Alternatively on GitHub there is Groovy code for a $100 smart home manager app that can do all of this on any smart phone. Once I installed Manager and paid the activation fee ($249) I found 4 panels barely producing and huge variances in the panels that were. The system I have shuts down production when the voltage is to high. Im in the Solar service industry and have to say that Enphase needs to take a stance on less that preferred practices with installation. So we called the installer (Solargain who were helpful over the odds). More than happy to provide you what details of what you should and should not be paying for. It does give a basic display of the basics, which will get you by (in portrait orientation only). Enlighten Manager enables full performance monitoring and management of multiple systems from any online device. The changes worked and now I can look at data to my hearts content. If you are in the solar industry - try to get to the truth, not the sale.5. Anyone looking to make an investment in solar and/or batteries, but has little knowledge or understanding, should find a friend or colleague with true experience to help and guide them to get the right outcome. Terrible interference on every station (AM and FM). Additional filters let you sort and group systems according to your business needs. At least the Solarbridge Power Manager worked direct to your computer. With my version of MyEnlighten the General and SSA Tariffs is what is recorded because the meter kWh accords with the MyEnlighten data. So if Metro wants to charge more than the going rate can we use another installer to upgrade to the Enlighten Manager? My advice check if your installer can get after sales support from their supplier. Highlights include: High-level overview of system's performance. If the performance is outside that range then there might be an issue with the installation or the device/s. I am not an Enphase employee but rather a solar professional. But it took him about another ten years to focus on it in a way that wasnt really stupid. We have been able to activate the Envoy AP mode (access point), and connected the iphone to the Envoy AP-mode wireless network, however the app merely returns a message after about 30 seconds stating that there was an error in connecting. This is less than ideal when reviewing historical graphs and makes it unsuitable for use with tablets. Ouch! Thinking that it was going to return around 7% which was more than you could get anywhere else, we are partly self-funded retirees. I think many consumer products could be damaged by insects and no manufacturer can be held responsible as they have to provide ventilation. I did ask Sunpower to replace this as it was likely that it would fail, no luck. I have a 16panel Microinverter with Envoy-s-Standard. I believe that Panel level monitoring in that upgraded version of MyEnlighten was only intended for the Installer/ Administrator /Service Provider/System Monitor [fault finding] or an advanced end user [monitoring purposes]. Its now 2017 and we just lost our 16th microinverter only 9 originals left to go. I also understood that panel level monitoring is standard in the States: do you also know if this is true? They also agreed to pay a portion of the site installation costs which was very fair although I will have to meet a fair cost for the rest as access to the system means two men for nearly a day. No problem. I can understand installers not wanting to enablethe panel-level monitoring system because of false alarms resulting from bird poop, or leaves on panels, or from the homeowner simply not understanding how the system works. https://www.facebook.com/groups/990074741125670/. Cheers, Ian. It seems to me that people who do not monitor their systems are asking for trouble, the products are NOT foolproof and more to the point are VERY likely to FAIL. Ac. In our case we do not subscribe to a time of use tariff we have time switched our solar hot water booster, pool pump and pool heater to operate only when we have solar production. Choose an installer carefully. No idea if it works well or is useable, and of course it would require investment in the Indigo product something I am still evaluating for features other than Envoy integration. Enphase make free product training available to all installers, but of course not all installers make time for this. My concern is the Envoy monitoring. This has been designed to raise the profile of quality installers. Tesla is promising that their Powerwall 2 will give AC coupled backup at some point in the future. To this date I am still unable to monitor what occurred on that date( 7/10/18). Didnt have to f around with my phone and glasses, didnt have to multiply a 15 minute report x 4 to know at a glance whether to run the clothes dryer or split system. Disappointed/very annoyed that my installer (who installed the original system and knew what the monitoring was) did not tell me about the fact that I would not be able to see individual results unless I paid this exorbitant amount of money. Homeowners can find an accredited, quality installer through the Enphase Installer Network https://enphase.com/en-au/installer-network which allows users to see the experience of individual installers based on the number of Enphase installs performed. I have an Enphase system in Mexico. There is a big lag on some website data. The difficulty with not having backup with the grid down is a major issue for me and Im not surewhether I would go with microinverters again. None of those appliances are on. Zero Export feature - 5 min. The hosts all take time to answer questions from those in attendance. Christina. kW, kWh and kilowatt/hour : What do they stand for? Was that a negotiation? Here is Ians experience, in Ians words (Subheadings added): We began our solar journey looking at lots of things. Click the icon above to search for an app of your choice to compare. I mentioned the Enphase monitoring system 10 months ago when I wrote about the Enphase AC battery. Very unfortunate. You can purchase the Installer version. On the positive side, the system has paid for itself in three years, so I can cheerfully feed the APS stuff to the nearest shredder or axe and smile (very tempting, I would feel guilty offloading them). It took almost 2 months to get a new one. Last night I did what you seemed to have done the old IT helpline advice turn it off and back on. Has anyone been able to overcome a similar issue ? I have the ability to look at my system on any of o ur computers and my phone as well as the ipads around the place and you will instantly see any issues. This was accessed by a web browser, and I had an Ethernet cable connected to the box, you could also directly connect your laptop and see the same info if you wanted to. Heres what the software looks like. I got solar 8 years ago the enlighten ap was awesome. Does anyone know if Enphase have created grid profiles for 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 kW export limit or is this something our solar installer can do? I understand Enphases objectives in having a permanently grid connected system and I was interested to be able to discuss their AC Battery product in detail with someone who obviously understands it very well. MyEnllghten produces an all inclusive report for production, feed in, charge and discharge in 15 minute intervals by month. If they dont provide a satisfactory remedy, you can take them to a consumer tribunal or small claims court. I just made a python script that collect the data and print it in a nice way. We read the meter at month end to validate the Enphase Monthly Net Energy Report for import General Tariff and Export Tariff SSA. This last bit seems a real surprise after Enphase went to all the truble earlier this year to have Ausgrid agree to its export limit calculations! My installer told me this is an acceptable location. An Enphase solution is a great reliable and safe home energy solution. I looked at the main panel and worked out that we have two strings of microinverters and indeed one was no longer operating. I always planned to use panel monitoring to decide their ideal placement over the course of a year. I couldn't be happier with this app. So far! You could also attend a free webinar which will most likely discuss the Enphase software, or you could pose the question. I will probably replace the metal meter box door with an approved not metal door. It seems their programme cannot deal with daylight saving. While your system looks in trouble what are your power bills telling you? Enlighten Manager is also available to homeowners for a one-time upgrade fee of $349or a monthly subscription for $14.99. They came and inspected the system as installed and provided a quote to install theextrametering equipment. If I can identify the offending circuit, I might be able to identify the offending appliance/item. Yep even digital TV signals can be nuked by mains signalling or wireless no idea which is the guilty party. My installer 7 years ago is not be ing that helpful , So Im researching right now as to what i can do . Rip-off. My only gripe with the whole system is that even though we have a really strong wifi setup, the data reporting drops out at least once a week. I never got a reply or peep from Enphase after many times logging a question. Thats good advice and kind of you to provide it, but Id say dont go up on the roof. I suppose it would require an Installer to do this plus the cost of a new Envoy-S-Metered hardware? So today thanks to Solaray the original installer I have per panel monitoring. Rather annoying there is no solution to this other than manually querying the local envoys individual panel production data which does work but returns a mess of JSON html to interpret! Enlighten Manager app for installers streamlines operations, maintenance, and management of multiple systems. Enphase monitoring experience. I suppose they will move it to inside the Electrical Box and wire some sensors to my three -phase Mains? Ive been involved with hundreds of microinverter installations that use wifi (zigbee) coms and I can assure you that these systems are not immune to problems either. installer did not win the quote for the new panels. 4. Enphase should take steps to makeit available to everyonewho wants it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_induced_degradation, the Envoy-S Metered needs to be installed correctly. The hot water connection for electricity uses a controlled load circuit normally. dont want to get involved with the installer! And BTW a lot of companies are extremely happy to peddle their crap, but look out when it comes to warranty time, they all seem to duck and weave, and dont want to do whats right, for the consumer, and installer. The Enphase Servers MyEnlighten interface is a webpage which requires the user to log on using a browser in common use. Enphase is offering a third rate platform at present avoid. So things that I am super annoyed with are. There getJSON call shouldnt have the losing binding to the data issue but it doesnt automatically trip the envoys authentication logic, and all the normal ways of passing user name and password to the envoy that I can think of dont work. Make sense??? An investigation followed and the company that fitted the stuff recommended we: As we have a business we got our normal IT contractor to undertake this work as we find a single supplier works best in these situations. Good luck. https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers. Thank you for your article! After six months of Batt operation I realised they were not functioning as they should. Hope that helps. We got the best panels and the more expensive Enphase Microinverters. It seems Enphase is trying to serve two masters ( Installer and end user) I was thankful of the monitoring when after 6 months I realised the batteries were regularly undercharged. Immediately after the installer finished downloading, double-click on it to get started with the installation process. They did also warn me about the issues with things such as bird poop and the fact that false alarm call-outs would be charged. Sound kosher or is there a way around this? Not sure why everyone thinks that the installer needs to set this up for them. The justification is crap, and at worst a ploy to insulate you from making a warranty claim because you dont know theres a problem in the first place. Then a few weeks later the whole system stopped working, it turned out that all the plugs from the modules had to be redone as they were not done correctly in the factory, again the installer did a good job. For me have a 36 panel 9.25 kW system the AGL Solar savers 20 cent F.I.T. The power of Enlighten in the palm of your hand. Good luck. Select an app to compare and find out which fits your needs. The installation went well and, after a couple of calls to sort out the internet side of things, the system worked beautifully. So I suspect that SMA thought, it was not a viable proposition, to continue manufacture. The electrician needed to be involved with his costs too. I did it with a C# program unfortunately though the inverters only provide their data once every 5 minutes to the Envoy-S, so it is not really live data. I understood there was a box you could put at the side of the house that was NOT wi-fi enabled. Is that right? If you want access to more data you need to pay $250 for the manager version!! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Download the first chapter of The Good Solar Guide, authored by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock, FREE! Consumed 12.82 Produced 28.05 Imported 3.03 Exported 18.02 kWh [Semi Overcast]. I have been taking the Enphase courses via webinars. Homeowners wishing to use Enlighten Manager can speak with their installer about gaining access. Background: I have 3 phase power with a lot of RF and power suppressors fitted (try recording audio without them). However, when I left it without current for more than a day, it would reboot ok again. Subscribe to get reviews, tips, and similar game recommendations! My first installer has moved interstate. Better they say there is normally no application fee to request this (unless the Installer much up the application paperwork several times then they will charge $253). Signup for more similar apps, reviews, recommendations, and more! The local installer is no help. Early on Enphase charged an annual subscription fee for Enlighten, which was by default the panel-level monitoring. Youll also start receiving the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter, keeping you up to date on all the latest developments on Australias solar scene. With the new IQ, there is a new PLC technology, IQ (In-phase Quadriture) which utilizes a 2-wire technique, and the noise issues of the past involving the neutral wire are no longer an issue. Click below to add additional categories to compare. On further reading, it communicates at 110kHz not MHz. No back to the grid for me. Are you sure you want to remove this app from comparison? Or is economy tariff really different from off-peak? Here in the US MyEnlighten, which is system-level monitoring, is the standard customer view of their system production. The only time I had any confusion related to Enphase was caused by a help article on their website and not the app itself (heavy snowfall causes the inverters to not respond and it says to contact your installer). When I bought Enphase, I was told by the installer I would get panel level monitoring. The other thing that I did notice that there was a change panel output going from July to December and back. I found by turning off a refrigerator in my barn, my micros magically appeared! OpenSolar is the simplest, fastest, most powerful tool for solar professionals. They know what they are doing and so have little risk of injuring themselves. Well that sucks even worse if it actually doesnt cost the company anything. So I bought a new, much higher aerial pole to essentially move the aerials to where we could get better TV reception (easier than moving 12 panels) and repositioned it to avoid the inverters RF. When you say standard Envoy box do you mean it is NOT connected by wi-fi (it is cabled in). If youre tech-y, there are a couple of other useful URLs. I ask several per session. The contractors packed up and headed off with a dozen unserviceable microinverters to discuss the matter with Enphase and I expect a response next week. He suggested an in-line filter after the Envoy on the other circuits and that this could be installed by most electricians. Just communicate! It cost $349 now in Australia. - Compare production across multiple systems against previous days, weeks or months. but I was advised 14 panels is the limit on one system. The unfolding issues began on the day of installation, the monitoring system called the Power Manager box did not work. I have approached Solaray many times over the past two and a half years to get this level of data each time they refuse saying it is not worth the prescribed levied cost to them they expect support costs to be much higher than they are allowed to charge! The only time we have that level of usage is when we are using the washing machine or the oven, or if three spotlights (old style) are on. I looked at the current panel costs per Watt and decided on dearer panels(LG) Please note our system was operating for sometime before the metering software and hardware being added hence the total usage figures are quite low compared to total production. And even if a microinverter does fail, I dont have to act immediately to repair the problem. Don. My question is how easy is it to upgrades this to a metered system. So we decided to forgo the feed in tariff and put more panels up. In 2017 I decided to install Enphase AC batteries to harvest more solar power from my system. Well Enphase were still in 2018 hassleing about providing it to the customer. Get automated alerts about any issues impacting system performance. I look forward to learning more on Monday. But, if you are happy to pay the price, once Enphase monitoring is up and working and any connectivity problems fixed, then it is an effective panel monitoring system that can complement Enphases very reliable and effective microinverters. I am on single phase with a 9.2kW Enphase system with a 5kW export limit. I compare the power companies meter readings of importing and exporting to the Enlighten readings of import and export and they are not accurate. In addition, we provide information both online and over the phone to installers through our local technical support helpline. I SPENT OVER 12 HOURS OF LOST NON-REVENUE HOURS BECAUSE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED ISSUES. There is no real-time monitoring available. Yep, 60w per battery / 15min = 120w/15 min max. Cheers, Ian. Enlighten Manager provides sophisticated mobile tools to monitor and manage Enphase PV systems. Is your Envoy multiple hops or circuits away from your router? However, all through this, it appears my power bill reflects reality and I am still producing and consuming relatively normally, so the issue seems to be with a touchy Envoy not reporting. Enphase refused to replace all the units despite the company asking every time another RMA is submitted. I like it. Subscribe to get reviews, recommendations, and more with AppGrooves! as they were rated at 330W and took up little more space on the roof. I enquired via the installer about how to get each panel to show and he tells me that they charge an extra $300 for this ability.REALLY!! Go to the training site on their website and sit in on a webinar. The premium paid for this system type includes ALL the differentiating features, otherwise people are getting RIPPED OFF! So frustrating. The MyEnlighten Monthly Net Energy report gives you 15 minute time slices of Date/Time Energy Produced (Wh)Energy Consumed (Wh)Exported to Grid (Wh) Imported from Grid (Wh) Stored in AC Batteries (Wh) Discharged from AC Batteries (Wh). To tell the truth, I didnt actually know Ian from a bar of soap before he sent me this information, but hes my good friend now. We do have a granny flat out the back with good north facing roof space but Id have to look at the cost of using that roof space for solar panels for the main houses power. I then took the matter up with Enphase in Australia and their technical people were sympathetic but not much help, suggesting I go back to the installer or try another installer. Click here toupgrade to Enlighten Manager. So now I am looking for a solution with another CT clamp, this time over the battery, to complete the picture. given I only self consume 40% of my annual production. Sure, an inline filter will work, but you still need to isolate the noisy appliance/device. Ant.. Panel level monitoring comes at an additional one time upgrade cost to MyEnlighten from memory AUS $295.00. Off-peak is during the night for a time of use tariff. Envoy-S is up and running so I do have Enlighten working but those extra stats would be dandy!.just not $300 dandy. In this article I am going to tell you about monitoring panels equippedwithEnphase microinverters. Go Enphase! Installers should have a duty of care to advise customers about the pitfalls of the monitoring system. Protect your in vestments its worth every penny. Together, they've installed more than 2.5 million homes Enphase systems in . And this document looks to be the filter instructions: Popular inverters we supply: Contact us for sales, low wholesale prices and expert reviews for Enphase MyEnlighten and Enlighten Manager. My preference would be to use more Enphase products as I like the redundancy inherent in their AC Battery design (multiple batteries and multiple inverters all in parallel) plus the bonus of being able to add more capacity at any time in the future without battery matching issues. For me to upgrade to MyEnlighten [the name of the user interface] involved an Envoy hardware upgrade [an new wall mounted interface] between the PV system and the in the cloud server that supports the Enphase user interface and data base]. Enphase is the worldsbiggestproducer of microinverters and their products have a reputation for reliability. I recently upgrade my system from 5.75 kW [23 Panels] to 7.99 [30 Panels Total]. This also told me that our output was up to par. DC Current and temp at any time. We installed solar this February 2018. This is a little off centre to the topic, but I wondered if anyone had experienced this with Enphase microinverters plus batteries. Micro inverter is the most filthiest word in my vocabulary, and I will never ever use them again, there are far better devices in the market place that actually achieve a far better outcome than micro inverters. I like the fact that it is possible to look at each individual panel to check the performance history. The only conclusion that I can come to is that the solar production in MyEnlighten is reflecting DC power and my Consumption is reflecting AC power? So we paid to replace the Envoybox and add the wiring and additional metering hardware and fired up the system. Close packed panels make servicing very much more difficult. https://enphase.com/sites/default/files/Power_Line_Filter_Single-Phase_TechBrief.pdf. Hi Robin what is the cost to upgrade to Enlighten Manager? Imagine my dismay as we completed the task to find 12 failed micro inverters out of the 13 on the string. After a couple of years we realised that we were not getting much benefit out of the 40c feed in as our system was only really supporting our hot water system which was a new heat pump. The monitoring was working immediately for each panel. The problem I have is that the power generation from MyEnlighten is saying, for example, that I generate a net power of 15Kw but my power company is saying that I have a net power generation of only 10Kw. View public systems. Thats what installers are for. If the cable was moved in my case lifted up and sideways a couple of metres could that make a difference? Enlighten is the monitoring experience built specifically for the system owner. Enter the email address associated with your account, and we will email you a link to reset your password, Sign up for a free account to get We had two batteries installed today, and by the end of the day they had reached 71% charged. Whom I had spoken to on occasion telling him how I knew which inverter was not working so that he could also check the monitoring system as well. - Run detailed performance analysis and reports. Knowing my annual peak, shoulder, off peak and export figure it took under 5 minus to find I was on the second best plan in the market and a switch to the best plan saved me another $400 per annum! Im easy. Ready for some quotes? Put down your weapons.3. Envoy will display information but it will not allow you to do anything or go certain places if you do not have Administrator privileges [login and password]. The issue of panel level monitoring should never have occurred! Eventually I found Surfside Electrical and they were very helpful. Third allow users to specify on a seven day week, twenty four hour clock when peak, off peak and shoulder periods apply and what dollar amount is charged for this grid consumption and what is paid for sending excess solar to the grid. Once they were fully discharged, the consumption went back to its normal pattern. That is correct. Enlighten is the monitoring experience built specifically for the system owner. It looks like from the output curves my panels may put out as much as 275w/hr at peak (4+ hours in May), but they installed with En 7 inverters which have a 245w/hr limit. And as far as failure goes, I can honestly say fairly close to 100% failure rate. Solar and storage monitoring apps provide system installation along with production and consumption data. Very few if any systems have that capability. The supplier installed and left it in a hurry and told me I was going o get access to MyEnlighten later , which eventually I did. He first became interested in environmental matters when he was four years old after the environment tried to kill him by smashing fist sized hailstones through the roof of his parents Toowoomba home. Your installer should be able to tell you all that, as well. If you ring the published number you are simply message directed to use their email support client. I dont believe Envoy can be accessed from the Desktop. My grid supplier sent me graphs of the grid volts before and after the supply adjustment. The security access doesnt support simple authentication else it would be trivial to do this from a web browser script! That is correct As an enphase installer in the USA the module level monitoring is extra cost to the customer. Both went to ground. This went on for about 4 years. In Australia all solar inverters will shut down once the voltage limit is exceeded. All done and changed over after about a 4 week wait for the goods to arrive, then I log into the MyEnlighten only to find that all I can view is the TOTAL generated, no individual inverter information whatsoever. I told them I am an engineer and that bird poop would not be an issue. dave. 3.5 Kw of Solar energy. Thanks Ian, have thought of that but my panels are on my shed some 50 metres from my NBN satellite point Was it a set amount that they said they would cover per inverter? I also like the sound of Robins proposed data base which will show installers experience I wonder if it will allow brief and reasonable comments as well? There are molded mounting points on the back and they have these gaps that can allow bigish insects inside. It turns out that my mark 1 controller has a glitch that if you dont have it on for a while it stores the data and over time fails. We upgraded our Enphase System from a 5.75 to a 7.99 kW system in June 2017 and should have sufficient production data in the next months to do the ROI analysis. Secondly allow users on time of use Energy charging rates to see data into any selected period grouped into peak, shoulder and off peak periods. As far as the backup goes, most manufactureres are trying to avoid this for what I see as a valid reason. Thats unfortunate the original installer was so resistant to providing the panel level monitoring that Ian was so miffed not to have they could have provided that with a couple of mouse clicks. IP//api/v1/production/inverters for user/pass envoy/last six digits of Envoy-S serial number. At our option that is how we have our system set up we do not subscribe to a controlled time of use tariff for any purpose including a pool pump. Then within another few weeks it failed!! Only a small amount of east facing roof space is available. If I were you, Id hold tight, and when IQ8 is available, Id retrofit the whole bloody thing cheaply. Envoy is not supported on a Desktop Computer. half of mine have now died during last 3 months they blink but do not communicate. (It had played up several times.). Surfside our preferred service provider are no longer in business so I asked Enphase if they could recommend a local Enphase approved contractor to have a look at the system. . Also reading forums like this and many others will help the inexperienced collate a list of questions (you should then know the expected answer to) to ask any quoting businesses. Are you sure you want to remove this app from comparison? God I could go on but I have run out of energy, no pun intended. I put my case that this was like selling a car without a speedometer. I like the fact that it is possible to look at each individual panel to check the performance history. Screenshots - EnlightenApp, - Enlighten Manager- MyEnlighten Has anyone had trouble accessing the Envoy from their iOS Enlighten application ? My problem is neither the Salesperson nor the Installer informed me that I would only be able to see my production but not my consumption in MyEnlighten . I have gone months at a time with almost no production. Also, if you can move your Envoy closer to the micros, then that would help, too. Would love to monitor my solar input but lost and frustrated. All Australian installers have access to upgrading a customer to Enlighten Manager and information is available in the Enlighten help section. My next issue is storage and Im a bit obsessed with it. Anyway if you want to continue with the micros, I say good luck to you, but they will never be in my materials platform ever again. The manufactures will tell you they are the best thing since sliced bread but my own experience tells me to stay right the hell away. The installer got you, probably not purposefully, but more so that they just didnt know themselves. This is a design flaw in my view (poor form Enphase for taking the position you did). Based on my reading of consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees you a probably entitled to a remedy at no cost irrespective as to the reason for the failure provided that you were not put on written notice as to what was expressly excluded for which you had personal responsibility Infestation. Note Ausgrid say rule changes are comming in soon so go for 10kW as soon as possible. Ian, I realise that the thread is a bit old, but it just shows nothing has changed, these companies are still ripping people off in my view. The new inverter is blackout proof (important to me) and will have a few batteries as a proof of concept storage. The Envoy S has a built-in wireless access point feature that works for 8 hours once activated. Then with this data allow a user to see how much they are saving in dollars rather than only see total kWh produced or consumed. Hi! I Just had solar installed in May of 2021 with an Enphase setup in Los Angeles with microinverters but I notice the numbers are never quite the same as my power bill. Does this simplify getting a resolution? Select an app to compare and find out which fits your needs. Fascinating article and comments. Ron it would be great to try to find people who have experienced other panel level monitoring systems and get some comparative information. section below the graphs but still do mental gymnastics sorting out the world of solar power. Start Saving with Free Coupons Delivered Daily. How would the power company know how much PV you have generated? The APS inverters are only connected to phase one. I have a five and a half year old PV system on my home (15 250W and 15 260W SolarWorld panels with M215 Enphase microinverters). From what I got told the other day was that if you wanted to throttle what you exported to the grid consumption is always a value established after production so if you are throttling production on the basis of consumption it is possible that instead of throttling what you export [when consumption is more than production] you can end up with an import instead. Also I can provide you with Images of what your system should look like after it is set up. And get similar app recommendations worth your time. That way we paid less right now (12 panels vs.18) and are fairly certain we will stay until the break even point. Ian. Also not happy about being unable to separately monitor the three sets of panels without paying extra. There are also days where Im not generating enough from the solar panels to spare 7 to 10 kWh per day to heat the water. Our monitoring information told me we had 13 panels/microinverters not reporting But other people not so much. Any M- or S-series microinverters which use the Envoy or Envoy-S for monitoring have a PLC technology which relies on 3 wires 2 hot and 1 neutral. Actually, Im not going to be the one who tells you about it, but Ill get tothat in a bit. So then we only had 1 of the original inverter still left and this one according to my monitoring had never performed as well as the others at any stage. Ac. The best solar installers in the business are trained and certified to work with Enphase products. Very happy with the app! The CT clamp over the consumption will then show 700W import, so the program calculates that the house consumes 1200 production + 700 import 500 charging = 1400W, clearly wrong because the battery value has not updated. I think there is some confusion with terminology. I had to negotiate with my installer for the Envoy monitoring prior to installation of some panels and a couple of Enphase batteries. Warmly, Zeromiles! The sum therefore how much solar do you need to achieve that ratio and what is the ROI on that investment compared with achieving the same outcome with Storage. I see their advantages as well as the safety advantages with no high voltage DC on the roof. For example, I dont think my parents have checked the output of their system since they got it. And youll also have to get an IQ Envoy. Enphase had a lot of failures with this model. By the time he was eight, he was already focused on using the power of the sun to stop fossil fuel emissions destabilizing the climate. The latest, a week ago, was a M175 giving GFI fault. In our case as we had a significant failure and as the entire block of panels were not reporting the service people were unable to go directly to an individual faulty panel. It is becoming more common for solar inverters to offer monitoring via the internet, but conventional string inverters can only monitorthe entire systems output1. When will Enphase fix this as they undertook to do over a month ago? It seems like we use as much energy (or more) while we are away from home. All of my questions have been answered in a timely manner . Enphase does make it available to installers who wish to provide it to their customers. I think this point should be highlighted by all micro inverter suppliers and installers. Enter the email address associated with your account, and we will email you a link to reset your password, Sign up for a free account to get It's easy to navigate, the information is clear, and I like the extra ability to add the price of electricity so it's easy to see money savings. I had Aps Micros installed early in 2014 and have had no problem with them. If you had two strings wired up to two string inverters you would want to know how each was performing. No where in ANY INSTALLATION Manuals/Literature does it MANDATE an fully time Internet Connection to Install and Configure the IQ system. Solar Professionals with access to Enlighten Manager can delve into individual modules, while homeowners are given system-level monitoring through MyEnlighten. One, two, three still problems so all 13 panels had to be removed and every microinverter disconnected. Since the panels stopped producing for the day, from 117 to 165 watt hours have been drawn from the batteries and they are almost flat again and will be within fifteen minutes. is actually NOT DELIVERING A COMPLETE SYSTEM. Also, Enphase should never respectfully be held responsible for noise in the electrical grid, less than preferred installation techniques, lack of installer understanding, nor noise caused by electrical consumers on the property. I didnt. Over $800 dollars later we still have to front up with another $300 to see what our system is doing? If you now switch a 2000W kettle on, you will most likely be discharging the battery @500 W for a couple of minutes. Signup for more similar apps, reviews, recommendations, and more! Im in the Essential area and have no restrictions for a 9.5 system. But after a month I still had not heard from the installers about the software upgrade to monitor individual panels. Its a small gear symbol. Looking back at the quote Metro Solar wanted to charge me $395 for My Enlighten Panel by Panel Monitoring. Ant just interested in your usage patterns: how many charges/discharges you getting on average? The off peak meter in the meter box reads between 7 and 10 kWh per night. The comms dropouts were every week or so, but they have now escalated to multiple times every day sometimes for 5 minutes sometimes for several hours. It failed because a cockroach got inside it and got zapped. Then within another few weeks one inverter failed to report, this was replaced fairly quickly, about 6 weeks or so. Per module power production, playback and smarter notifications are availablethrough Enlighten Manager for solar professionals. And get similar app recommendations worth your time. Today it seems to be reporting consumption accurately. Panel level monitoring worked but we could not see consumption, only production. So it tantalising close to have something that can show you in real time how each inverter is working and its maximum output for a day. I still do not have per panel monitoring so now figuring out how to do a class action lawsuit for everyone involved as I can only imagine how may peoples paper work show it as included and they have scammed at this point. If that is the case then is there a way to change the monitoring of the solar to reflect AC power from the inverters instead of the DC power? Done that 3 times now. Otherwise it is a pity at this stage they have not offered a progress report on their actions to overcome the problem. As far as the MyEnlighten software is concerned your client is a web browser that logs on to a client server [where ever that may be located] that provides you with access to your individual webpage user interface. Looks like the manager view costs at least $250 in US. I am biased towards Enphase, so take what I say with a grain of salt. In MyEnlighten Settings you have the option to configure your battery/s in Tariff Settings. Enlighten gives us all the things youve mentioned. Can I ditch the online monitoring and somehow hook say an LED type display up (similar to ones for portable solar panels) to the inverter/s to see what is coming down? He said he was surprised I only had one microinverter having problems with that level of noise. By now Tindo have been taken over, (dearie me there seems to be a huge lack of any rules to govern companies responsibility to customers when this happens). Enphase IQs now use L-L, so PLC (Power Line Communication) communication is much better. Monitor your SolarEdge site anytime, anywhere. Why should I pay extra? was a bit of a joke as they installed the envoy-s behind the electrical panel in the meter box so we could not see it!. Subscribe to get reviews, tips, and similar game recommendations! We respect your privacy and you can opt out from the newsletter at any time. My first advice to you is to move the M175 in question to a different point in your solar array, and they see if the problem travels. Shocking service and very arrogant attitude from Enphase. It does in my way of thinking highlight the real need for owners of micro inverter systems to insist on the rooftop layout of the panels being such that easy access to every panel and micro inverter is possible. The new PLC does not have the noise problem of previous M- & S-series microinverters because it does not use the neutral wire for communication. We were just sold the individual panel monitoring as the feature forking the extra $$$ for Envoy-S. Yup if its sold as included, which my system was. Robin Chen can you hook me up with one of them to sign me up for the panel level monitoring? This was a learning experience as the advantages of individual microinverters was somewhat called into question by accessibility issues. But I was promised per panel and no way to get that but to pay or fight for it in court for me at this point. We are using this app for our new solar system. Enter your postcode now. Discover smart heating solutions and save energy without giving up your comfort! ]Ive got the standard Envoy box which just gives you total output rather than output per panel. Its always in Edisons favor (big surprise). Jack, I think I started this thread several years ago and I read with it interest the ongoing frustrations with monitoring. We recently added another 6 panels to the 12 that were installed 2 years ago. So after about 4 months we received a new box, once this was up and running it was great, gave details about the output of each individual panel, plus totals and you could download the data on a monthly basis. Enphase Enlighten -- the world's most advanced solar monitoring tool. MyEnlighten not initiated yet, bring it on. But some Enphase installers flat out refuse to enable it. There is no way I can contemplate adding more panels to the existing system and have an acceptable lifestyle. Because an Enphase S270 is a 260 watt inverter (the 270 refers to its peak power) it could be attached to a panel that has up to 346 watts. Result: All 21 panels communicating and no errors recorded since the Envoy was powered on again at least so far. 1. - Run detailed efficiency evaluation and reports. So many other options on the market could result in lost of system operation while experiencing something as simple as a monitoring issue. Absolutely screws the ROI idea which is one of the reasons we did it in the first place. Its noise on the neutral line that is causing the PLC issue. If you want to see the output of each panel you will need either microinverters or DC optimisers. After an enquiry to Enphase I was advised that the problem would be rectified in 24 hours. It really, really expedites the service process. In Australia, if you want the STCs that reduce the cost of rooftop solar, PV capacity can be up to one-third larger than inverter capacity. The software cost is not that bad if you want to buy any software these days, theres a cost to it. Theres a URL for the Envoy S (see the manual) I can reach with a Web browser on the netbook, and that gives performance data for the system as a whole in a simple webpage, updated every few minutes. Create a free account to receive new I am wondering if I apply for a say 9kW or 10 kW export limit and Ausgrid say yes is it trivial for the installer to set this in my Envoy-s unit or do they have to get Enphase to create a series of new export limits for Australia given Ausgrid can agree any limit from 5 to 10 kW per phase? After having the problem it was some 6 weeks before we were able to get a contractor on our roof to look at the situation and this highlights the need for owners of solar systems to have plans as to who they can turn to in the event of a problem. Our solution is that the Envoy is now accessible in its own box for a few dollars more. I have an Envoy-S system with 21 microinverters (S230 I think). Therefore, any installer INHIBITING (note that term) panel level reporting in the software setup phase during installation (its not a software upgrade, so cant be charged for!!) Must say now after 3.5 years very happy with Enphase and quite interested in the announced IQ8 grid agnostic generation (i.e. HTH. I can extend the system in any direction later after it proves itself. What a disaster, do your self a favor and get a more flexible inverter. Im thinking there could be a meter wiring problem.??? If a retailer sells the product with individual warranties for each micro an inverter how can they choose to restrict access to the monitoring software that can determine if the product is acting in compliance to its warrantied performance? Im 75 and have no idea. Frustration #1: Original Installer &Enphase Australia Refuse Panel Level Monitoring. Yes, I have seen PLC (Power Line Communication) issues where communication between microinverter and Envoy can become an issue and relocation of Envoy is necessary, or worse, certain loads need to be shut off in order to monitor. Also added a Powerwall 2. Copyright 2022 Enphase Energy. After a call to enphase, they got the company back to intall the envoy correctly. My Envoy is in the meter box, jammed up behind the meter board, making access to it very dangerous for me. Have you considered changing your hot water to peak tariff and active during day so you can take advantage of self-consumptoion? Also check from Enlighten on the web portal login at Enphase.com. Then ticked a few buttons. Thats what Im wondering. Overall system performance. Its not a magical number really if your Feed in [Export] is 4 times your Import then the credit for what is Exported creates a billing credit that cancels out the cost of what is Imported. These Best OZ panels are served by 7 Aps YC 500 micro inverters. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPodtouch. [Note from Finn: It is possible to go off grid with Microinvertersbut it is not straightforward]. After a couple of false starts we had the contractors out here last week to check the defective string. AppGrooves experience. Have had to reset about 6 times over last couple months, Hi Lynette, if youd like to send me an email with your contact details and location I should be able to put you in touch with an experienced Enphase installer that will be able to help you sort out the problem with your system. In my experience, an installer that has problems setting up PLC coms is likely to have problems setting up wifi coms as well. That is the last time I could monitor all the panels from one spot. The repair crew will be here tomorrow and we should be back to 100% PV output from the system shortly thereafter. Initially all was well. Requires iOS8.0 or later. In my case the cost of the diagnosis and refitting of the new micro inverters will be substantially more than the cost of the replacement micro inverters. Enlighten shows every detail you can think of. A proprietary app used to guide installation of units by GPS and Track. Ill probably purchase as soon as my system is set up again. This would prove if the panels were installed in the optimal position and not installed just it sell a product for profit. Contact us toll-free: (877) 297-0014. That is my problem, the consumption aspect is correct but the meter readings for import/export between the two are not accurate. Nothing has to be added physically if they have the envoy. I hav issues with high voltage from the grid (its 141 volts today). Ive never seen this level of consumption clearly it is just the batteries draining to who knows where. Enphasesmonitoring software is called Enlighten and themonitoring hardware is known as anEnvoybox. If you have an issue it should be with your electrician who would be the person who installed it or did you tell him where to mount it? I use to be able to use the Array builder , no more. Both systems work well if installers take the time to learn how they operate and understand the limitations. On low energy days it still sends watts off to the grid rather than pushing it into the batteries. I am not happy with Enlighten or the installer or the fact that as Rawdon Waller advises the supplier doesnt directly support a consumer who in my case has spent close to $4k in 2 years. You have to issue either a JSON $.getScript or $.getJSON call to the local inverters web address and pass the envoy/last six digits of your envoy-s serial number. My router packed up, put a new one in cant access the Envoy interface (danger of electrocution!! I just hope that whatever is malfunctioning is not unsafe. Early in 2014 I received a quote from a local electrician to install panels providing For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. The Enphase system is not intended as a back up. As has been stated, a customer can purchase Enlighten Manager, the panel-level monitoring, for a one-time fee of $249, which they would do through their system installer. Absolutely NO product INFORMATION has been provided by ANY of the involved suppliers/installers. Hi, Ed. When I want to make sure the 3 strings of solar panels on my barn are working OK, I unplug that refrigerator, and I have no problem with the Enlighten monitoring. The other side of the situation is that yes we lost a bit more than 50% of our systems capacity but the remainder of the system continues to function flawlessly and meet a significant part of our power requirements. When they first did it, my north bank (I have N, E & W) was entered inverted and when I had some shading from an antenna on the E & W, I am pretty sure the shaded panels location did not match the software. My Enphase system is still working fine although you make a very good point about any Enphase user being totally dependent on having an Internet connection. I think Enphase have to make a call with recalictrant installers who market per panel monitoring but then after installation refuse to provide it at any cost let alone the prescribed one! What I did learn is that if you are going to install microinverters it is very important to ensure that there is good access for service people to be able to work within the panels in the arrays. One wonders where else shortcuts were made? If you want your hot water to be able to consume what is generated by your Solar system then you have to get it wired to the General Tariff circuit and install a 24 hour timer switch dedicated to the hot water so that you can switch the booster on and off when you have PV Production available. The installation guide says it should be on a DIN rail in the meter box or in a separate enclosure if space does not permit. Our hot water is serviced by Ergon Ergon Tariff 11 [Ripple Number 03] Residential (Lighting, Power and Continuous Water Heating) and not Tariff 33 [Ripple number 09] (Controlled Supply Economy) or any other Tariff on offer. I think the low-voltage-based microinverter solutions are superior to high-voltage DC-based soltuions given their reliability and safety. I have had troubles with my system over the past couple of years partially fixed by the installer moving the Envoy to it own housing outside the meter-box. We can always add more panels in the future if we decide we will stay in this home forever! This in some ways makes Enphase look bad. I wrote about why having a panel capacity larger than the inverter capacity is not really a problem and economically a good idea here: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/oversizing-solar-arrays/. Ehphase are not available for anyone to get in touch with . I somewhat agree Alan that Enphase is tardy in their responses to customers on a number of fronts. The data are downloaded from the Envoy S as JSON files. My understanding is there are two versions of MyEnlighten. I only get a flawed graph online due to the period where it was stuck. Thats when the complaints start flooding in because the customer didnt listen. The new Envoy wasnt required for this but I suspect Ian also wanted to get consumption monitoring which probably only became available after the original installation, Is there a way to enable the panel level monitoring with out the manager view? Where to start? And thanks David, Hi David happy to help if I can. You need to hire former Installers, Electrical Licensed Contractor or at the minimum someone who has a degree in Electrical Systems. We initially had some communications issues, but being reasonably smart, overcame those quite easily (by reading the instructions). Enlighten is compatible with the following browsers: Chrome 44 or higher, Firefox 41 or higher, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Edge for Windows, Safari 8 or higher. 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