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SolarEdge 7600HD Wave Inverter production loss??

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  • SolarEdge 7600HD Wave Inverter production loss??

    Hello everyone. Yesterday my SolarEdge 7600HD inverter production dropped to 0 watts around 2:00pm Pacific Time with clear skies conditions and outside temperatures in the high 60's. I noticed it while monitoring system production in the IOS app. When inspecting the inverter unit, the inverter was showing 7545W production and an operating temperature of 154 degrees. What's a little strange is that ambient temperature at the time of the indicated power production loss was around 69 degrees. And even though the unit was displaying 154 degrees on the LCD the heat sink was barely barely warm to the touch. Has anyone experienced this with SolarEdge wave inverters?

    System details:
    -SolarEdge 7600 HD inverter
    ​​​​​​- Gigawatts 300W panels x 36 = 10,800w system.
    -4 panels facing east , the rest facing west.

  • #2
    I just checked the operating temperature of my inverter and with 65 degrees outside temperatures the system was running at 110degrees but the heat sink was just 70 degrees. If the cooling system on this inverter work as a computer cpu heatsink then the heat sink temp should be slightly higher than indicated inverter temp since the heatsink is pulling heat away from system. Am I correct in my assumption of how the heat transfer should be working on these inverters?
    Attached Files

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi traxxi2003,

      how old is this system? When was it installed? How long was the inverter outputting ~7600W before the failure occurred?

      If you log into the Solar Edge Web Portal are there any error / warning messages? Barring any random hardware or firmware faults, the most likely causes of this type of shutdown are:

      1) Loss of MAINS power -- e.g. grid failure caused a rapid shutdown
      2) MAINS over voltage -- The back fed current from the inverter locally increases the voltage of your mains power. If the voltage gets too high the firmware in the inverter will cause a shutdown
      3) Inverter overheating -- Given that it was not that hot out, if your inverter really got to ~156F it could be that the heatsink is not secured properly / making a good thermal connection to the inverter
      4) Isolation fault -- often this is a wiring fault or temporary short due to a water leak

      Using the SE web monitoring portal or PVOutput dot org to keep track of and graph you inverter temperature over time. Try to work through your installer if you can, otherwise contact SE direct they can run inverter diagnostics remotely.

      -Jonathan

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi JSchnee21! thanks for responding tomy post. Details about my system:
        -DIY installation of SolarEdge 7600 HD Wave Inverter / 10,800Watts system using Gigawatts 300watts panels
        -Being operating since Oct 2018 and the DC array is mounted East/West (4panels East/ 32 panels West).
        -Last month the system generated 1.2 MWh.

        I noticed the "0" kwh production two days ago on the SolarEdge phone app around 2:00pm with clear skies. But when checking the LCD on the inverter unit it was showing 7,547 watts production. The app however was showing status of the inverter as "FAULT"but no faults were recorded on the inverter or the web monitoring service. One thing that stood out to me was that that day the ambient temp was 69 degrees at the moment I noticed the discrepancy and the inverter was showing on the LCD an operating temp of 154 degrees. The heatsink was barely warm to the touch.

        Also,I contacted SE tech support and their monitoring did not showed any faults.

        Can you explain how to access recorded inverter temperature readings on the web monitoring site? I've look but cannot find that feature.

        Thank you!

        Comment


        • #5
          I just found the following errors recorded on the inverter but none were recorded the day I noticed the zero production status on the phone monitoring app.

          - Error Code 28, V-L1 Min1/ recorded once
          - Error Code: 181 Internal error / recorded 4 times
          -Error Code: 34 V-L1 Min2 / recorded twice
          -Error Code: 31V-L1 Max2 / recorded twice

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by traxxi2003 View Post
            I just found the following errors recorded on the inverter but none were recorded the day I noticed the zero production status on the phone monitoring app.

            - Error Code 28, V-L1 Min1/ recorded once
            - Error Code: 181 Internal error / recorded 4 times
            -Error Code: 34 V-L1 Min2 / recorded twice
            -Error Code: 31V-L1 Max2 / recorded twice
            Do you have a backup generator?
            OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

            Comment


            • #7
              No, no generator

              Comment


              • #8
                I'm not sure I follow here. You said "Also,I contacted SE tech support and their monitoring did not showed any faults." But then go on to list 9 fault codes. Did you call or email SE Support? It can be hard to get through but their support (once you get them) is usually very good.

                The low voltage is probably not an issue (grid fault). But the high voltage and the internal error (181) need more investigation. I would have thought that SE phone support would have pulled these.

                Also, fault 181 isn't actually listed for the North American version of the HD-series. At least not in the installation guide. Now, it's not uncommon for there to be SE fault codes that aren't in the manual, but you'll need to contact SE and bring this to their attention and see what they say.

                But, in general, it sounds like you system was working well for several months and then just failed recently. Has it reset it self? Have you power cycled it? Are you able to get it to produce again? Are you really sure it was not producing when the App/portal said zero? SE's web portal is not the most reliable. Though the App (at leas for iOS) seems pretty good.

                Any changes that you know of? Monsoon, ICE, drastic change in weather? Not sure where you live.

                If you go to the web portal, if you go to:

                1) Charts
                2) System
                3) Site Name
                4) Inverter
                5)Then make a graph of AC voltage, frequency, etc. on the days in question.

                -Jonathan



                Comment


                • #9
                  I should have added, are you sure your HD has the latest firmware and is the voltage locale set correctly? There are actually different versions of the USA locale some of which are more/less sensitive to grid noise, over voltage, etc.

                  Also, through the web portal under "Admin" you can create an API Access key which will enable you to pull the data into PVOutput dot org, for example which will enable you to more easily graph and analyze the data.

                  It could also be a case of infant hardware mortality.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Just called SE tech support and they claim that on the information they can see on my system they see no faults and that the system in working well. I'm beginning to believe that what I saw on the app may have been a glitch with the app itself or a delay in communication between my system and the app itself. The faults I found on the monitoring web page according to tech support they cannot see them. That confuses me a bit. Production of my system has being great, I just have never experience anything like this before. Also another concern I have is about the operating temperature according to the spec sheet of my inverter. The spec sheet claims operating temp-range of -40 to 140 degrees F. Tech support told be to not worry unless I see temperatures higher than 172 degrees. My system the day I noticed the app fault was operating at 154 degrees at 2:00pm and while outside ambient temperatures of high 60's. Is 154 degrees normal when the power production was around 7.5kwh?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by traxxi2003 View Post
                      My system the day I noticed the app fault was operating at 154 degrees at 2:00pm and while outside ambient temperatures of high 60's. Is 154 degrees normal when the power production was around 7.5kwh?
                      Sounds about right. This was me the other day (mid-60s weather) on a SE7600H:
                      Peak Power: 7586W (clipping)
                      Temp: 150.8F

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by traxxi2003 View Post
                        Just called SE tech support and they claim that on the information they can see on my system they see no faults and that the system in working well. I'm beginning to believe that what I saw on the app may have been a glitch with the app itself or a delay in communication between my system and the app itself. The faults I found on the monitoring web page according to tech support they cannot see them. That confuses me a bit. Production of my system has being great, I just have never experience anything like this before. Also another concern I have is about the operating temperature according to the spec sheet of my inverter. The spec sheet claims operating temp-range of -40 to 140 degrees F. Tech support told be to not worry unless I see temperatures higher than 172 degrees. My system the day I noticed the app fault was operating at 154 degrees at 2:00pm and while outside ambient temperatures of high 60's. Is 154 degrees normal when the power production was around 7.5kwh?
                        The app is updated less so for best results when debugging or looking at error conditions look at the web site which is kept upto date.
                        OutBack FP1 w/ CS6P-250P http://bit.ly/1Sg5VNH

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I have a strange problem that no one can figure out and I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. I have a SolarEdge inverter . It’s the third one I’ve had, the first two failed. That’s another story. My problem now is the amount of Electricity my system produces is not reported properly to my electric company’s meter. I’ve gone back 3 years now, and every single month the electricity my system produces is 40-50% MORE than what shows up on the elec co meter. I’ve had the meter checked, it’s functioning fine. It’s the Solar Edge, it has to be. It’s not reporting the true production of my system to the elec meter. It’s ALWAYS less. By a lot. So I’m not getting credit for the electricity my solar system is producing. I’m essentially getting ripped off every month. Solar Edge says their inverter is functioning properly as far as they can tell. So I’m caught in the middle w nowhere to go to fix this.
                          Has anyone had this problem? Do you know what the source of the problem is? Help!
                          Last edited by Pjn69; 03-15-2020, 06:08 PM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Any thought that you might be using some of the power before it goes out to the grid ?
                            Powerfab 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-Lister

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Any thought that you might be using some of the power before it goes out to the grid ?
                              Powerfab 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-Lister

                              Comment

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