[RFI] SolarEdge RFI Inverter On/Off Test

[Kim Elmore]

My dad, W5JHJ (SK 2007) would often lament the same thing. 

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 5:57 PM, David Eckhardt <davearea51a at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> " solar power system is supposed to be."  True, ONLY if they are called on the carpet for an RFI dirty installation.  Reading on this site pretty much confirms that conclusion. One of the companies I worked for in my career had the phrase (excuse):  "There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but ALWAYS enough time to fix it after the fact with retrofits." 
> 
> Dave - WØLEV   
> 
>> On Wed, Feb 5, 2020 at 8:49 PM <r55stan at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 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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>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dave - WØLEV
> Just Let Darwin Work
> Just Think