[RE-wrenches] Enphase "AC Frequency out of Range"

[Dave Palumbo]

Thanks Daryl. Does your system also sometimes stay off for longer periods
sometimes? My clients system can stay off for up to 64 minutes.

Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of
penobscotsolar at midmaine.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 12:01 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Enphase "AC Frequency out of Range"

Dave,
  We have been having the same problem with an Enphase system in Maine. I
have been dealing directly with the third tier engineers at Enphase and they
are working on a software fix for this. The"event" itself is only a fraction
of a second but IEEE requirements are that the inverter shut down for five
minutes. I only found out about this problem when it started for this
customer. It sems that Enphase has already addressed the problem with a
software fix for the M-190's. The M-215 fix should come, according to
Enphase, by the end of March. It will be automatically downloaded through
the Enlighten router.
   It's a known issue with Smart Meters with Enphase, but should be
reconciled soon.

Daryl DeJoy
NABCEP Certified PV installer
Penobscot Solar Design
www.penobscotsolar.com



> Wrenchsters,
>
>
>
> I have an Enphase 7.5kW system on a residence with utility Smart 
> Metering, both the PV Production Meter as well as the utility billing 
> meter being "read" every hour. This system has experienced many "AC 
> Frequency Out Of Range" events since the system was installed. Below 
> is copied the Enphase Event message. This particular event was for 5 
> minutes. Most of the events (all events are AC Frequency Out Of Range) 
> last 5 to 10 minutes but occasionally they have lasted from 45 minutes to
64 minutes.
>
>
>
> My question is: Could the use of the smart metering increase the 
> likely hood that AC Frequency events happen? Or is this just a 
> coincidence and that we are dealing with fluctuating utility power AC 
> Frequency issues?
>
>
>
> <<
>
>
>
> Started on: Mon February 04, 2013 12:49 PM EST
>
> Cleared on: Mon February 04, 2013 12:54 PM EST
>
>
>
> Recommended action
>
>
>
> This condition should correct itself. No action is required.
>
> Details
>
>
>
> The microinverter reports that the frequency coming from the utility 
> is either too low or too high as specified by applicable regional
standards.
>
>
>
> AC frequency is the frequency at which voltage varies on the utility grid.
> Frequency Out of Range events are usually transient and 
> self-correcting by the utility.
>
>
>
> When the microinverter detects an out of frequency condition, it must 
> remain offline until the utility has been within acceptable limits 
> continuously for a short period of time (seconds to minutes, varies by 
> region). If during that time the utility again exceeds or falls short 
> of acceptable limits, the five-minute timer must restart and the 
> microinverter may not begin producing power for an additional short 
> period following the last out-of-bounds condition.  >>
>
>
>
> Best,
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>
>
> David Palumbo
>
> Independent Power LLC
>
> 462 Solar Way Drive
>
> Hyde Park, VT 05655
>
> www.independentpowerllc.com
>
> Vermont Solar Partner
>
> 25 Years Experience, (802) 888-7194
>
>
>
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