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

Tue Feb 5 09:51:46 PST 2013

Will do. Enphase had originally projected the beginning of February for
the release of the fix. It is now projected for the end of March. I am
hoping it will be a done deal before this next "season" starts here in
Maine. It might be good incentive to try Power One, Exeltech or other
inverters. In all honesty, my interpretation is that the Enphase inverters
are very sensitive and respond quickly to these "pings". I believe the
software fix will allow the inverters to ignore micro-events of less than
1/100th of a second or so (the length of the "ping". I will keep the list
in the loop!

Daryl

> We see the same issue here in WI.  Funny that you say 64 minutes, as some
> of the M215s show the error for 64 minutes for us routinely.  Could that
> just be some designated error reporting length?
>
> Daryl, thanks for the Enphase update.  Keep us updated if you can on the
> software fix.
>
>
> Ryan Harkins
> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer /
> Project Manager
>
>
>
>
>
> Synergy Renewable Systems, LLC
> PO Box 58
> Stoughton, WI 53589
> PH: 608-712-7862
> ryan.harkins at energycraft.com
> www.energycraft.com
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 5, 2013, at 11:10 AM, Dave Palumbo wrote:
>
>> 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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