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| Your car can now back up your home, and your battery can earn its keep |
| Big month for home energy in the Gulf South. Tesla just turned the Model 3 and Model Y into home backup batteries, Entergy is paying battery owners across Louisiana, and every qualifying solar system signed in October comes with a free portable power station. |
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| 1. Powershare: Your Tesla Is Now a Backup Battery |
| Tesla calls it Powershare. The industry calls it vehicle-to-home (V2H). When the grid goes down, your car sends power back into your house through your Powerwall 3, so the lights, fridge and A/C keep running long after a home battery alone would run out. |
| What changed on October 6: Powershare used to be Cybertruck-only. It now works with new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles ordered on or after October 1, 2026. Tesla says a Model 3 or Model Y adds more than two days of backup for a home using 30 kWh a day (starting at a 90% charge). A Cybertruck adds more than three. |
What you need:
• A Powerwall 3 (Powerwall 2 support is still listed as coming later)
• A Tesla Wall Connector Gen 3 or Universal Wall Connector, wired inside your backed-up circuit. Gen 1 and Gen 2 chargers will not work.
• An eligible vehicle. Tesla says some, but not all, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built before October 1 have the hardware. |
| Already have a Powerwall 3 and a Wall Connector? You may need no new hardware at all. Not sure your charger is wired correctly? That is exactly what we check. |
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| 2. Get Paid for Your Battery: Entergy Programs |
| Entergy now pays homeowners to let their battery share a little power during peak demand. You keep your backup, and Entergy does not call events when a severe storm is in the forecast. |
New Orleans (Entergy New Orleans): up to $600 a year; Entergy says typical earnings are about $360. Supported: Tesla Powerwall, Enphase and FranklinWH.
Rest of Louisiana (Entergy Louisiana): up to $600 a year on the same performance basis. Supported: Tesla Powerwall 2, 3 and +, select Enphase IQ batteries, and FranklinWH aPower. |
| You enroll yourself in your battery's app (for Tesla: Virtual Power Plant). Earnings depend on performance — a battery that is offline earns $0. If your app shows your system offline, call us and we will get it reconnected. |
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| 3. Powerwall 2 Owners: Add a Powerwall 3 |
| Your Powerwall 2 is already doing the job. You can now add a Powerwall 3 and expansion units without replacing anything — more storage, longer backup, and more of the home covered. And a Powerwall 3 is your ticket to Powershare. |
| Requirements: Backup Gateway 2, no more than four existing Powerwall 2 units, and no Powerwall+ or PCS-controlled equipment. Added backup depends on your existing wiring, so every home gets a free assessment first. |
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| 4. October Special: Free Portable Power Station |
| Sign for a solar system by October 31 and get a free EcoFlow power station: DELTA 3 (1 kWh) with 10+ panels, or DELTA 3 Max (2 kWh) with 20+ panels. Use it at tailgates, camping, the boat launch or for holiday lights — silent and fume-free, safe indoors. |
| Delivered once your system has Permission to Operate and your account is paid in full. |
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| 5. Local Spotlight: Bouligny Tavern Runs on Sunshine |
| Photos: Bouligny Tavern |
| Uptown favorite Bouligny Tavern on Magazine Street runs a 21.4 kW rooftop system we installed: 69 panels with Enphase microinverters, designed to produce about 26,000 kWh a year. In its first half-year it delivered 96% of our production estimate. Stop in, raise a glass to local clean energy, and tell them Solar Alternatives sent you. |
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