Commissioning a System with the Tigo Energy Intelligence

 The Commissioning of a Tigo system is divided into 2 stages:

• Tigo's equipment commissioning
• Standard commissioning procedure

1. If you haven't already, read "Create a Tigo System - using Energy Intelligence Site (Web Browser)".
2. If your system is 50 modules or less, use the Tigo Energy Intelligence App.

Using Tigo SMART Asset Management (Click here to learn more) you can replace many of the on-site field tests with remote online tests, saving time and money.

Attached is an exhaustive guide of this process for large systems, with everything you need to commission your system from start to finish.  The key steps are highlighted below. 

Build the System on the Tigo Energy Intelligence Site (Monitoring Portal using Web Browser)

With your paper system map in hand, go to https://ei.tigoenergy.com/. Create an account if you don’t have one. Here are some videos with guidelines on how to build your system. 

 “Tigo SMART Website for System Owners” (YouTube video)

This video covers the basics of the Energy Intelligence (previously named Tigo SMART) website. This is mainly about viewing system performance (monitoring) data and account housekeeping

 “Tigo SMART Website for Installers” (YouTube video)

This video covers features for installers:

• Aggregated data for multiple sites (2:00)
• New System Creation (7:25)

Tigo Commissioning

Once you've installed all your modules, and uploaded your barcode information to the monitoring portal, the final commissioning step is running Discovery.  This must be done using the Tigo Energy Intelligence mobile app. See our article, “Create and Edit System” in the “App 3.1” section in the Tigo Help Center and proceed to the network and discovery tests. 

To commission the Tigo equipment there are 2 simple steps that need to be completed:

1. Network test: Perform a network test from the Cloud Connect Advanced (CCA) to make sure it is communicating with the Tigo cloud. This will ensure that module-level monitoring can be displayed on your computer or portable device.

For systems with multiple CCAs installed, perform the test on each one to ensure that module level data will be reported for the entire system.

2. Discovery: The Discovery process is the last step of the Tigo equipment commissioning process. 

Note: The Discovery process can be initiated only after the online configuration of the system has been completed and downloaded by the CCA. Requires an Internet connection.

During Discovery, the CCA will first search for all connected TAPs and then scan for and acknowledge finding X out of Y modules. This process establishes communication from the CCA to the Smart Modules and/or optimizers, for monitoring, safety and optimization purposes. 

Once the CCA has confirmed that it has found all modules in the system, it will begin a system update. For a site with a CCA, feel free to leave the site at this point; the CCA will update the system and complete the discovery process on its own.

For systems with multiple CCAs, Discovery should be initiated on a single CCA at a time. Once the TAPs are found and the module scan has begun, Discovery can be initiated on another CCA. These 3 steps should be performed for each CCA before leaving the site, and the status can be confirmed using the Tigo SMART app.

Note: For a large system, after all the CCAs complete discovery, keep the inverter powered off and contact Tigo support to verify the system communication between the optimizers and CCAs. The optimization of system communication may take up to a week, so ensure the time is scheduled before the installation starts. After verification by Tigo, you can turn on the inverter.

Standard PV Commissioning Processes

After commissioning the Tigo system you can follow the standard procedures of commissioning a site.

With Smart Modules and / or Tigo optimizers you can do each of the standard commissioning tests other than:

• Short circuit test
• IV curve tracing test

These tests are currently not supported by Smart Modules and / or optimizers.

However, you can utilize the SMART Asset Management to perform similar tests and in much shorter time!

Congratulations! You've successfully completed the process of commissioning your system.