Solar Edge Help Please

[dazzapsj1]

Hi all,
I have a Solar Edge E/W facing system with Siliken panels, I have noticed the past couple of days that when the wattage of the panels increase the one panel drops off, I do not know if this is a Solar Edge problem or a panel problem, if it is a panel problem does anyone know how I replace it, as I believe Siliken have gone bust, I have a Consumer Protection Association 10 year insurance which is just as well, as the PV Company that installed the system has also gone bust, any ideas would be very much appreciated.
Regards.
Dazza

 

[whinmoor]

One of the features of Solar Edge is that you can theoretically "mix-and-match" panel brands (and wattages). So, if you can't get hold of a replacement Siliken, you could replace it with something else.

But, it would be better to check other possibilities before getting on the roof. Do you have the online monitoring set up? Presumably this is how you know that one panel appears to be malfunctioning? Are you sure it's not getting shaded?

 

[dazzapsj1]

Hi Whinmoor,
Thanks for your reply, Yes, I noticed the panel drop off on the portal, it has been fine for the first 2 years, just the past couple of days. Do you know if this is a sign of panel failure or Solar Edge, I am just unsure on where to start, cheers Dazzapsj

 

[whinmoor]

Not much to go on at the moment. It could be either the panel or optimiser. I presume you've tried to look at physical damage to the array or bird mess?

Do you have the logical layout mapped out? Is it a panel at the end of a row or in the middle? How much worse than its neighbour(s) is it performing? Is the same true in all light conditions? Does it happen constantly all day or only at specific times?

Could you post photo(s) of the array and a screenshot of the monitoring?

 

[telectrix]

or wait till next may/june when the sun comes back.

 

[dazzapsj1]

performance seems to drop off as wattage goes up, no particular time of day, just when more sun and more generation happening.They are East facing.

 

[whinmoor]

OK - Dazza sent me his monitoring info so I made some screenshots (removing personal info). Assuming that the optimiser serial numbers have been correctly entered into the logical layout, it seems as if the middle panel at the top of the six has recently been underperforming by about 20%.

Looking back over the longer-term, the panel has been working pretty much in line with its neighbours.

One possibility could be water in the connectors. Any other thoughts?

 

[Earthstore]

Is it because it is a darker blue in pic 5 of 5?
Only kidding, is it possible that there is a problem with a bypass diode? If there are 3 then the difference should be 33% but if there are 4 it may be 25%, Just a thought that is all..

 

[Worcester]

Sometimes this is fixed by "re-pairing" the solar edge optimisers with the inverter. Have you spoken / webchatted to solar edge directly? Their customer support is pretty good and they are usually able to diagnose and fix issued remotely.

What does the inverter show on it's screen when this happens? How many optimsers does it "see"?

 

[wersolaruk]

If you private message me I will give you the contact details for the uk tech guy all you will need to do is give him your inverter serial number , he will check the system via the Internet and let you know, could be a optimiser not communicating correctly

 

[SolarCity]

Has anyone noticed this issue before? A little loss in power seems like a very unusual fault.

 

[dazzapsj1]

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies, I will try and call Solar Edge tomorrow, I will not have access to my inverter until Saturday so will post any messages on here then, thanks again everyone, and does anybody know any installers with a good knowledge of Solar Edge in my area (Bath) if it does need repairing replacing etc. Thanks again.

 

[methley]

I'm sure SE will sort you out but, in the mean time, can you select a sunny day and plot a power curve of the three panels on the top row so we can see what happens to the middle one throughout the daily cycle? Example below of some of my panels emerging from partial shade.

 

[wersolaruk]

If it does need replacing solar edge will probs do it for you, there uk guy sometimes repairs them.

 

[dazzapsj1]

The problem is he recommended swapping the optimisers around first, I told him I could not do that and my installer had ceased trading. He is going to wait for a more sunny day and then pair everything again and do a software upgrade, Consumer Protection Association have told me to get a quote for a repair if needed and they are sending me a claim form, I think the problem is going to be, to get someone who knows Solar Edge and lives within a distance that will make it worthwhile for them to do the job.