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  • My panels producing muuuuch less

    317C9DCA-5617-4913-AC3A-A51D9B7B21BD.png4E97007D-28F3-4700-B794-9E70D5249ADD.png345BE0D1-8BB8-4F34-AA65-BAA55B82D1C6.pngE7E76688-A515-4378-8A28-4FDADFFADD01.png1EECB9F7-442D-43B5-9142-229B24A55CBD.png317C9DCA-5617-4913-AC3A-A51D9B7B21BD.png
    hi fellow solar users
    In oct 2015 I had a 28 panel x 315w of solarworld ground mount system installed. Lately it has been producing very poor results; the panels seem to all be going through periods of no production at all and generally are producing way less than even at this time last year.

    To my knowledge, nothing changed including no trees or damage. The weather is about the same in so cal with mostly sunny days.

    i attached 3 pics of this time last year and 3 from this week, sorry if they are mixed but have dates.

    please help w any tips or explanation.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by scenomo; 02-11-2018, 07:53 PM.

  • #2
    Check for high line voltage. Exceeding the monitor limit can cause a sudden complete shutdown.
    Recovery comes when its down a bit. Bruce Roe

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    • #3
      Originally posted by bcroe View Post
      Check for high line voltage. Exceeding the monitor limit can cause a sudden complete shutdown.
      Recovery comes when its down a bit. Bruce Roe
      Not 100% sure what that means. Can you please extrapolate ? Thank you.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by scenomo View Post

        Not 100% sure what that means. Can you please extrapolate ? Thank you.
        Your inverters will shut down if the line voltage isn't within set limits. With the PoCo pushing voltage
        up all the time, this isn't uncommon. Bruce Roe

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        • #5
          How can I get this fixed ? Thank you

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          • #6
            Originally posted by scenomo View Post

            Not 100% sure what that means. Can you please extrapolate ? Thank you.
            on the reporting and graphing section of solaredge monitoring you can get the AC voltage from the inverter. This is the voltage the grid is using so you can see if your system is shutting down on high voltage problems from the grid.
            OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

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            • #7
              It depends on the utility but they may need to make changes on their end to get the grid voltage within specifications. It may require that the utility sets up a temporary metering device that monitor voltage. Many utilities do not like to support this effort as it take manpower. If they have smart metering on their system they may already be recording the voltage. Especially in rural areas or areas with crappy grid infrastructure, local equipment in the area can raise havoc with the local voltage. Some inverter companies can set the inverter ranges a bit wider. Of course the issue also could be on your homes end. If you have old panel or old utility drop with loose connections that can cause out of range voltage issues (low voltage). Its worth checking all the connections between the inverter and utility including the main bus on the panel. The other thing that can happen is after storm or after a transformer on a pole is replaced is the linesmen pick the wrong tap on the transformer and raise the local voltage. If you are getting high voltage in on the line its probably a tap somewhere. If there is lot of solar in the area it also can cause issues.

              So check the easy stuff on your side, find out the actual AC voltage from your inverter and then call the utility and make sure you write down the names and numbers of those you talk to. Worst case is you may have to contact the PUC with a written complaint. Utilities really do not like written complaints to the PUC.
              Last edited by peakbagger; 02-12-2018, 09:03 PM.

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              • #8
                For some people the need to install a device called an auto transformer may be required to level out the voltage swings that come from the Grid.

                There is also a possibility to change the programing in the inverter to be less sensitive to both voltage and frequency changes but that may require help from the manufacturer.

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