Performance with hard shadow/hard sun less than expected
Hello,
In a system with 14 panels facing south with optimisers we have 3 that are in the shadow of the house in the morning. I would expect that the optimisers would ''bypass'' those 3 by bucking the voltage and increasing the current and give full performance to the other 11. That does not seem to happen. Around 11.00 o'clock also the 3 panels are in the sun and you see the current jumping up as expected. Can you explain why the optimisers behave like this?
See attached picture. 
Thank you for helping
Best regards,
Piet van Bavel
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I have similar problem - when the shade appears at optimized panels then current of whole string goes down significantly while voltage goes slightly up which is the opposite correct behavior described by Gary in comment
I read there is a broad issue with tigo if it wasn't ever connected in the cloud even for brief period. In such case it doesn't work at all.
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Hello Piet and Myrl!
Thank you both, for participating in the Tigo Community!
Since every system is unique, it would be best to have the data completely reviewed by a Tigo Support Engineer. I have created a ticket for you (Myrl), and you should receive notification soon.
In the meantime, I see that Piet has already reached out to the Support Team, and the issue may be resolved. If not, please reply to re-open the ticket and our Engineers will do all they can to assist in diagnosing any issues that may be present on your system.0 -
Of course, everyone "expects" their production to be higher in shaded areas just because they are using an optimizer or micro-inverter. Bad marketing has people believing these things will make 25% more power in shade. Hogwash!
"Bucking, boosting, etc".- everyone becomes a self-taught engineer as soon they get module-level data. I have almost 10 years of experience with microinverters but switched to optimizers and SMA inverters for residential and Chint for commercial. Tigo isn't going to tell you their secret on how these things actually work. Sure, they buck while SolarEdge boosts, but in my experience shade is way too difficult to predict the behavior of these module-level devices.
Myrl Aufderhar I read that article in your comment about the testing that Aussie kid did using Tigo. It is some interesting data for sure. However, despite all the drawings of different scenarios, you almost get to the end of the article until you see the System 1 and System 2 tests using real inverters and graphs. Does this mean the previous images of testing are just theory? Other than the ignorant comment about "recalling the software", which can just be remotely updated, this article raises more questions than answers.
Assuming the optimizer is working properly, which I have had to return a few, one day of data isn't enough to go by. Looks like the tech rep has opened tickets. Let the expert look at it. On the other hand, maybe it is a software issue the kid is talking about. Keep us posted with their response.
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Hello Matthias Oliver,
Thank you for your contribution to the Tigo Community!
It is important to always remain skeptical of marketing terminology. However, Tigo's shade optimization has a real affect that has been recognized by the NREL (national renewable energy laboratory). In a completed independent survey of 542 systems using Tigo's Optimization products, they found a recovery average of 36% (of power lost, from various partial shading events).Excerpt: "Summary data for this analysis across 542 systems find an average power loss of 8.3% due to partial shading, which would have increased to 13% were the systems not equipped with (Tigo) panel level optimizers. It is estimated that on average, 36% of the power lost from partial shading has been recovered through use of module-level DC power electronics.
To read the full document, please see: Partial-Shading Assessment of Photovoltaic Installations via Module-Level Monitoring
If you have additional questions about Tigo's Optimization, please feel free to reach out to Tigo' Sales Engineering team: se@tigoenergy.com
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