Tesla Premier Installer · Oʻahu
Alternate Energy Hawaii is a Tesla Premier Installer based in Pearl City. Our own crews design and install Tesla Powerwall 3 for Oʻahu homes, with new or existing solar, choosing whole-home or partial backup, wiring the Gateway or Backup Switch, and filing your Hawaiian Electric paperwork, including BYOD Plus.
Why AEI
Tesla installs Powerwall itself in some areas and works with trained Certified Installers everywhere else (Tesla). Tesla promoted Alternate Energy Hawaii to Premier Installer in December 2023, the top tier of its installer partners (AEI announcement).
1
You're working with a team Tesla has trained and certified on Powerwall.
2
You benefit from our early access to new Tesla products and training.
3
The same Pearl City company designs and installs your system with its own employees, not subcontractors (how we work).
Hardware
Powerwall 3 is a battery and a solar inverter in one box. These are the numbers that matter for an Oʻahu home, from Tesla's datasheet (Tesla) and system design guide (Tesla).
| Spec | Powerwall 3 |
|---|---|
| Energy | 13.5 kWh per unit |
| Continuous power | 11.5 kW |
| Motor start | Heavy loads rated up to 185 LRA |
| Built-in solar inverter | 6 MPPTs, up to 20 kW of solar (STC) |
| Solar-to-battery-to-home efficiency | 89% |
| Scalability | Up to 4 Powerwall 3 units; Expansion units add 13.5 kWh each |
| Enclosure | NEMA 3R; IP67 battery and power electronics |
| Operating temperature | –4°F to 122°F (output may be de-rated above 104°F) |
| Size and weight | 43.25 × 24 × 7.6 in; 287 lb; floor or wall mount |
| Warranty | 10 years (Powerwall 3, Gateway 3 and Backup Switch) |
What the numbers mean
The 185 LRA rating tells us which motor loads, such as an AC compressor or pump, one unit can start during an outage; we check it against your equipment labels.
The built-in inverter means a new solar array can connect straight to the Powerwall, with no separate string inverter.
Backup design
The battery is only half the backup design. The other half is the device that disconnects your home from the grid when the power fails. Tesla's Gateway 3 "automatically detect[s] outages" and provides a seamless transition to backup power (Tesla).
Whole home
Controls the connection to the grid and installs behind the utility meter (Tesla).
Keeps every circuit live, so the battery has to cover everything that might run at once, including central AC, an electric water heater and an EV charger. Tesla sizes whole-home systems by recommending the number of Powerwall units needed (Tesla).
Moves your essential circuits (refrigerator, lights, Wi-Fi, outlets, a medical device) to a backed-up panel, so one Powerwall lasts longer. We size both options from your Hawaiian Electric bills and a walk-through of your panel.
Hawaiian Electric
Every Powerwall on Oʻahu is connected under a Hawaiian Electric program, and the program shapes how we set the battery up.
Pays $400 per kW committed, once, plus $400 per kW for qualifying low- to moderate-income customers. A new battery exports during a daily 2-hour window you pick, after serving your home first. 5-year agreement; advanced meter required (Hawaiian Electric).
Lets existing NEM customers add a Powerwall and more panels. The battery must join a grid-services program such as BYOD Plus, and total solar can't exceed twice the new battery's size (Hawaiian Electric).
Export or Non-Export covers new systems. All participants need an advanced meter (Hawaiian Electric).
BYOD Plus also requires 3 or 7 days of operating data from the battery before approval, which we collect and submit for you (Hawaiian Electric). For the full program comparison and other battery brands, see battery storage and home backup on Oʻahu.
Incentives
On Oʻahu, the main incentive for a new Powerwall is Hawaiian Electric's BYOD Plus program, which replaced Battery Bonus. Program details below were checked against Hawaiian Electric on November 9, 2026.
The 30% federal credit no longer applies to new home batteries. The IRS says the Residential Clean Energy Credit isn't available for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. For the state solar credit and the new Act 24 limits, see our Hawaii solar tax credit guide, and for how BYOD Plus pays over five years, see our 2026 HECO BYOD Plus guide.
Choosing a battery
It depends on your solar and your goals. Powerwall 3 has a solar inverter built in, so it's a strong fit for new solar, where panels connect straight to the battery (Tesla). If you already have Enphase microinverters, an AC-coupled Enphase IQ Battery can be added without replacing your inverters. Either way, the backup design, the Hawaiian Electric program and the installer matter as much as the brand.
Compare the two side by side in Tesla Powerwall vs. Enphase for Hawaii homes, or see every option in our guide to the best home battery backup in Hawaii.
Outages
When the grid goes down, the Gateway or Backup Switch separates your home and Powerwall takes over the backed-up circuits. With solar, the panels keep recharging the battery during the day while the grid is down.
Before a storm
Powerwall charges to full and sends you a push notification when a watch or warning is issued for your area. It needs grid charging enabled in the Tesla app (Tesla). We set your backup reserve and Storm Watch with you at hand-off. For more outage tips, read our Powerwall best practices for Hawaii power outages.
Process
1
You send recent Hawaiian Electric bills and tell us what you want backed up.
2
We inspect your main panel, meter, wall or floor space and any existing solar or inverter.
3
We choose whole-home or partial backup, the Gateway or Backup Switch and the number of units. You review and approve the design before work starts, the same sequence Tesla follows (Tesla).
4
We pull the permits and submit the Hawaiian Electric application or amendment through its Customer Interconnection Tool (Hawaiian Electric).
5
Tesla says a typical Powerwall install takes a full day, with power off for about four to six hours, or longer if extra electrical work is needed (Tesla).
6
We set up the Tesla app, your backup reserve and Storm Watch, and submit BYOD Plus verification data if you're enrolling.
Good to know
Tesla says Powerwall 3 can be added to existing solar and works with all major inverter brands (Tesla). NEM owners typically add it under NEM Plus or NEM Plus Limited Export (Hawaiian Electric). Battery Bonus participants need a new battery for BYOD Plus (Hawaiian Electric).
Price depends on the number of units, whole-home or partial backup, the Gateway or Backup Switch, and any panel upgrades. See our Tesla Powerwall cost guide for Hawaiʻi. BYOD Plus can offset part of it: $400 per kW committed (Hawaiian Electric).
Powerwall carries a 10-year Tesla warranty (Tesla). Monitoring questions, settings changes and later additions such as an Expansion unit come back to the same local team. See solar and battery maintenance.
FAQ
Yes. Tesla promoted Alternate Energy Hawaii to Premier Installer in December 2023, the top tier of its installer partners. Tesla works with trained Certified Installers in areas where it doesn't install directly. Our Powerwall installs are done by our own employees from our Pearl City office, not subcontractors, and we service the system afterward.
Sometimes. Powerwall 3 delivers 11.5 kW continuously and can start heavy loads rated up to 185 LRA. Whether one unit is enough depends on everything that runs at once and how long outages last. Homes with central AC, an electric water heater and an EV charger may need two or more units, or partial backup instead.
Both disconnect your home from the grid in an outage. Tesla's Backup Switch installs behind the utility meter for whole-home backup. Gateway 3 can be set up for whole-home or partial-home backup when paired with Powerwall 3. We choose based on your main panel, service size and which circuits you want powered.
Tesla says a typical Powerwall installation takes a full day, with power off for about four to six hours, and longer if extra electrical work is needed. Before that come the site visit, design approval, permits and the Hawaiian Electric application. BYOD Plus enrollment also needs 3 or 7 days of battery operating data after install.
Usually. Tesla says Powerwall 3 can be added to existing solar and works with all major inverter brands. On Oʻahu the bigger question is your Hawaiian Electric agreement: NEM customers usually add it under NEM Plus or NEM Plus Limited Export. Battery Bonus participants need a new battery to join BYOD Plus.
A new Powerwall paired with solar can join BYOD Plus. The program pays $400 per kW committed, plus $400 per kW for qualifying low- to moderate-income households, for a 2-hour daily export window under a 5-year agreement. Your home is served first, and we set the window and backup reserve with you.
Yes, through Hawaiian Electric's BYOD Plus program. A new battery earns $400 per kW committed, paid once with no cap, plus another $400 per kW for qualifying low- to moderate-income households, in exchange for a daily 2-hour export window under a 5-year agreement. The federal 30% credit isn't available for home batteries placed in service after December 31, 2025.
It's a strong choice, especially with new solar, because Powerwall 3 has a built-in solar inverter. Homes with existing Enphase microinverters may fit an AC-coupled Enphase IQ Battery better. We compare both against your bills, panel and backup goals.
Free evaluation
Send us your Hawaiian Electric bills and tell us what you want to keep running in an outage. We'll recommend whole-home or partial backup, the number of Powerwall units and the right Hawaiian Electric program, with a written proposal.