[RFI] Another Solar Panel RFI System

[Jim McCook]

It's interesting to hear that Solar Edge *is* actually radiating from 
the house wiring, if only in part.  It's still radiating from house 
wiring, so who knows where the main source of that interference is at, 
say, a distance of 500 feet?  I have lost all support by Solar Edge for 
the huge numbers of interference sources that now come from all 
directions.  We had reasonably good support before TJ was promoted.  
Then, nothing.  I can't even count the number of SE interference 
sources.  I've tracked some from over 1500 feet away.

Besides the many sources of non solar HF interference we identify coming 
from homes, I still struggle with noise from a pool pump next door that 
uses a multispeed DC motor.  Besides the radiation that can be seen at 
the power supply (obviously switching) I tracked that noise all through 
the house with the usual hot and hotter spots adjacent to house wiring.  
Yet I was told that there is no support for such interference under 30 
MHz.  It clearly radiates from the house wiring "antenna."  Another 
adjacent neighbor is in the process of putting in a swimming pool, so I 
can hardly wait to see what new interference will appear that will not 
be addressed by FCC because of its "rules."  When trying to get help for 
the pool pump noise I was told by FCC that "I can still use my radio."  
Ask me why I'm bitter toward FCC.  Complaints have become futile.

73, Jim
W6YA





On 12/16/2022 7:53 AM, Hare, Ed, W1RFI wrote:
> As near as ARRL's work can tell, the interference from Solar Edge 
> equipment is not being significantly radiated from house AC mains.  
> W1VLF has used a probe to sniff the wiring of a Solar Edge system at 
> his house and found that the emissions from the solar-panel wiring 
> were much greater than the emissions from the AC mains.
>
> We do NOT want to hang this issue on compliance with the Part 15 
> emissions limits because if the FCC were to see that as the line in 
> the sand on harmful interference, then systems that comply with the 
> limits would be pronounced to be clean by the FCC and cases would be 
> closed.  To file a complaint about emissions limits, amateurs would 
> have to make measurements, which in the case of a multi-kW inverter, 
> would be well beyond the ability of even most test labs.
>
> Cases of interference from Part 15 and Part 18 devices are being 
> resolved on the basis of harmful interference.
>
> For lower-powered consumer devices, we DO find devices that exceed the 
> limits, and ARRL is setting out to obtain and measure more of these 
> devices and report them to the FCC.  If a device exceeds the limits, 
> then that is a rules violation even without the presence of harmful 
> interference. Our AM-broadcast connections are very interested in 
> this, because many devices that meet the limits on 1.8 MHz and up do 
> not meet the limits in the AM broadcast band.  Those that fail on the 
> AM broadcast band also fail on 630 meters, which ARRL does have 
> standing to form the basis of a complaint.
>
> Ed, W1RFI
> ARRL Lab
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* RFI <rfi-bounces+w1rfi=arrl.org at contesting.com> on behalf of 
> Jim McCook <w6ya at cox.net>
> *Sent:* Thursday, December 15, 2022 8:54 PM
> *To:* RFI List <rfi at contesting.com>
> *Subject:* [RFI] Another Solar Panel RFI System
> All the RFI problems I've seen from neighbors have been solved by
> isolating the problem device from the line with an adequate EMI filter
> from Corcom.  One LED strip lighting problem was solved only by changing
> to a analog power supply.  How many sources of RFI are there that DO NOT
> utilize the house wiring, at least partially, as the radiating antenna?
> Can it be proven that RFI below 30 MHz from solar installations is ONLY
> from direct radiation and not from house wiring?  I would like to see
> some proof.
>
> Jim W6YA
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