Contemplating Tree Removal

[sensij]

I like the SolarEdge graphs, but how do you overlay the graphed production on a theoretical insolation graph for my system?

It's not clear to me how to get pvoutput to automatically acquire the SolarEdge data. Are there instructions you could point me to?

You need your installer to give you an API Key. It is free, but some installers unfamiliar with the SolarEdge portal seem to struggle with it.

[ButchDeal]

You need your installer to give you an API Key. It is free, but some installers unfamiliar with the SolarEdge portal seem to struggle with it.

It is primarily a solaredge issue. I have asked them to change the page.
The installer has to click a box to enable the API key and then there is a lot of blank space but they HAVE to scroll down and click the save button. It is this space that makes it look like they are done.

[ButchDeal]

full solaredge access is not admin access.

The only way to get that is to create an installer account and come in as a sub installer to the installer.

If you have admin access you will see at the top these sections: Dashboard, Layout, Chart, Reports, Alerts, Admin

[rsilvers]

So what access do I want to ask for if I want the most access that they could reasonably give me?

[ButchDeal]

Full access will give you access to the everything but admin section. But also ask them for the API key and make sure they click on save after enabling it.

[DanKegel]

I complained, too. Maybe if we all call their support line at the same time

[Mike90250]

The 2PM shade is a issue. Still a lot of energy in the sky then.
Same about the 10AM, Peak sun hours are generally 9am - 3pm, centered at solar noon (not DST) Shading in those hours will hurt

[brewbeer]

I've attached a panoramic photo which shows the trees I am dealing with. The panorama is taken facing north through a full 180 degrees, with the left edge of the photo being due west, and the right edge being due east. To the east, the big Maple is visible above the wood rack. To the west, the shade trees are mainly above and slightly to the right of the swing set.

Regarding the SolarEdge API key, is there any way to do this without involving my installer? I don't really want to bother him with this. After all, I own this system, not the installer. Thanks.

[ButchDeal]

I've attached a panoramic photo which shows the trees I am dealing with. The panorama is taken facing north through a full 180 degrees, with the left edge of the photo being due west, and the right edge being due east. To the east, the big Maple is visible above the wood rack. To the west, the shade trees are mainly above and slightly to the right of the swing set.

Regarding the SolarEdge API key, is there any way to do this without involving my installer? I don't really want to bother him with this. After all, I own this system, not the installer. Thanks.

a panarama facing south would be more useful.

you can try opening a service request with solaredge to have the api turned on but you don't have access to make the change, your installer does.

[brewbeer]

a panarama facing south would be more useful.

Why didn't I think of that? Let me get up on the roof and take one, and I'll post back. Thanks.

[brewbeer]

OK, panorama facing due south attached. Due east is about 10% of the way in on the left, due west about 10% in on the right. You can't see the 4 panels on the garage roof since they are lower and behind the chimney. Thanks.

[ButchDeal]

OK, panorama facing due south attached. Due east is about 10% of the way in on the left, due west about 10% in on the right. You can't see the 4 panels on the garage roof since they are lower and behind the chimney. Thanks.

A little bit on the west.
Did you get set up on pvoutput?
If not you can do the solarEdge daily graph , zoom in and how much is it off from a parabola?
Also you you have the layout view of the modules ( not all installers give this out or even set it up)? If you do you can play through a day and see the western modules wink out before the eastern ones in the evening?
Further you can look at a day or week summary per module and see how much less western ones perform over time than middle ones. This isn't the full effect of the trees as the middle modules are also effected, just less than western modules.

[wwu123]

Since you're already climbing up on the roof, one thing you can also do it download the Skyview app for your mobile phone, set it to plot the Sun (which is one of the free "stars" in the free vewion), and it wlil overlay the path of the sun onto your phone's live camera image. You can then choose any day of the year and follow the path of the sun to see what time it falls into shadow. It can also help isolate which trees or branches to cut. If the trees are close, you can also see quite a difference in impact on panels on each end of the house.

The attached photo was taken with the app; the "Sun" in the photo is simulated, showing the sun's position at 2 pm on March 20, even though it was not March when I took the picture. When using the app live, you can move the camera around and find exactly when the sun crosses behind the tree on a given day...

[silversaver]

It is really a simple decision:

1. What are the cost to trim the trees down half way? If you decided to trim down the tree, trim them at lease half way down so you don't need to spend the money again within few years.
2. How much energy will you gain from trim down the trees? 20%? Looks like you will loss more energy when trees grow taller.
3. Make the phone call and get the job done.
4. If you want to save the money, then forget about the trees on the East side and trim the West side trees yourself.

What happen when you drop your wallet in the floor? Pick it up! Does it really matter if with your right/left hand?

[brewbeer]

Thanks all.

I did set up on PVOutPut, my system is called DroneTrackingSystem. I sent an email to the installer asking about the API key.

I've attached a graph of output from the clearest day we've had so far. The day is early may, and the trees were only partially leafed out.

When you do a daily playback in SolarEdge, you can see the shading pattern cross the array over the course of the day. The shading pattern is how I estimated the shading times I posted above. I've attached a layout plan of the array showing total production to date.

I do have the Sky View app, and used to to determine east and west on the panorama photos attached. I like the idea of using it to track the sun, and will take a look at that.

Cutting trees half way up is impossible for me since I don't have the skill or equipment to do that; I can however, cut some trees from the ground (much safer).

Regarding how much more energy the array could generate with less shading is exactly what I am trying to determine, however, as I've discovered it isn't as easy to do as I initially thought. If there is a source for a "hypothetical" insolation graph based on my location and orientation, I could compare that graph to the graphed data attached, and being to make some estimations. PVWatts doesn't provide "hypothetical" insolation data, their data output is averaged using various weather conditions on various dates over various years.

Thanks again to all.



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[bcroe]

Several years ago I spent serious bucks getting 15 trees trimmed. In a surprisingly short time, they
were growing toward their previous height. Not as dense as before, but they don't have to be to
interfere with my PV solar. My conclusion is to either leave them, or cut them down, which costs a
lot less than trimming. Today many of them are gone, and there is a new panel arrangement in the
works to avoid shadowing from the others for almost all the day. Bruce Roe

[cebury]

Several years ago I spent serious bucks getting 15 trees trimmed. In a surprisingly short time, they
were growing toward their previous height. Not as dense as before, but they don't have to be to
interfere with my PV solar. My conclusion is to either leave them, or cut them down, which costs a
lot less than trimming. Today many of them are gone, and there is a new panel arrangement in the
works to avoid shadowing from the others for almost all the day. Bruce Roe

I've had a similar experience already with some trees on the east. When you prune, even pruning correctly, it creates an imbalance between roots and the canopy thus causing an explosion of fresh growth the next season. Some trees are worse than others, but the only way to curb that is through canopy+root pruning or starving the tree from nutrients (mainly water).

[brewbeer]

So I've done an analysis of the data shown in the lay-out view. Examples of the morning and afternoon shading attached. For example, at 8:30 AM, the unshaded panels are making about 169 W, and at 4:00 PM, the unshaded panels are making about 158 W. If we assume that between the hours of 8 and 4:30 that the shaded panels make as much power as the unshaded panels, the array should produce another 5 or 6 kW per day, during this time of year.

Thoughts?