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

Tue Feb 5 09:24:43 PST 2013

Dave,
   It doesn't happen often, and the longest I've seen him stay "down" is
about a half hour, but it seems to get progressively worse as time goes
on for some reason (initially only the five minutes, but longer down
times lately). This particular customer is difficult and picky, to
boot. I hope yours is a bit kinder. Mine seems to think we did him an
injustice of monumental proportions.
   We have had the utility out there logging events, meetings with the
utility and another solar company in Maine to discuss all this, and
have kept Enphase in the loop throughout. Enphase has responded in a
responsible and reasonable manner throughout.
   If you want to discuss this with Enphase, call and ask for Bret. He's
the engineer I previously dealt with, although he is second tier, he is
accessible.

> 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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