Articles from the Engineering Team Canal Solar

Article was produced and adapted from technical materials provided by SolarEdge. Synergy line equipment is available in Brazil for three-phase 220V/127V and 380V/220V networks, in powers of 75 kW, 100 kW and 120 kW. Synergy technology allows fast commissioning and integration of inverters through a concentrator box called Synergy Manager. In addition to the concentration function of strings and AC connections, the Synergy Manager incorporates monitoring, protection, sectioning functionalities and also has advanced features of protection against electric arc (AFCI - arc fault current switch) and reduction of the PID effect (potential induced degradation) of photovoltaic modules. The following figure shows how a SolarEdge Synergy system is built. Setting up a system involves the DC and AC connections between the Synergy Manager and the inverters, the connection of communication cables, and the DC and AC connections of the Synergy Manager to the photovoltaic strings and the electrical grid, respectively. Three Synergy inverters are connected to a Synergy Manager Pre-commissioning In this article we will address the pre-commissioning stage of a system based on inverters with Synergy technology. Pre-commissioning consists of a set of procedures that aim to ensure that the inverters and other components of the photovoltaic system are correctly configured and connected before energizing the system and connecting it to the electrical grid. Two instruments are needed at this stage: a USB power bank (the type used to charge cell phones) and a cell phone with the SolarEdge SetApp application installed. Components required for pre-commissioning the Synergy system: (1) USB battery bank (60W / 20V / 3A) with USB-C type connector and (2) mobile phone with SolarEdge SetApp First, locate the USB-C port on the Synergy Manager and connect the power bank. After powering on, you will see three LEDs light up within 1 minute on the Synergy Manager panel. Then, the LEDs should flash alternately between green and blue, indicating that the power supply with the power bank is correct and we can proceed to the next pre-commissioning steps. Connecting the power bank to the Synergy Manager USB-C port After connecting the power bank, the three Synergy Manager LEDs will light up. If the LEDs are not on or if they are not flashing green and blue, this means that something is wrong. It is recommended to replace the power bank with one that is fully charged. If the LEDs are off or if they are not flashing alternately between green and blue, then a problem has occurred. Then access the SetApp application with your login details and password. You must have an account on the SolarEdge portal to perform this step. It's very easy to create your account, just enter some information such as your email, your name and your company. It may take a few hours for your registration to be approved. Therefore, be sure to do this when you are at the installation site and register a few days in advance, if this is your first installation of a SolarEdge system. After joining the app, you may need to download and install an update. This will be indicated with a “Downloading New Firmware” message. Log into the SetApp application with your username and password. After logging into the application, the next step is to scan the QR code found on the Synergy Manager label. Scan the QR code located on the Synergy Manager label. Immediately after scanning the QR code, move the inverter's on/off button to the “P” position (as shown in the following figure) and hold it in that position for two seconds. After that, click “Continue” in the application. Hold the Synergy Manager on/off button in the “P” position for 2 seconds. The application will try to communicate with your phone via the Wi-Fi interface. Click “Connect” to approve the connection and proceed to the next steps. Authorize the inverter's Wi-Fi connection with your cell phone by clicking on “Connect”. If everything goes well, you will receive a green signal indicating that the Wi-Fi connection was successful. You must then press the “Continue” button in the application. Screen indicating that the Wi-Fi connection was successful. After pressing the “Continue” button, the pre-commissioning of the inverters will begin. The app will then guide you, presenting information and asking for confirmations. Continue with the next steps, pressing the “Continue” button whenever it is available. Application indicating the execution of preparations for pre-commissioning After the initial preparations for pre-commissioning, the application will prompt the user to define the country where the equipment is being installed. Setting the country at the beginning of pre-commissioning After setting the country, the application will start the pairing process, indicated by the word “Pairing”. Pairing consists of establishing the communication channel between the optimizers (installed next to the photovoltaic modules) and the inverters. Before starting pairing, the application will ask for confirmation about the status of the photovoltaic modules. Modules must be exposed to sunlight and must be connected to the Synergy Manager. Furthermore, the Synergy Manager disconnect switch must be turned on, allowing the inverters to receive electrical voltage from the strings. Click “Start Pairing” to start pairing. After a few moments, the process will be completed and the application will display a screen with the information “High DC Voltage”, which indicates that the inverters are correctly connected to the photovoltaic modules. The photovoltaic modules must be connected before starting the pairing process. The pairing process takes around 3 minutes. The pairing has been successfully completed and the inverters are powered. Before clicking the “OK, Got it” button on the screen shown in the previous figure, remove the power bank. Now that the inverters are connected to the photovoltaic modules, they no longer need the external power provided by the power bank. Go ahead, pressing “OK, Got it” on the screen in the following figure. The application will start updating the inverter firmware. Do not disconnect the photovoltaic modules and do not interrupt the Internet connection during this process. Warnings and confirmation request for continuation of pre-commissioning Updating the firmware of Synergy Manager and inverters After the firmware update, the application will activate the inverters. At the end of this process you will find the message “Activation Complete” on the application screen. At this point we have completed pre-commissioning and are ready to begin commissioning. Click on “Start Commissioning” on the screen shown in the following figure. Complete activation after firmware update When starting commissioning you will have access to the “Commissioning” menu which is shown in the next figure. This menu displays options to perform various functions that include monitoring system configuration, pairing (if necessary). Commissioning screen, where you can make the final settings for the inverters. After going through all the settings in the “Commissioning” menu, navigate to the last button, called “Status”. You will be taken to the “Status” screen, where you can check the status of all system components. You should check the number of optimizers listed. The number of optimizers displayed on the “Status” screen must be the same number of optimizers installed in the photovoltaic plant. Status screen, where you can check whether all system components have been installed correctly. If all the information on the “Status” screen is correct, your Synergy SolarEdge system will be ready to operate and to automatically monitor the energy generation of the photovoltaic modules. After pairing the optimizers and activating the system, the photovoltaic modules are automatically monitored