Do Tigo TS4-A-O optimisers actually work?

[timselectric]

The only way to know if they work for your situation. Is to compare your production with and without them.
(Not what they report during use)

 

[Oldphile]

I have some ability to compare with and without them. One roof, with 204 deg. azimuth is 8.1 KW without optimizers. The other 2 roofs are 190 deg. azimuth with 8 KW on one and 6.8 KW on the other. The roof without optimizers consistently outperforms the other 2. However, each roof has different shading issues. All roofs are 6/12 pitch.
Yesterday was mostly a full sun day.
8.1 KW system 37.4 KWH (no optimizers)
8.0 KW system 30.0 KWH (this roof has the worst shading)
6.8 KW system 28.1 KWH (scaling up would be 33.5 KWH)
IMO, optimizers don't do much more than diodes, if anything.
I may see different results in the summer when the tree affecting the worst roof is out of the picture.
Panels with optimizers are 400W Panasonic. Panels w/o optimizers are 370W Sil-Fab.

 

[Quattrohead]

Different panels, different angles etc all skew results.
I feel that my Panasonic panels are more efficient than my LG panels, but I can't tell for sure coz they are in different positions, angles and pitches.
So you maybe get a 2-5% gain but can monitor each panel to see if it is working.
I cannot tell with my Tigo 2FA if all panels are producing or dead and bypassing.

 

[AZ Solar Junkie]

They work, but the numbers that TIGO reports as "saved" assumes that you panels don't have bypass diodes.

I’m not sure that’s fair to say since the in simplest terms the optimizer is just measuring the output of the whole panel and allowing some of the current to bypass the panel if the panel is not allowing as much current to flow through as it could when performing optimally. Theoretically it should be measuring the amount of power it is allowing to bypass the panel as the energy saved. That’s the theory, anyway. There’s still a bit of a conflict of interest though eh - Tigo certainly has motivation for those energy saved numbers to be calculated in a way that’s in favor of how well their own system is working .

 

[Zapper77]

There’s still a bit of a conflict of interest though eh - Tigo certainly has motivation for those energy saved numbers to be calculated in a way that’s in favor of how well their own system is working .

Correct.