I'm also concerned about the issues brought up here. I have two
possible projects that would benefit from Enphase due to the fact
that the modules will go on more than one roof, with significantly
different orientations. In one case, there are shading issues as well.
Supposedly the Enphase units are selling fast. Someone must be
installing them. They have been out long enough that there must be
some data as to whether or not the units are surviving. The long
term will not be known until the inverters have been out for many
years, however if they are having issues in the short term, then we
know they have issues.
One idea that Enphase tech support said was acceptable was to mount
the inverters in accessible groups. The DC leads would need to be
extended, and some loss would occur. Also the inverters can be
mounted in vented attics. Having the inverters in a group in an
accessible attic would make maintenance easier than tearing apart an
array to get to a dead inverter.
At 02:00 PM 11/7/2009, you wrote:
I put a temperature probe under the modules almost every job, and it
is always
drastically lower than the module itself. A frying module at 130 might have an
ambient temperature underneath in its shade of 89 degrees. the specifics are
always surprisingly low relative to touching the panel and how your
face feels
up there.
Nick
Can anyone think of a more brutal environment for a piece of electronic
equipment than under a solar module which day in and day out experiences the
elements and temperatures of 130+ plus F?
Despite any so-called accelerated life-cycle testing and estimated mean time
to failure probabilities, nothing takes the place of actual time cooking
under solar arrays.
Having seen my fair
share of controller and inverter manufacturers come and
go out of business in 30+ years in the RE field, I'll be watching with great
interest the great Enphase experiment unfold.
And ever heard of the word "recall"? Swapping a central inverter or two is
one thing. Imagine doing it with the X number of microinverters you
installed six months or two years ago...
But hey, other than my Eeyore-sounding words above, aren't Enphase inverters
so cool with all that they can do?
marco in Hawaii
A while back there was a discussion about the reliability of Enphase
inverters. As I understand, they have been selling like hot cakes, so a lot
must be installed. Some sort of track record must be emerging.
Has the promised reliability of these inverters been met? Can they be
connected to a rail, under a large array without worry that the unit will
need to be dug out
and replaced? Should the inverters be located in an
attic or other accessible location.
Thanks,
Drake Chamberlin
Athens Electric
OH License 44810
CO License 3773
NABCEP TM Certified PV Installer
Office - 740-448-7328
Mobile - 740-856-9648
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Drake Chamberlin
Athens Electric
OH License 44810
CO License 3773
NABCEP TM Certified PV Installer
Office - 740-448-7328
Mobile - 740-856-9648
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