Let’s say you’ve invested in solar panels, and everything seems to be working smoothly. Then one day, your system reports an issue with a microinverter. Panic sets in. What does this mean for your energy production? Will it be expensive to fix? And why did this even happen in the first place?
At PSC Energy, we know a thing or two about Enphase microinverters. They’re known for their reliability and cutting-edge technology. However, like any electronic device, they can occasionally fail. We’re here to talk you through any problems you might have with your solar system.
In this article, you’ll learn about the following:
- What Are the Advantages of Enphase Microinverters?
- What Happens When an Enphase Microinverter Fails?
- Steps to Take After a Microinverter Failure
- Why Failures Are Rare with Enphase Microinverters
By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly what happens when an Enphase microinverter fails. We’ll discuss how it impacts your solar energy system and the steps you can take to resolve the issue quickly.
What Are the Advantages of Enphase Microinverters?
To understand what happens during a failure, it’s important to know how microinverters function in a solar energy system.
Microinverters Convert DC to AC: Solar panels produce direct current (DC) electricity, but your home runs on alternating current (AC). Traditional string inverters handle this conversion for an entire string of panels all at once, but microinverters take a different approach.
Enphase microinverters are mounted beneath each individual panel, converting its DC output into usable AC energy right at the source.
Panel-Level Optimisation: One of the biggest frustrations with string inverters is how much they rely on all the panels performing equally well. If one panel gets shaded by a tree, dirty from debris, or just isn’t working properly, the entire string’s output reduces.
Enphase microinverters solve this with each panel working independently. If one panel isn’t pulling its weight, the rest of the system keeps producing energy at full capacity. This is the art of decentralisation.
Because microinverters are decentralised, they’re more reliable than traditional systems. If one microinverter has an issue, it only affects the panel it’s connected to. The rest of the system keeps running smoothly.
This design also eliminates single points of failure, giving you a solar system that will continue functioning while the affected microinverter is replaced. When a string inverter fails, the entire system shuts down until it’s repaired or replaced.
Monitoring and Communication: With Enphase, you don’t just get solar power, you get control. The microinverters communicate directly with the Enphase Enlighten App, giving you real-time data on how each panel is performing.
Got a panel underperforming? You’ll know. Want to optimise your energy use? The app makes it easy to track and adjust. It’s like having a window into your solar system’s performance, right from your phone.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about how a microinverter system works, you might want to check out the following article titled, How Do Microinverter Systems Work?
What Happens If an Enphase Microinverter Fails?
So then, what happens if a microinverter stops working? Here’s the good news: it’s not as big of a deal as you might think.
Real-Time Error Notification: If a microinverter fails, it will stop converting DC energy into AC energy for its specific solar panel. But you won’t be left guessing what’s wrong with your system.
The Enphase Enlighten monitoring system will detect the issue immediately. It sends you an alert through the app. The notification will pinpoint the exact panel and microinverter experiencing the problem.
Please pay attention to the notifications the app sends you. You can’t call us to troubleshoot a drop in production if you don’t know it’s happening.
The first thing we do when a microinverter is reporting failure is check the notifications.
Common False Notifications:
“Power production is low”: This often means there is an issue with the panel rather than the microinverter.
Possible causes:
- Shade affecting the panel.
- Damage inside the panel (e.g., cracks from hail or golf balls).
“No warning or error listed”: You might notice on the app that one panel is producing less than others.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the microinverter is faulty.
Other factors like environmental conditions or panel-specific issues may be at play.
- It doesn’t always mean the panel isn’t producing energy for your home. It might just indicate a communication issue between the microinverter and your Envoy.
We have access to the backend of the Enphase Enlighten App. We use that access to diagnose problems with customers’ solar systems.
Backend Capabilities in the Enphase Enlighten App:
When a customer reports a microinverter not reporting, we access the same aerial view of their house as they can see in their version of the app.
We pinpoint the affected microinverter and confirm its location immediately.
Detailed Diagnostics We Can Access:
Microinverters report their activity status every 15 minutes. When that status is interrupted, you’ll be notified, and we evaluate the last reporting time of the microinverter.
We look at AC and DC voltage and current readings from the last reporting cycle.
And finally, we can see warranty details for the affected unit.
The microinverter could still be working the entire time, even if it’s not reporting. We replace it anyway. It’s under warranty, after all.
Next Steps:
- Contact our office.
- As we said, we’ll review the site remotely. We have access to Enphase’s monitoring app for every system we install. This helps us pinpoint and fix issues with your Enphase system from our offices.
- We identify which microinverter is out. We also determine whether the issue is the microinverter or something else.
- If it’s a microinverter issue, we’ll attempt a remote reboot. This is a first step that is always worth trying. And if it doesn’t work, we submit a warranty claim with Enphase.
Why We Replace It:
- Replacement means peace of mind for both you and us.
- Even if the system isn’t significantly affected, we want to make sure the product on the roof is functioning to its full potential.
Warranty Process:
- It usually takes about 24 hours for Enphase to approve the claim after verification.
- Enphase sends a replacement microinverter to us.
- We replace the faulty unit with the new one up on the roof.
The Good News:
- You don’t need to be home when we show up to replace the microinverter. There’s no need to take time off work if you’re comfortable with us working on your roof.
- It typically only takes an hour or so.
Impact on Energy Production: Here’s where the Enphase system really shines. When one microinverter fails, it only affects the energy production of its assigned panel. The rest of your solar system will keep working as normal.
What This Means for You: It means peace of mind. Even in the rare event of a microinverter failure, your system won’t skip a beat. Your energy loss will be limited to just one panel.
Plus, with the Enlighten app keeping you in the loop, you’ll always have the information you need to get things back on track quickly and efficiently.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about how the inverter lifespan affects the price of your solar system, you might want to check out the following article titled, Microinverters vs. String Inverters vs. Powerwall 3: How Inverter Lifespan Affects Price.
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When You Should Contact Penrith Solar Centre
As soon as you notice an alert, just call us. We’re happy to help. It’s what we do.
You can program your app to notify you based on the severity of the issue.
Notification Settings in the Enlighten App:
You can enable notifications via the app or email to alert you to system errors.
The severity of your notifications can be adjusted to suit your preferences. This means that there are degrees of severity for issues. And they can be customised.
Benefits of Customising Notifications:
- Allows you to choose how vigilant you want to be regarding system monitoring.
- Reduces unnecessary alerts for minor, temporary disruptions.
- This makes sure that critical issues are brought to attention reliably.
Examples of Notification Types:
Minor issues: If a microinverter misses a 15-minute reporting cycle but resumes in the next cycle, this could happen due to high winds causing an internet dropout or an automatic microinverter update.
If it’s a minor issue, then that’s easy for us. Just let us know and we’ll address the issue and give you a little peace.
Major issues: When you get notifications for extended periods of microinverters not reporting, it might be a big issue with the component.
If it is a big issue, something needs to be done about it, right? Call us.
Troubleshooting Actions:
- We perform a “reboot” to shut down and restart the microinverter.
- As we mentioned earlier, sometimes this resolves the issue and gets the microinverter working again.
- If the reboot is unsuccessful: We submit a warranty claim directly to Enphase on your behalf.
The process is efficient, requiring just three clicks of a button, avoiding long call centre waits.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about how we service microinverters, you might want to check out the following article titled, Is It Hard to Replace Enphase Microinverters?
Why Failures Are Rare with Enphase Microinverters
Enphase microinverters are designed for reliability and longevity. Here’s why failures are uncommon:
Microinverters are very reliable pieces of technology. They’re so reliable because they have no moving parts. Moving parts equals heat, heat equals fatigue, and fatigue eventually leads to failure.
- Microinverters are encased in a dense polymer housing that’s resistant to corrosion, is waterproof, and is dust proof. Inside the housing, everything is held in place by NORYL resin.
- Microinverters have an operating temperature of up to 85° Celsius (which is the sum of a 65° Celsius external temperature, plus the heat generated in the microinverter when the DC power is converted to AC). Most string inverters shut down at 50° Celsius.
- Every microinverter is mounted underneath the solar panel which means they are never in direct sunlight.
Rigorous Testing: Each microinverter undergoes extensive testing before leaving the factory, reducing the likelihood of defects.
Proven Track Record: Enphase has been a leader in solar technology for over a decade, with millions of microinverters in operation worldwide.
- Microinverters have an exceptionally low fail rate of less than 1%.
- However, for a company the size of PSC Energy, 1% still represents a significant number of replacements due to our large installation volume.
While no technology is entirely failure-proof, Enphase’s focus on quality and innovation makes their microinverters among the most dependable inverters on the market.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about microinverters, you might want to check out the following article titled, Myths & Misconceptions About Solar Microinverters.
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The PSC Energy Difference with Microinverters
Technician Expertise:
- Replacing microinverters is one of the most common jobs our technicians handle, making them extremely experienced in this process.
- For single-story homes, we typically send one technician for the replacement.
- For two-story homes, we send two technicians to ensure safety and efficiency.
Competitors’ Customers: We often handle “scrap work” for other solar companies that fail to fulfill warranty obligations. Many customers come to us after being left in the dark by competitors for weeks or even months over simple issues.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about our aftercare, you might want to check out the following article titled, Penrith Solar Centre’s Service Department Safeguards the Future of Your System.
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Microinverters Are a Move in the Bright Direction
Microinverter failures are manageable. They don’t happen often. And when they do happen, only one panel’s energy production is affected, and the issue can be resolved through Enphase’s monitoring system and support network.
By following clear steps and relying on Enphase’s warranty, you can address the problem quickly and with minimal disruption.
At PSC Energy, we’re your partner when it comes to your solar system. Failures are rare but understanding what to do if one occurs will give you peace of mind and confidence in your solar investment. Just call us if you have any issues with your system. It’s what we do.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about the benefits of microinverters, you might want to check out the following article titled, What Are the Benefits of an Enphase Microinverter Solar System?
