Enphase M215s AC coupled with Outback GFX3048 in Off-Grid setup not waking in the morning.

Edsimon · August 2016

I need help to understand what is happening with my Enphase Microinverters: I installed 4pcs of UK model M215 on 200W 60-cell panels and coupled the 230VAC with a battery-based Outback GFX3048 with AC coupling capability. I'm not using Envoy cos I can't afford it for such a small system. The setup worked straight out of the box with all units blinking red/amber = producing. Come day break next day no indication at all on any of the micros! when I unplugged the solar connector of one unit and plugged back all 4 started working. Next morning same thing and this time I simply put off the off-grid inverter supply and put it back on and they all started producing again after showing green for a short while. This is how it repeats every morning. I'm about travelling and I'm worried they'll be nobody to keep doing this 'reset' plus I don't think this is how they're meant to work even though this is my first attempt at micros. Any help will be appreciated.
Ed.

BB. · August 2016

Assuming that your inverter AC output voltage is within the 230 VAC version of the Enphase inverters, I would check the AC frequency... If it is outside of 50 Hz +/- 0.5 Hz, that would prevent them from starting (it takes ~5 minutes of 230 VAC and 50 Hz in spec before the micro inverters will start).

Perhaps the Outback is outside the frequency spec?

-Bill

jonr · August 2016

> I don't think this is how they're meant to work

True, they are meant to work with a lower impedance, stable source (the grid). You could set up something to automatically reset the Outback or Enphase inverters periodically.

Dave Angelini · August 2016

How old is the GFX ? Any chance it is low battery disconnecting? There should be error or fault messages?

Edsimon · August 2016

Thanks a lot for your thoughts Bill. I will measure the frequency once I get free a bit to wire in a meter; though I find that unlikely since it picks up the moment I do any kind of 'reset'. The GFX is a 2005...presently discontinued but it works perfectly. Dave, if it's low battery disconnecting then my air conditioner which is the load on this setup should go off as well. The OG never goes down till I come to reset the Micros in the morning.
Could this be a firmware issue on the Microinverters? Since I'm running them offline I have no way of updating if there's such a thing. I'll consider Jonr's option of setting up an auto reset as a last resort if nothing else works.
Again thanks all.

Edsimon · August 2016

Update: I've checked the frequency of the Outback and it is flipping between 49.9 & 50Hz every 10th of a second.

BB. · August 2016

Sounds OK... Try putting a small electric heater on the inverter (yes, waste of power). Wonder if the wave form is not "good enough sine wave" for the micro inverters.

But the fact you turn off / turn on the micro inverters and then they work--Strange.

-Bill

jonr · August 2016

Would be interesting to know more about what triggers the micro inverters to shut down. Number of hours since reboot? Morning startup? Low load or low battery?

Enphase M215s AC coupled with Outback GFX3048 in Off-Grid setup not waking in the morning.

Comments

Categories