the top of the enclosure. Do not route
loose wires through the front of the enclosure or over the Tesla Asset
Controller.
For all Powerwall 3 units except for those with Tesla P/N
1707000-11-L and higher or
1707000-21-L and higher, a warning
cover is installed over the PV connector to remind installers to turn Powerwall 3 OFF before connecting any PV
conductors.
Position a flat head screwdriver above
MPPT 6+ and pry the warning cover off of the PV connector, exposing the terminals.
CAUTION
Be careful not
to damage the PV connector.
Recycle the warning cover.
For each PV input:
Warning
Before proceeding, confirm there is a lack
of voltage on the PV wires.
Strip the conductor insulation up to
3/8-inch (9.5 mm). Add a ferrule if the conductor is finely stranded.
Insert the conductor as far as possible
into the terminal.
Note
As depicted in
the figure below, Powerwall 3 units with P/N 1707000-11-L and
higher or 1707000-21-L and higher have a unique PV connector in which the positive and
negative conductors for each string are connected side-by-side, rather than having all
positive conductors on the left and all negative conductors on the right.
Powerwall 3 P/N
1707000-11-L and higher or
1707000-21-L and
higher
All other Powerwall 3 units
Warning
For all
Powerwall 3 units except for those with Tesla P/N
1707000-11-L and higher or
1707000-21-L and higher,
ensure the conductors are inserted into the round terminals and not the rectangular
slots. Inserting the conductors anywhere other than the round terminals will result in
poor wire termination.
Perform a pull test on each conductor
(pulling straight up) to confirm it is fully seated in the terminal. Push the conductor
back in after the pull test.Figure 1. PV Wiring and Equipment
Grounding Conductor (Powerwall 3 Units with P/N 1707000-11-L and
higher or 1707000-21-L and higher)Figure 2. PV Wiring and Equipment
Grounding Conductor (All Powerwall 3 Other Units)
After installing all PV conductors,
gather them and secure them with the provided cable tie as shown above.
Note
If a conductor must be removed from the
connector:
For Powerwall 3 units with Tesla P/N 1707000-11-L and higher or 1707000-21-L and higher, push the wire
removal button to open the terminal, then pull the conductor free.
For all other Powerwall 3 units, insert a cabinet or electronics
tip slotted screwdriver (up to 3/16-inch or 4.5 mm) into the actuation shaft to open the
terminal. Pull the conductor free, then remove the screwdriver.
Note
The building and the system shall be marked
in accordance with Section 690.56(C) of the NEC (NFPA 70) “Only conductors leaving the
footprint of the array are controlled” on PV wiring.