[RFI] Tesla's Response to Solar Panel RFI

Thu Dec 19 15:44:23 EST 2019

The early Solar Edge designs and installations were noisy.  When solar first started being deployed, they were the only company that produced noise.  Although no process is perfect, they have stepped up to the plate to correct problems, and have worked regularly with ARRL and hams, often to the tune of 10s of thousands of dollars in reinstallation costs.  If every manufacturer responded by committing to correct all EMC problems, we would be delighted.  Keep that in mind.

Tesla is a new player in this mix, but just today, Paul here in the Lab had quite the talk with a Tesla rep, so let's keep in mind that that letter, clearly written with the help of their lawyer, is but one of a number of things unfolding in this process. 

Paul is also inquiring about the questions raised about the optimizers.  In his own home installation, done 5 years ago, the optimizers shut off about 15 seconds after the inverter was shut off, and, according to Solar Edge staff, there has never been a design that didn't function that way. Paul's direct experience and their overall candidness with us make us want to look really hard at those cases in which the interference persists even when the inverter is turned off.

Ed, W1RFI

-----Original Message-----
From: RFI <rfi-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Joe
Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2019 8:32 PM
To: Jamie WW3S <ww3s at zoominternet.net>; Stan Zawrotny <k4sbz.stan at gmail.com>; Dave Cole <dave at nk7z.net>
Cc: <Rfi at contesting.com> <rfi at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [RFI] Tesla's Response to Solar Panel RFI

I am glad someone finally said this..

"Also, Solar Edge is the vendor, not the retailer, so they (Green Solar
Tech) need to get involved....."

OR Installer, and I guess that makes a MAJOR difference.

My Son works for a local Solar Installer. And I mentioned this to him, and he said his boss (the owner) is all up on that and their systems are RF Quiet. and 99% of what they install is "Solar Edge"

I wasn't sure if his Boss really knew what RF quiet is or not. BUT....

My Son this summer installed a somewhat Large system that is only like
1000 feet from me.
It is two rows of panels that are like 16 feet tall and close to 200 feet wide!
thats 6400 square feet of panels!

I was dreading it being powered up. But NOTHING! and I mean absolutely NOTHING. And my location is semi rural.
My noise floor is S=0  and I mean ZERO! If my S meter isn't sitting on s zero on 40 or up I'm not happy.

So I really wonder, how much is Solar Edge,  and how much is shoddy installs? Because this BIG system I even walked right up to with a general coverage portable recvr, and NOTHING standing right under the panels!

Joe WB9SBD

On 12/15/2019 7:08 PM, Jamie WW3S wrote:
> I've had good luck contacting Paul W1VLF at the ARRL, I think he is 
> the new (relatively) RFI guy.  Paul started the case with Solar Edge, 
> and I was later contacted by TJ, a senior field engineer with Solar 
> Edge. Its my understanding TJ, and a couple of installers, visit 
> installation like my neighbors to retrofit them with updated 
> components. Now, a couple of flies in the ointment, it hasn't been 
> fixed....yet....parts were supposed to be ordered in mid August, with 
> a 10 week delivery time. That should have been early November but he 
> was involved with a service emergency in CA, due to the wildfires.
> Also, Solar Edge is the vendor, not the retailer, so they (Green Solar
> Tech) need to get involved.....now, the final fly, and one that 
> concerns me the most is I sent TJ a copy of the QST article from April 
> 2016, by Tony K1KP, that details the fix for Solar Edge systems, and 
> the response I received was "Yes, I'm familiar with the article, and 
> it is wrong".....so.....I'm still cautiously optimistic that this will 
> be resolved, but I'm concerned the method they will be using.....so 
> contact Paul at the ARRL (copy your director as well)...Paul is very 
> responsive and has the contacts with Solar Edge to get the process 
> started, and he has been up front during this whole process......Merry 
> Christmas to all.....
>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Stan Zawrotny" <k4sbz.stan at gmail.com>
> To: "Dave Cole" <dave at nk7z.net>
> Cc: "<Rfi at contesting.com>" <rfi at contesting.com>
> Sent: 12/15/2019 5:59:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [RFI] Tesla's Response to Solar Panel RFI
>
>> Our "class action" vehicle, as was already pointed out, is the ARRL. 
>> As part of their charter to protect our spectrum and represent their 
>> members in all aspects of the hobby, they need to step up to the 
>> plate and take charge of the Solar RFI problem. They, in turn, need  
>> to (1) contact offending companies, and (2) pressure the FCC to 
>> become aware of the entire noise level problem and start enforcing 
>> their rules.
>>
>> Stan, K4SBZ
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Dec 15, 2019 at 4:58 PM Dave Cole <dave at nk7z.net> wrote:
>>
>>>  Hi Jim,
>>>
>>>  Respectfully, in every case here but one, (and I have been involved 
>>> in
>>>  maybe 10 to 15 in the past three years), the RFI from grow ops were
>>>  unheard on the AM band with a local station tuned in, and while in 
>>> front
>>>  of the offending grow op.
>>>
>>>  I am sure that in some cases it is hearable on an AM channel, but 
>>> so far
>>>  here, (and I have expressly, checked at each location), I have had 
>>> very
>>>  little luck with this.  It is one of the first things I check for, 
>>> so I
>>>  can involve the CE of the AM station being affected...
>>>
>>>  73, and thanks,
>>>  Dave (NK7Z)
>>> https://www.nk7z.net
>>>  ARRL Volunteer Examiner
>>>  ARRL Technical Specialist
>>>  ARRL Asst. Director, NW Division, Technical Resources
>>>
>>>  On 12/15/19 11:26 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
>>>  > On 12/15/2019 6:40 AM, Dave Cole wrote:
>>>  >> The problem with that approach is that most AM stations are 
>>> strong
>>>  >> enough to override RFI, in most locations, on the AM broadcast 
>>> band.
>>>  >
>>>  > That's not even close to being true. More than 30 years ago, a 
>>> colleague
>>>  > who was Chief Engineer at WLS, a 50kW clear channel station 
>>> licensed to
>>>  > Chicago with a transmitter site SW of the city center, found that 
>>> his
>>>  > station could not be heard through the noise in Ford vehicles in 
>>> the
>>>  > northern parts of the city. Noise conditions are FAR worse today.
>>>  >
>>>  > Growing up in WV in the '50s, our NBC radio affiliate was WLW, a 
>>> 50kW
>>>  > clear channel station on 700 kHz, 125 miles away.
>>>  >
>>>  > 73, Jim K9YC
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