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Author Topic: SOLAR PANELS  (Read 6293 times)

2I0KIC

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SOLAR PANELS
« on: September 22, 2015, 10:06:54 PM »

Hello my question is I am thinking of installing "Solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels,  I would like to know would they cause any  interference to my radio.  I operate HF, 2Mts and 70 Cms. 
Thanks Kevin 73s ???
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K2OWK

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2015, 12:09:42 AM »

Hello, The solar panels themselves will not cause RFI, but the regulator and the battery charger used on the solar panels might. Make sure the regulator and charger are of good quality. This system works well, our club uses the Harbor Freight solar panel and charging system for Field Day operation with no noticeable RFI.

Hope this helps,

73s

K2OWK
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AC7CW

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2015, 01:15:17 PM »

You can use a linear regulator to regulate voltage down from whatever the solar panel outputs. It will waste energy more than a switching regulator but it will not generate even the slightest noise.
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Novice 1958, 20WPM Extra now... (and get off my lawn)

GW3OQK

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2015, 02:39:16 AM »

Kevin, yesterday my neighbour had panels installed on his roof with a Growatt 4000 inverter and Emlite monitor in his attic. I now have strong signals with some FSK every 19.1 kHz from about 6 to 16 MHz. My receive antennas are up to 40m away. We were assured the installation would cause no problems of course, but I anticipate frustration and effort in getting the installer to cure it.

Anyone have experience of Growatt?
73, Andrew 
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KH6AQ

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2015, 04:22:26 PM »

The unit no doubt meets CISPR conducted and radiated emissions but that doesn't mean it won't interfere with nearby SW reception. You might obtain some relief by adding common-mode ferrite cores over the two wires going to the solar panels and the bundle of wires exiting the controller. I think 10 dB is a goal and 20 dB will not happen.
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GW3OQK

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2015, 04:40:49 AM »

WX7G, There is an EMC certificate. I immediately added 6 clip on ferrites and it made no difference.  RSGB technical advice is such Chinese made inverters have given trouble, but a German made one is OK. I cant find info on the "Emlite" monitor/display unit that's attached. Fortunately it stops after sunset.
73, Andrew
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ZENKI

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2015, 11:06:37 PM »

Use good products like SunnyBoy or SMA equipment and you will have ZERO interference.

Watch out for cheap panels with MPPT regulators on the panels. They can be a disaster for a ham. Its like connecting a jammer transmitter to all the solar panel connecting wires which as antennas. Solar installations and DC installations do have to comply to the EMC regulations  however  they are treated differently and hence the end result is interference. There may be changes in the EMC rules that will force all Solar equipment to be treated as any other equipment for both conducted and radiated emissions. MPPT is basically a small inverter on each panel to improve efficiency they can be very bad interference causing devices.

Bottom line is that with any solar installation get it in writing that if there is radio or ham radio HF interference you want your money back or the equipment changed out. Thats what I did  and I have zero interference.
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K9RJ

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2015, 09:34:07 PM »

I am looking at using SolarEdge Optimizer P400 with a SolarEdge Single Phase SE2200 inverter system (individual solar panel inverters). Does anyone have any experience with these and know what level of RFI I might expect?
Thanks, Harris K9RJ
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W9IQ

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RE: SOLAR PANELS
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2015, 01:29:22 AM »

Keep in mind that the MPPT solar regulators/inverters are essentially a pulse width modulation supply. If the design engineer didn't properly design for RFI suppression, fixing it in the field can be challenging.

When you are trying to cure RFI problems, simply clipping on a ferrite or two may have limited results.

1.) Use a ferrite material that is suitable for the RFI frequencies involved. If it is an unknown ferrite material, expect unknown results. Sometimes two mixes of ferrite materials need to be applied to the leads to obtain sufficiently broad bandwidth coverage.

2.) Clip on ferrites only offer 20 -70 ohms of impedance to the common mode currents when the wires pass only once through the hole in the core. Wrap the pairs of wires 6-10  times through the clip on or use a suitably sized torroid form. With 10 turns, you get closer to a 2000 - 5000 ohm impedance to work against the common mode currents. It is a turns2 effect that is as effective as adding 100 clip on ferrites.

3.) Install the RFI chokes as close as possible to the offending device. Try putting RFI chokes on both ends of the cable.

4.) Use RFI chokes on all cables entering or leaving the offending device regardless of AC, DC, control, or network signals.

5.) Not all interference is common mode. You may also have differential RFI. This requires the installation of grounded brute force type filters. See an earlier post of mine in this section for an example.

6.) Some people report limited success by adding a Faraday cage around the device. If you try this, make certain that the RFI chokes are located inside the cage. The cage must completely enclose the device without significantly impeding airflow. That can make it a challenging construction project with the potential for limited results. In balance, this option should only be considered as a last resort and be prepared to be disappointed.

- Glenn W9IQ


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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.
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