A Guide to SolarEdge Monitoring

So your solar energy system is installed and commissioned. You're making your own green energy while saving some green too. Yay! Now what? 

This is where your monitoring and solar service provider come into play. Solar monitoring is one of the most important aspects of the long-term maintenance of your solar array. With proper monitoring, you'll be able to detect if your system isn't performing at peak performance and will be able to contact your solar service provider quickly to minimize downtime. 

In this blog, we review the basics of the SolarEdge app so you can actively monitor your solar energy system. If you've ever wondered what the colored lights mean, or how to turn your system on and off, we've got you covered. So read on and learn all about solar monitoring, and if you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us here.

Your SolarEdge Dashboard

To get started, you can download the SolarEdge app from the App Store or the Google Play Store. When you first log into your app, there are different sections on your main dashboard. These are your site overview, power flow diagrams, power and energy, and comparative energy sections.

Site Overview

This is cumulative data about your system. If you have multiple systems, you'll see multiple sites listed here, but most of the time homeowner's will have a singular system.

Power Flow Diagram

This section illustrates the real-time workings of your solar array. It shows how much energy you're pulling from the grid and how much energy your system is producing.

Power and Energy

This section breaks down how much you're producing and using from your solar array, as well as how much you're importing from the grid. The System Production bar on the lefthand side shows your solar array's production. This covers how much solar energy was used to power site loads and how much solar energy was exported to the grid. 

The Consumption bar on the righthand side shows the amount of energy consumed from solar energy, and the amount of energy imported from the grid. 

The graph below these two bars gives a color-coded visual of the data, with time being on the X-axis and power produced in kW on the Y-axis. 

Comparative Energy

If you've had your system for more than a year, you'll be able to compare year-over-year data in this section. You can even select specific periods to compare.

What the Lights on Your SolarEdge Inverter Mean

The lights on your inverter can help you determine its status. Below are the different colors your inverter might show and what they mean.

Blue light: Your inverter is communicating with your monitoring system.

Green light: Your system is producing and operating normally. 

Flashing green light: Your system is connected to the grid, but is not producing energy. 

Red light: This means there is a system error with your solar array. We recommend power cycling your inverter (see the next section below) or by calling your solar service provider. If you don't have a solar service provider, you can always reach our service department at 480-689-5050.

Power Cycling Your SolarEdge Inverter

Sometimes the old "turn on turn off" fix can help your inverter reset and resolve issues. To turn off your system, follow this video from SolarEdge's Learning Lab.

To turn your SolarEdge inverter back on to complete its power cycle, first turn your AC disconnect back. You'll then want to reverse the steps in the video here. After about 5 minutes of the inverter powering up again, check your system. You should hear a faint clicking noise, which indicates your solar panels are producing power.

Checking Individual Panels

The SolarEdge app also lets you view real-time production by individual solar panels. At the top of your app, you'll want to hit the "Layout" button next to the "Dashboard" button. This will bring you to a layout schematic of your inverters, strings, modules, and their arrangement on your property. 

Panels that produce the most energy will be in light blue, and panels that produce less energy will be in dark blue. This can be a useful tool in troubleshooting issues as you can visually see what piece of the whole system isn't functioning properly.

Ensuring Your System is Working Properly

There are two different kinds of monitoring to choose from: active monitoring and self-monitoring. Active monitoring is performed by Sun Valley Solar Solutions for a small annual fee. With this, we actively monitor your solar array's performance for you and let you know if anything isn't working as expected.

With self-monitoring, the homeowner is responsible for checking on their system performance and alerting our service team of any issues. 

If you'd like additional peace of mind that your inverter and system as a whole are working as expected, our in-house service department is ready to help. You can request a quote online here, or you can call our service team at 480-689-5050.