We're often asked how CATCH Power works with Amber when a Tesla Powerwall is on site. Until recently, they didn't.
This meant Amber customers had to choose—control their inverters or their battery.
But our clever engineers have done it again! They've developed a smart workaround that allows Tesla users to benefit from Amber's Smart Shift, while still maintaining control over inverters and other Consumer Energy Resources (CER) via CATCH Power. This means greater flexibility —without the compromise.
CATCH Power integrates with over 20 inverters and batteries, but Tesla Powerwall is not one of them. To enable a seamless operation while maintaining smart energy control, CATCH Power allows a minimum export of 200W, ensuring the Powerwall can operate independently while CATCH Power retains control over the inverter. Amber keeps control over the Tesla Powerwall.
On Amber sites, it’s crucial that inverters can ramp down production and stop exporting during periods of negative tariffs. However, since CATCH Power does not integrate with Tesla batteries, it cannot see their state of charge to determine when to adjust the inverter’s output.
By allowing a minimum export of 200W, this small amount of energy is sent to the Powerwall, signaling that charging is occurring. CATCH Power then identifies this load as being used within the home and can increase inverter production to match it. This ensures the Tesla Powerwall can charge even during zero export conditions.
This approach allows CATCH Power to identify the extra household load and dynamically adjust the inverter output accordingly. As the Tesla Powerwall charges, CATCH Power ensures that the inverter production matches household demand. Once the Powerwall reaches full charge, any excess energy will start exporting to the grid. The moment, CATCH Power detects any export above the 200w's it automatically ramps down the inverter output, ensuring that only the necessary energy is produced to cover household loads.
CATCH Power allows Amber to control the Tesla battery, while CATCH Control manages the inverter and other controllable Consumer Energy Resources (CER) This division of control ensures that homeowners can still benefit from wholesale energy markets without having to choose one or the other.
How It Works
Amber controls the Tesla Powerwall, managing charging and discharging based on wholesale energy prices.
CATCH Power controls the inverter and other loads, including hot water, pools, EV chargers, and air conditioners.
Both systems work independently from one another, while still operating under Amber.
Choosing Who Has Control
CATCH Control integrates with over 20 inverter brands, some of which Amber does not work with. Choosing who has control is dependent on who the CER is integrated with. CATCH or Amber?
If CATCH Power is the energy meter on a Fronius and BYD site for example, homeowners must choose either Amber or CATCH for full control—splitting inverter and battery control between them is not possible.
If CATCH is managing multiple inverters and Amber is controlling a Tesla battery, only register the battery with Smart Shift—do not allow Amber to control the inverters.
While this workaround provides a practical solution, there are some limitations:
On a fully integrated CATCH Power Site, CATCH can determine if certain loads are excluded from the battery. This helps preserve battery power for more important loads. For example a hot water system or an EV Charger can be excluded from drawing from the battery. On a Tesla site because CATCH Power cannot control the battery we do not have the ability to exclude loads.
In situations where the Tesla Powerwall is exporting due to a high Feed-in Tariff (FiT), household loads—such as hot water systems—may unintentionally use this exported energy for heating. To prevent this, a manual override may be required within the Monocle app, to ensure the hot water system does not activate during these high FiT periods. While this setup provides flexibility and smart control over inverters and other CER, Tesla Powerwall users should be mindful of how their stored energy is utilised to maximise savings and efficiency.
CATCH Power cannot access Tesla’s state of charge, requiring homeowners to use multiple apps for full system monitoring.
Despite these limitations, this setup allows CATCH Power and Tesla to work together on the Amber network. For a full list of integrated Consumer Energy Resources (CER)
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