[RFI] SolarEdge RFI Inverter On/Off Test

r55stan at gmail.com r55stan at gmail.com
Wed Feb 5 15:49:55 EST 2020


I would second including some "no RFI requirement" wording in your contract with the solar installer to avoid potential problems with them after they are done.

A ham in Nevada contacted me about the SolarEdge system he had installed after he read my QST article on the subject http://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST/This%20Month%20in%20QST/May2019/Standke2a.pdf  The installer came out and did the wire twisting and installing ferrites retrofit (similar to what Tony Brock-Fisher, K1KP did in his April 2016 QST article).  SolarEdge was not successful reducing the RFI to his satisfaction.  He had all the SolarEdge equipment removed and went with a Fronius string inverter.  He is now happy with solar power and zero RFI.  That is how a solar power system is supposed to be.

Randy KQ6RS

-----Original Message-----
From: RFI <rfi-bounces+r55stan=gmail.com at contesting.com> On Behalf Of David Eckhardt
Sent: Wednesday, February 5, 2020 10:13 AM
To: Kim Elmore <cw_de_n5op at sbcglobal.net>
Cc: Hare, Ed W1RFI <w1rfi at arrl.org>; Tony <dxdx at optonline.net>; Rfi List <rfi at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [RFI] SolarEdge RFI Inverter On/Off Test

Kim:

Quote:  " but any system will have to not merely RF quiet, but absolutely RF *silent* from DC to as high as I can collect the
               equipment to measure."
Put this (word smithed in 'legalize' language) in writing in any contract you sign with a solar power installation provider.

Dave - WØLEV

On Wed, Feb 5, 2020 at 3:58 PM Kim Elmore <cw_de_n5op at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> All of this has been VERY informative. My wife suggested we look into 
> a photovoltaic system for our house, and I find the idea very 
> compelling. But I won’t do it at the cost of my Amateur Radio 
> activities. I may talk to some locals, but any system will have to not 
> merely RF quiet, but absolutely RF *silent* from DC to as high as I 
> can collect the equipment to measure.
>
> Kim N5OP
>
> "People that make music together cannot be enemies, at least as long 
> as the music lasts." -- Paul Hindemith
>
> > On Feb 5, 2020, at 1:59 AM, Tony <dxdx at optonline.net> wrote:
> >
> > All:
> >
> > My neighbor gave me permission to shut off his SolarEdge solar panel
> inverter while I ran some tests. I recorded the results at my home 
> station and noticed that the S-9 spikes disappeared when the inverter 
> was turned off. The noise floor also dropped considerably.
> >
> > A few remaining spikes were tracked to the cabling that feeds the 
> > solar
> panel optimizers which were still running in safe mode. Unfortunately, 
> there's no way to shut off the optimizers without physically 
> disconnecting them.
> >
> > The noise reappeared when the inverter was turned back on.
> >
> > Before I left, I decided to probe the AC lines running off the house
> main panel for RFI. Sure enough, there were high levels of the same 
> noise on the the exposed lines that run along the basement ceiling of 
> my neighbors home. All that noise is feeding into the AC lines so the 
> house wiring makes for one big antenna.
> >
> > Less significant, but worth mentioning is that the inverter does not
> have a dedicated ground rod. It's grounded instead to a water pipe in 
> the basement which then splits to the main panel with a 6 foot ground wire.
> >
> > I also noted the model number of the inverter and found that it's 
> > the
> same 6KW unit that Tony Brock-Fisher found to be very noisy.
> >
> > More to come.
> >
> > Tony -K2MO
> >
> >
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-- 

*Dave - WØLEV*
*Just Let Darwin Work*
*Just Think*
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