Defective Optimizers or Panels?

[Alpha7]

I just had my Solar system installed in January and everything was working fine until early April when my system started reporting .03 watts of power.

Fast forward 5 weeks later my "amazing" Solar company finally got the system back up and running, SolarEdge suggested I had them enable the optimizer map view in the SolarEdge map to be able to monitor things more accurately.

Looking at the screenshot below from my SolarEdge map I can see that there are some very poor performers but my complete understanding of panels or even how mine are installed is limited, for example on the right panel 1.0.1 is producing 89 wats but 1.0.29 is at 300 watts and 1.0.2 is at 280 watts. Now there is full sun on all 3 panels and nothing that could be shading them or any part of that entire array but is the panel defective that is producing the 89 watts next to two other ones that are around 300?

Panels 1.04 and 1.05 are both doing about 160 watts but the rest of the panels on the bottom are at or near ~300 watts with the exception of the few already mentioned.

In the middle right area 1.3.39, 1.0.8, 1.0.38, 1.0.25 are at only 20 watts but 1.0.9 and 1.024 are at 162 watts ( again, all 6 panels are at full sun and its near 2pm when the sun is about at its highest point). Shouldn't they all be around 300 watts like the other panels being at the same angle?

Solar.png

If I can provide any more details or anything please let me know.

[J.P.M.]

My money's on the problem(s) being either with the optimizers or the wiring or both, but then, are there any obstructions near the lower output panels - not only shading but wind obstructions ? Any difference in panel to roof clearance among the panels ?

Also which way is the wind blowing on the day of this output - generally from left to right maybe ?

What are the panels and what size are the optimizers ?

[Mike 134]

You definitely have something wrong. As JPM stated likely sloppy wiring based on the sloppy job they did with the layout page. Now I only have experience with ONE solar edge system (my own) but am a retired master electrician and can state without question solar is something a first-year apprentice in his first 3 months of experience can install well IF he's one to pay attention to details.

His "map" shows all the panels (43) on one string but the solar edge design program should not have allowed it. (likely has Mutiple strings but should have shown on the map for troubleshooting) It appears you have 4 roof planes of solar panels. Don't compare one plane against another. Solar Edge allows up to 6% difference in panel output based on 3% possible with the solar module and 3% with the optimizer. They "report" in a rolling fashion every 15 mins so check outputs an hour after sundown allowing all optimizers to report in. Hope i've been of some help. My "map" showing how 2 strings are identified.
layout.PNG

[Alpha7]

Thank you both for the replies.

My solar company came out I want to say 5 times to fix my issue and couldn't figure it out, I was getting a ground fault isolation error and they gave up on determining the problem and just "rewired" everything according to what they told me so a wiring issue sounds pretty realistic.

As far as the day I took that screenshot it wasn't really windy and I've taken screenshots and looked at the details of my panels in the sun, shade, under cloud cover and rain and its always the same few ones always producing lower than the rest.

I re-oriented the screenshot of my map thinking it would be easier to see, this is the true look of the map from the app and I'm not comparing panels from one area to another, just panels that are right next to each other. solar2.PNG

My solar company already got back to me and let me know that everything was "within acceptable measurements" but I'm going to call solar edge tomorrow and see what they say to try to use that as more evidence to get my solar company to hopefully come back out and fix my problem.

Today, its been rainy, sunny and cloudy and there are still decent differences between panels on the same spots of my roof, at the top 1.0.14, 1.0.41 and 1.0.3 are the only 3 that get any sort of real shade so those being slightly lower is expected. None of the other ones really get shade from any part of the building or tree

My panels are REC405's, I have no idea on the optimizer, I'll see if Solar Edge can give me that info when I contact them.

[foggysail]

My money's on the problem(s) being either with the optimizers or the wiring or both, but then, are there any obstructions near the lower output panels - not only shading but wind obstructions ? Any difference in panel to roof clearance among the panels ?

Also which way is the wind blowing on the day of this output - generally from left to right maybe ?

What are the panels and what size are the optimizers ?

Please explain '' wind obstructions.'' I understand how wind obstruction affect wind mills, but solar panels? That is new knowledge to me.

[J.P.M.]

Please explain '' wind obstructions.'' I understand how wind obstruction affect wind mills, but solar panels? That is new knowledge to me.

For the purposes of this discussion, Wind obstruction: Any object, either solid of semi solid such as builds or sections of buildings, fences, trees or in this case chimneys or roof vents or other roof sections that, by their location and profile can have the effect of changing the velocity vector of the wind blowing over a roof, an array or individual panels in its direction, magnitude or regularity and so changing the local heat transfer characteristics and so the local temp. profile of a roof, array or in this case, individual panels.

Changes to the very local wind vector over a panel in an unsteady fashion usually as a result of vortex shedding and eddy currents by an obstruction will change the temp. profile of individual panels although I doubt such phenomena would cause large enough temp. differentials to cause the level kind of output differences you're showing.

My money's still on the wiring.

[Mike 134]

For the purposes of this discussion, Wind obstruction: Any object, either solid of semi solid such as builds or sections of buildings, fences, trees or in this case chimneys or roof vents or other roof sections that, by their location and profile can have the effect of changing the velocity vector of the wind blowing over a roof, an array or individual panels in its direction, magnitude or regularity and so changing the local heat transfer characteristics and so the local temp. profile of a roof, array or in this case, individual panels.

Changes to the very local wind vector over a panel in an unsteady fashion usually as a result of vortex shedding and eddy currents by an obstruction will change the temp. profile of individual panels although I doubt such phenomena would cause large enough temp. differentials to cause the level kind of output differences you're showing.

My money's still on the wiring.

Reads like a copy and paste from google.

[J.P.M.]

Reads like a copy and paste from google.

Well, you may think so, but it's not. It's an amalgamation of what I think I know and remember from what I learned by classroom training and more importantly on the job education - part of which was engineering mechanical equipment to, among other things, withstand external loads and forces, one such loading being wind.

If it reads like something you've read before, maybe that's because it's a relatively simple and universal concept that there's not much more to say about, at least definitionally.

As usual, take what you want of the above. scrap the rest.

[foggysail]

The only things I have come across in this endeavor are roof angles, magnetic aiming of panels and shading. I believe if this was a serious issue, I would have seen info on the subject long before seeing it here in the forum. I am with Mike on this.

But too much good information about all things solar are shared by knowledgeable individuals in the forum and topic of wind is not going to detract from the important stuff.

[J.P.M.]

The only things I have come across in this endeavor are roof angles, magnetic aiming of panels and shading. I believe if this was a serious issue, I would have seen info on the subject long before seeing it here in the forum. I am with Mike on this.

But too much good information about all things solar are shared by knowledgeable individuals in the forum and topic of wind is not going to detract from the important stuff.

As one of the knowledgeable people who contribute to this forum: Then why did you ask in the first place ?

Reread the last sentence of my previous post to this thread.

A.M.F.