DC Overvoltage

harbrimar · Sep 10, 2011

I have a 12 x Sanyo 250 HIT system with SMA HF3000-30 inverter installed in June this year. Just returned from holiday and was alarmed to see the above error code when I downloaded events via Bluetooth. The log is attached. I checked in the handbook for the inverter and it said that the system should be turned off immediately (not able to do this as was away). However, given that the event was 4 days ago and the system seems to be working okay, what should I do and does anyone have any idea what the problem is? Generation seems to be low:
6/9 - 0.7 kwh
7/9 - 5.6
8/9 - 3.9
9/9 - 3.0

but this may be because of the c**p weather we have had in the last few days.

SolarCity · Sep 10, 2011

That's a really strange one. The 3000HF has a maximum voltage of 700v so I can't see what could have gone wrong. Maybe a phone call to technical on Monday morning?

Worcester · Sep 11, 2011

We've seen a drop of output on quite few systems that we monitor online for our customers over the last few days, so I wouldn't be too much worried about the output (yet)

The concern would be the overvoltage though, I've run it through PV*Sol and sunny design, and both say that the configuration is fine.

harbrimar · Sep 11, 2011

Thanks Worcester and BiggsSolar for your help. Just another question(s) about Sunny Explorer event log, am I right in assuming that when there is no event to report there will not be an entry on the spreadsheet therefore the dates are not continuous? Secondly, the entry on the log "awaiting DC start conditions" suggests that there was not enough solar radiation to start the system. If this is the case why doesn't this event appear in the log everyday first thing in the morning? it seems odd that there are several entries of this description just before the DC overvoltage event.

SolarCity · Sep 11, 2011

The "awaiting DC start conditions" seems to occur at sunrise and sunset judging by the times the events occured. It doesn't happen everyday, as you say, but I wonder if it happens when conditions are just hovering around startup conditions - therefore the inverter may have just had enough light to fire up yet only minutes later the light dropped?

Markc · Sep 11, 2011

Whats the orientation and pitch rate of the array? I agree with Worcester its the over voltage that's the concern.

harbrimar · Sep 12, 2011

Markc -The orientation is south and at about 45 degrees. I spoke with SMA today and they could not provide an answer either. They thought it might have been due to thunder/lightning or static or just a system glitch! They also suggested that it might have been a particularly bright spell but looking at the log it was generating about 0.9kwh at the time of the event! The main thing is that it has not happened again and the system is working fine. The "awaiting DC start conditions" can be caused when there is just enough light to start the initiation and the software expects it to get brighter and when it does not get brighter in a given time it produces the above event (their theory not mine!) I will of course be monitoring the event log quite closely for the next few weeks.

SolarCity · Sep 12, 2011

Particularly bright?! They'd need to rise around 200v or so to have been an issue. I'd have said a glitch or static is the only real answer. I think if the array had of been struck by lightning then you wouldn't have an inverter on the wall to come back to.

DC Overvoltage

harbrimar

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