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Solar Edge Power Optimiser - sounds too good to be true?!

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  • Solar Edge Power Optimiser - sounds too good to be true?!

    Hi

    I've just had a call from a company called Solar Plants who sell Solar Edge Power Optimisers for solar panels and also Solar Edge Invertors.

    One thing that the sales person said that surprised me was that the technology can change the panels from being in series to being in parallel - just by fitting something to each panel. Even more surprising was the fact that he said that if there is shade on one panel then other panels will produce less electricity. I got a bit annoyed by this statement and said that this couldn't possibly be the case. He replied by saying that it was like a set of old-style Christmas tree lights - if one doesn't work then none of the others work. I then said that this wasn't the same as saying that leaves or shading on one panel would cause other panels to produce less electricity. He reiterated that one panel producing less electricity would mean that other panels in the series would also produce less electricity - note that he was saying that each panel would produce less electricity rather than the total produced across the series would be less because of the poor-performing panel.

    Surely this can't be right? I ended up getting his boss on the phone and he said exactly the same thing. The quote is, "If one is shaded then all other panels in the series will be affected and will produce less electricity." When I asked him to confirm this and made it obvious that I was writing this down he qualified to say that other factors like leaves could also cause the same effect - again saying that one panel producing less would make others produce less. (Sorry, I know I'm flogging that a bit but want to highlight the fact that he said that each individual panel other than the shaded panel would also produce less elctricity.) My understanding of the panels was that they were more like batteries and so one producing a lower voltage wouldn't mean that others would produce less?

    Also the quote about series/parallel sounded dodgy, "[It changes the panels] from being wired in series to being in parallel." This is the Power Optimiser that is fitted to each panel - ever heard of this magical device? If so, how does it do this?

    Many thanks - I carried on listening as I reasoned that it was a long time ago that I did my Physics A-Level so some of the fundamental laws of the universe may well have been upgraded. Someone is coming round to explain the magic tomorrow but I'd be really interested to hear thoughts about any of the above before then.

    If I'm being a plonker please feel free to tell me

    Have a great Xmas

    BMB

    * Sorry this is in totally the wrong thread - apologies, I'm not sure how it ended up here! Please do feel free to move it to the correct thread
    Last edited by alanburgess70; 12-21-2016, 03:35 PM.

  • #2
    Well to start, yes it is true, that if a single panel is shaded, it affects the entire string. This is because they all have to be outputting the same current. If the current from one drops, the current from all drops.
    Optimizers don't really simply change it to being in parallel. They essentially just make sure the each panel is operating at it's optimal power level (hence the name optimizer.) So the basics of what he is saying was correct, but he was a bit slim on details.

    If you want to know more, look up Solar Power for Dummies. It will explain a lot of what you need to know.

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    • #3
      I've installed quite a bit of SolarEdge stuff and its true that each panel is handled separately. Even if one panel is completely dead, the Optimizer device will pass through the current from the rest of them. The downside of using SolarEdge is that you are putting electronics under each panel and if you are in a hot climate, they will experience super high temps on the roof and are a very real reliability risk. Don't believe the 25 year warranty spiel...
      BSEE, R11, NABCEP, Chevy BoltEV, >3000kW installed

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      • #4
        Thank you very much for the replies. I've been doing a little digging and am trying to get my head round it - looks like I need to eat some humble pie!

        I will take a look at the Solar Power for Dummies that you recommend.

        So if I have some shading on some of my panels then I may see a benefit from power optimisers? Having said that, the shading is mostly in winter when there isn't much sun (I'm in the UK and it's never that hot!). I don't know if it's worth investing in power optimisers or not.

        Any general thoughts would be much appreciated but I realsie that there's no way of allowing for every individual scenario.

        Many thanks once again

        BMB

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        • #5
          Originally posted by alanburgess70 View Post
          Solar Edge Power Optimisers for solar panels and also Solar Edge Invertors.

          One thing that the sales person said that surprised me was that the technology can change the panels from being in series to being in parallel - just by fitting something to each panel. Even more surprising was the fact that he said that if there is shade on one panel then other panels will produce less electricity.
          Another case, where you know more than the sales person, who is 100% wrong. Optimizers are wired in series. When one panel
          is shaded, it doesn't affect the power output of the others; that is what optimizers are for. Unless, you lose so many cells that the
          system drops out of (a very wide) operating range. Bruce Roe

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          • #6
            Maybe he just meant that using the optimizers simulated putting the panels in series by keeping one shaded panel from affecting the others.

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