Tesla releases new update to let solar and Powerwall owners deep-dive into their own data

Tesla started pushing a new mobile app software update to enable homeowners with its solar products and/or Powerwall to access and dive deep into their own power generation data.

Tesla Energy Mobile App

Following the acquisition of SolarCity, Tesla started to integrate features for Powerwall and solar customers to its mobile app, which was originally only for vehicle owners.

It enables users to easily see where the electricity powering their home is coming from: grid, solar installation, or Powerwall.

Tesla has been gradually updating the app for Tesla Energy customers with new features. This includes a new “Storm Watch” feature to auto-detect storms and prepare for them by storing energy.

However, some customers complained that they didn’t have access to as much data as they had under SolarCity.

When we reported on Tesla’s plan to add more access to data last month, SolarCity solar panel and Powerwall owner Harvey Payne commented on Electrek:

I have been downloading my production numbers since we first got solar and was quite upset when I learned the ‘solarcity’ web access was going away. I run the data through custom python scripts I wrote and store the data in my own database for further analysis. Using these and data downloaded from my energy provider I can determine to the penny how much my PV system is saving me and know when it has paid itself off. With the current Tesla app and no website, this is impossible. I look forward to being able to download my battery data as well as my solar and grid provided data.

Previously, Powerwall owners were limited to only the data from the current and previous day.

New Tesla Energy App Update

This week, Tesla started pushing a new version of its mobile app (Version 3.9.0) and it includes the promised ability to access more data about Tesla Energy products.

Here’s the list of the updates to the app:

• Added the ability to select a specific day, week, or month by scrolling left and right in the Energy Usage screen. Additionally, all historical data is now accessible
• Added the ability to download data. To use, tap on ‘Download Data’ at the bottom of the Energy Usage screen and choose your method of sharing
• Added the ability to copy the Serial Number at the bottom of the Home screen to make communicating with Tesla Support more seamless

Tesla says that it has now installed Powerwalls at over 50,000 locations around the world.

Last quarter, Tesla Energy deployed a new record amount of energy storage, but its solar business was still in decline.

CEO Elon Musk has been guiding a turnaround in Tesla’s solar business with a ramp-up of solar roof tile installations during the second half of the year.

Electrek’s Take

As previously stated when we reported on Tesla’s plans for this update, there’s something special about producing your own power, and some solar system owners become quite obsessed about their power generation.

You are not a slave to your local electric utility anymore, and now you produce most or even all of the electricity your household needs, especially if you have energy storage capacity, like with a Tesla Powerwall.

Now Tesla Energy owners are able to better understand their own solar production, and with the capacity to export it, you can bet some clever owners are going to come up with interesting tools to use the data.

If you have some, don’t hesitate to let us know.