<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt"><div><span>Perhaps as an add on value-relationship building component for your businesses, go introduce your clients, new and existing to The Energy Detective-</span></div><div><span><a href="http://www.theenergydetective.com/ted-5002-g">http://www.theenergydetective.com/ted-5002-g</a><br></span></div><div><br></div><div>At the very least, you can help them, help you, monitor what they have and discern between whether their system is optimized and if not, the remedy.</div><div><br></div><div>For folks in the industry, they have pricing below MSRP.</div><div><br></div><div>Relatively simple device and you can monitor the inverter(s) and the home load to get a comparative.</div><div><br></div><div>They are working on the next gen of their product to be able to get granular on every load in the home, but this will be a boat load of CT's and
MTU's, but I believe this will allow us all to identify phantom loads and help close the gap on maintenance and often expensive service calls for folks that are grid connected.</div><div><br></div><div>Keith<br><div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; "><div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; "><font size="2" face="Arial"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Mark Frye <markf@berkeleysolar.com><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> 'RE-wrenches' <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Friday, August 19, 2011 7:56 AM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [RE-wrenches] Out of Warranty Inverter Replacements<br></font><br><div id="yiv168511304">
<title>Out of Warranty Inverter Replacements</title>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">Ray,</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">Here are the nameplate module rating vs nameplate inverter
rating:</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">- 24 x 175 W = 4,200 W : IG4000 = 4,000 W : 105
%</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">- 18 x 175 W = 3,150 W : IG3000 = 2,700 W : 117
%</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">- 8 x 175 W = 1,400 W : SB1100 = 1,100 W : 127 % (sub-optimal
orientation limits peak power levels)</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">I think it is fair to say that amps=heat=component aging. The
question is to what extent can the installer rely on the representations
made by manufactures with respect to their ratings and product
life?</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">For instance, the 24 module system above lands well within the
Fronius specifications for max DC power and is "Good" based on their online
configuration tool, and also well in line the the SMA white paper of many years
ago suggesting a 120% mod/inv ratio as optimal.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">And yet, the first unit failed in 4 years and the refurb
failed in 2 year.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span class="yiv168511304375383917-19082011"></span> <br><span lang="en-us"><font size="2" face="Arial">Mark Frye</font></span> <br><span lang="en-us"><font size="2" face="Arial">Berkeley Solar Electric Systems</font></span>
<br><span lang="en-us"><font size="2" face="Arial">303 Redbud Way</font></span>
<br><span lang="en-us"><font size="2" face="Arial">Nevada City, CA
95959</font></span> <br><span lang="en-us"><font size="2" face="Arial">(530)
401-8024</font></span> <br><span lang="en-us"></span><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.berkeleysolar.com/"><span lang="en-us"><u><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">www.berkeleysolar.com</font></u></span></a><span lang="en-us"><font size="2" face="Arial"> </font></span> </div>
<div> </div><br>
<div dir="ltr" lang="en-us" class="yiv168511304OutlookMessageHeader" align="left">
<hr tabindex="-1">
<font size="2" face="Tahoma"><b>From:</b> re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces@lists.re-wrenches.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Ray
Walters<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, August 19, 2011 10:26 AM<br><b>To:</b>
RE-wrenches<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [RE-wrenches] Out of Warranty Inverter
Replacements<br></font><br></div>
Hi Mark;<br><br>In cases like that, I let the customer decide. My job
is to present them with two or three streamlined options and let them
decide.<br>It seems it comes down to cost vs continued warranty (and possible
expandability?). Financial decisions ultimately need to be made by the people
paying the bill.<br>From a technical perspective, I don't ever present an option
that I wouldn't be comfortable installing, and in the end everyone's happy.
(hopefully)<br><br>Just curious; what are the array sizes relative to the
inverter rating? I always wondered if inverters that were run at or over their
rating didn't last as long as inverters that were run well below their rating.
(just my stupid assumption that: more amps = more heat = less
reliability)<br><br>Ray<br><br><br>On 8/19/2011 11:03 AM, Mark Frye wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Folks,</font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Yesterday I took a trip through my service area and
initated 3 inverter replacement actions:</font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">- A 6 year old Sunnyboy 1100W, 5 year warranty
expired, $360 for a refurbished unit w/ 1 year warranty, new replacement not
available</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">- A 2 year old Fronius IG4000 refurbished, sent as
warranty replacement for unit failed at 4 years under 5 year warranty, now out
of warranty, est. $ 600 to refurbish with 1 year warranty</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">- A 4 year old Fronius IG3000, under 10 year
warranty, warranty replacement and service fee provided by Fronius</font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">I have to decide, what is best for my out of
warranty customers:</font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">- Buy the refurbished units w/ 1 year
warranty</font> <br><font size="2" face="Arial">- Buy new replacement units with
10 or 20 year warrranties</font> <br><font size="2" face="Arial">- Buy entirely
new equipment such as Enphase or SolarEdge</font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">What are other folks experiencing as we move well
past the 5 year warranty horizon for many of our earlier customers?</font>
</div>
<div><font size="2" face="Arial">Mark Frye</font> <br><font size="2" face="Arial">Berkeley Solar Electric Systems</font> <br><font size="2" face="Arial">303 Redbud Way</font> <br><font size="2" face="Arial">Nevada
City, CA 95959</font> <br><font size="2" face="Arial">(530) 401-8024</font>
<br><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.berkeleysolar.com"><u><font color="#0000ff" size="2" face="Arial">www.berkeleysolar.com</font></u></a><font size="2" face="Arial"> </font> </div><br>
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