Questions about LOCUS Commercial Solar Monitoring and Underperforming System

[Kendalf]

My place of work has a commercial solar system that went live a few months ago, but we only recently were given access to the LOCUS monitoring system. I have to say that this commercial grade monitoring system is quite underwhelming. It provides less data than my residential SolarEdge system at home.

I've been trying to obtain access to the LOCUS Report Extract interface, which seems to provide much more granular information about how our solar system is running. However, I've been bounced back and forth between our installer and LOCUS support in regards for who is supposed to enable this feature for our account. LOCUS states that they do not work directly with site clients, but only with the solar installers, so it is the installer who needs to enable it for our account. I'm inclined to believe LOCUS is correct, and it is our installer who has been balking at enabling access for us, either because he is genuinely clueless about the system (I don't believe that is the case), or because he has ulterior motives for not letting us see the data, which may provide clues as to why our system has been significantly underperforming compared to initial estimates.

From what I have seen in LOCUS documentation, it is a simple toggle switch in the settings for our account to enable the Report Extract feature.

In addition, any advice on how to effectively approach an installer for a commercial system who has been consistently denying that there is anything wrong with the system even though it has only been producing about 1/3 of estimated production since it was turned on?

[ButchDeal]

In addition, any advice on how to effectively approach an installer for a commercial system who has been consistently denying that there is anything wrong with the system even though it has only been producing about 1/3 of estimated production since it was turned on?

Were you given a monthly estimate of production?
a production guaranty?

what size system do you have?
what type of system is it (make/model inverter(s), tilt, azimuth, shadows)

I assume you are in the North East with a Locus revenue production meter for SRECs or is this for other purposes?

[Kendalf]

I was brought in after the system was already installed to assist with setting up the networking for the monitoring system, and then to analyze the actual production. I've been gathering as much info as I can from the business side of things after noticing the apparent discrepancy.

Yes, we were given an estimate of production, but I'm unsure if there was any production guarantee as part of our agreement. We are actually in So California. I have no idea why the contract was signed for a LOCUS monitoring system.

The system size is 146 kW DC, roof mounted, unsure about tilt or shadows. Most likely facing due south as our roofs are flat. The estimated annual production in the agreement was 232,000 kWh, and the estimate is pretty much in line when I punched in some estimates on PVWatts.

Based on the estimate, our production for the months of July and August should have been close to 25,000 kWh each. In actuality, the production for July as reported by LOCUS was 9,300 kWh, and for August it looks like it will be no more than 8,200 kWh after tomorrow. What's even more telling is that the single highest daily production since the system was powered on was only 384 kWh back in June, a few days after system activation. Our running daily average is more like 285 kWh since activation. The system should be producing 800+ kWh daily on clear days at this time of year.

I've had one extended conversation with the installer, and he was very insistent that things are operating up to expectations. The data doesn't seem to support his claim, and we're gathering our pieces so that we can make a data based claim. Question is, if the installer insists there is nothing wrong, what is an effective process for making the case that the system is in fact underperforming the expected production?

[ButchDeal]

If there is no productionn guaranty there is no way to claim it is under performing.

you need to check the shadows and do an actual 3D real world simulaton as well as verify the inverter(s) are all functioning and strings are all working.

[bcroe]

If you can't get satisfaction through the installer, you could gather some actual numbers for
yourself. How many panels, cells each, watts each, tilt, what hours of the day do they NOT
shadow each other? How many inverters, what power rating, can you read them out? A
simple clamp on DC meter could check for consistent operation for a lot of panels, possibly
even find some problems.

I am wondering if your AC 3 phase has a bad phase wire. Bruce Roe

[Kendalf]

It looks like I'll have to gain roof access at some point to take some readings. Not looking forward to it. 4 inverters total, I believe.

I was hoping that some of this would be data that the LOCUS monitoring would be able to provide. I can at least see which inverters seem to be underperforming.