Since the passive heatsink seemed to be doing a rather poor job at heat dissipation and the SolarEdge has a temperature limit where it will derate and lower power output, I decided to add a DIY active cooling solution to my inverter. I paired 4x60mm fans that each blow about 17cfm along with a thermal controller with remote sensor so it will turn on at 105*F and off at 85*F. Undoubtedly it will impact the passive convection cooling, but should anything fail there is still enough gaps around the unit to allow airflow and the whole assembly comes off with 2 screws. I've seen about a 20*F reduction in temperature from the readout on the LCD when the fans are running.
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Were you having trouble with the unit derating or was this added "just in case"?Dave W. Gilbert AZ
6.63kW grid-tie ownerComment
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Dave, I hadn't noticed any derating or flattening of the curve in the monitoring platform, but it was getting into the 140*s some days and it wasn't even the hottest days around the solstice. More of a fun way to just in case and to extend the life of the inverter. Might consider adding more panels in the future too.Comment
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Originally posted by jragsdale View PostDave, I hadn't noticed any derating or flattening of the curve...
Dave W. Gilbert AZ
6.63kW grid-tie ownerComment
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Originally posted by azdave View Post
Okay. Just curious why you added the fans so now I know. My inverter is mounted in the garage which gets just as warm as it does outside but without the extra heat of direct sunlight. My garage temps reach 105-110 just about all summer long and I have a passively cooled Power One inverter. No issues here and it's rated to run at 140 ambient so I never felt I was on the edge or anything. Obviously, electronic don't like heat so no harm in lowering temps if you wish.Thanks.
I would change the settings to be on at ~115 and off at ~105 or so the mother board has less thermal cycling. it will warm up each day and stay pretty warm (but less warm than without the fan).OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNHComment
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Our local temps are heading up to the 100's and I just plug in a timer and 40W fan, and aim at the electronics, with the theory moving is better than static over the heatsinksPowerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
|| Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
|| VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A
solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-ListerComment
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Originally posted by Mike90250 View PostOur local temps are heading up to the 100's and I just plug in a timer and 40W fan, and aim at the electronics, with the theory moving is better than static over the heatsinksComment
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