Powerwall2 and Enphase Microinverters

[doubleohwhat]

It seems like this would be an issue for not only microinverter systems, but also with most regular inverters.

SolarEdge has this all sorted out with their power optimizers. The inverter can tell the power optimizers to scale back the power output when needed (battery is full, zero export setting and production exceeds demand, etc).

More importantly for this thread though, Enphase micro-inverters have a similar power scaling feature. Source (Last paragraph of page 2):
https://enphase.com/sites/default/f...ief-Export-Limiting-HEI-Self-Supply-EN-US.pdf

Why is Tesla trying to knock the solar systems offline when productions exceeds demand when they could be interfacing with them and using the power scaling features? I'm not familiar with the Enphase controller (Envoy?) but SolarEdge uses a standard RS-485 connection and ethernet.

 

[strangely]

I guess it makes it easier to implement if they don't have to code for multiple implementations. I have an enphase system with my powerwall, however its based on the older M215 micro inverters, so I guess there isn't any other choice but to do frequency control.

 

[jyc]

So we just did a Powerwall 2 installation with three separate pre-existing solar PV systems, one of which is Enphase micro-inverter. Since the install, the Envoy is reporting only 2 bars of signal from the microinverters and only intermittently gets data from them for the monitoring portal. This is a bit of a problem for us, since we've previously had a microinverter failure that our solar company detected and then replaced within days. We're hoping that Tesla is able to resolve this.

Has anyone else had similar issues after installation of Powerwall 2 with Enphase systems? What was the resolution?

 

[miimura]

So we just did a Powerwall 2 installation with three separate pre-existing solar PV systems, one of which is Enphase micro-inverter. Since the install, the Envoy is reporting only 2 bars of signal from the microinverters and only intermittently gets data from them for the monitoring portal. This is a bit of a problem for us, since we've previously had a microinverter failure that our solar company detected and then replaced within days. We're hoping that Tesla is able to resolve this.

Has anyone else had similar issues after installation of Powerwall 2 with Enphase systems? What was the resolution?

I don't have any issues since both the household circuit where the Envoy is plugged in and the solar circuits are all in the new Generation Panel on the backed up side of the Tesla Gateway. Trace the path that the power line signal has to take between the microinverters and the Envoy and either move the Envoy closer, circuit wise, or move the Envoy's existing circuit to be in the same panel as the solar.

 

[Jigglypuff]

After several visits, my system is up and running with 41 enphase microinverters. No issues, except maybe that the systems disagree on power output.

 

[strangely]

Has anyone else had similar issues after installation of Powerwall 2 with Enphase systems? What was the resolution?

Yes I did and when I mentioned this to my installer (Swell energy), they relocated the circuit it was on to a dedicated circuit on the back up load panel on a subsequent visit. It made it a bit better, however I still had issues.

Since I couldn't be bothered to try and get them back, I rewired it myself and moved the dedicated circuit to the battery and solar combiner load panel and this solved it. When I moved the circuit, I also fitted a ferrite choke (already had this), so it may have been a combo of both things, but I think for sure the Tesla Energy Gateway is whats creating noise or attenuating the powerline comms that the envoy and Micro inverters use, and so moving the envoy circuit to the battery and solar combiner panel is all thats needed.

 

[jyc]

Thanks to everyone for the replies; I'll be sending the information to the Tesla engineers to see if they can do anything. I don't have any non-GFI circuits closer that work.

Secondly, anyone also have SolarEdge equipment? One of our other solar PV systems with a SolarEdge inverter used to monitor both system production (for that PV system only), as well as power use by the entire house. Since the PowerWall install, we only get PV system output, and no house information. It just reads that all power produced by the system is being used somewhere and that the power use curve exactly matches the production curve. I imagine that when they put in a new electrical panel, something was moved such that the SolarEdge inverter no longer gets data regarding house energy usage.

 

[Donsch]

Yes I did and when I mentioned this to my installer (Swell energy), they relocated the circuit it was on to a dedicated circuit on the back up load panel on a subsequent visit. It made it a bit better, however I still had issues.

I rewired it myself and moved the dedicated circuit to the battery and solar combiner load panel and this solved it, but I think for sure the Tesla Energy Gateway is whats creating noise or attenuating the powerline comms that the envoy and Micro inverters use, and so moving the envoy circuit to the battery and solar combiner panel is all that is needed.

Strangely, Thanks for this. I was having the exact same problem and installed a new breaker in the Solar / Battery combiner box and ran it to the outlet that the Enphase gateway is plugged into, and it quickly showed all the panels online. The hard part was, that new wire had to jump through 5 boxes and I couldn't have done it without a good fish tape.