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Sol-Ark 15k Operational Impressions?

dgeist

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May 16, 2022
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Now that the Sol-Ark 15k has been in the wild a few months and some folks have had a chance to install them, I thought a thread for general operational observations and questions would be helpful. For example: Being a non-transformer inverter, does the 15k still have an issue with some larger inductive loads (large motors, pumps, etc.)? I'm also curious about noise from the unit (both idle and under peak load). Any new owners want to share your thoughts about these and other things you've noticed on your 15k's?
 
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I think your going to have at least another 8 weeks of wait time to get good feedback.
Most people, myself included tend to buy the Inverter first and then the Batteries and Panels.
I had my Inverter siting in a box for at least 10 Weeks before I even got to the point of mounting it and then it was weeks later that I was able to Grid Tie it.

You will probably get a Video from Engineer775 in a couple of weeks but he does not tend to go into a whole bunch of details. I think you will get some minimum load testing from him on a big AC and his previous video had the Fans running but it was hard to gauge how loud they really are.
 
I think your going to have at least another 8 weeks of wait time to get good feedback.
Most people, myself included tend to buy the Inverter first and then the Batteries and Panels.
I had my Inverter siting in a box for at least 10 Weeks before I even got to the point of mounting it and then it was weeks later that I was able to Grid Tie it.

You will probably get a Video from Engineer775 in a couple of weeks but he does not tend to go into a whole bunch of details. I think you will get some minimum load testing from him on a big AC and his previous video had the Fans running but it was hard to gauge how loud they really are.
In a reply to a comment regarding the fan noise, Scott mentioned that his mic had magnified the apparent noise, which would make sense since he had his rig right up next to and facing the open inverter. Still, someone should run some controlled tests to ascertain how much noise it makes in a quiet environment, as well as frequencies, etc.
 
A microphone with some decibel readings would be nice.
As the saying goes, there's an app for that. Some of the sound measuring apps for smartphones are actually pretty decent for this type of use case.
 
I know @niktak11 and @Canxane both have theirs up and running, I'm sure others do as well. Hopefully we hear more feedback soon from the early users. But as Robby said, there will likely be some lag before many folks get theirs installed and are functional.
 
Mine has been up is a dc coupled and ac coupled mode. Had a few issues solark support was quick to help with and resolve. The grid sellback setting is a little inaccurate. I am allowed to sell back 10kw. When set to 10,000 watts I was sending back around 10,600, with periodic spikes up to 14,000. Support lowered my sellback setting for now to avoid issue with the local power company, and expect a firmware update to correct the issue in the future.

They have indicated everything works better with a battery. - not required, just smooths everything out.

Do not have a way to measure actual fan noise, but it is not audible in the next room. It only kicks on when the inverter is passing more than 9kw for 10mins or more. Runs for around 3 minutes, shuts down for 6 or 7, then runs a few minutes to cool the inverter. The cycle can only be heard standing in the room with the inverter.

The info in the PV pro app is much better than the solaredge app for my AC coupled array. It does NOT match up with my multimeter. My monthly usage numbers from PV pro also do NOT match the utility bill. Discrepancy of around 12-15%.
 
Thanks for the insight. Not surprising that numbers are a bit off early in the product lifecycle but great to hear sol-arc is responsive and addressing the issue in subsequent releases.

That noise level might mean I can do a basement install instead of garage. Is that level (9kw) at which cooling kicks in ALL the time passing that current to the outputs or only when it's inverting from battery/PV?

I guess I'm not familiar enough with the modes to know if it's "line interactive" and inverting all the time or doing AC passthrough and DC phase alignment for hot backup if grid power is being used.
 
The info in the PV pro app is much better than the solaredge app for my AC coupled array. It does NOT match up with my multimeter. My monthly usage numbers from PV pro also do NOT match the utility bill. Discrepancy of around 12-15%.
If your using PV Pro App and enjoying it then your in for a real treat when you use the Web Portal.
I find the App to be frustrating but I absolutely love the Web Portal. Even on my Phone it works so much better than the App.
 
If your using PV Pro App and enjoying it then your in for a real treat when you use the Web Portal.
I find the App to be frustrating but I absolutely love the Web Portal. Even on my Phone it works so much better than the App.
So don't bother DL the app, or is it needed for other reasons?
 
Thanks for the insight. Not surprising that numbers are a bit off early in the product lifecycle but great to hear sol-arc is responsive and addressing the issue in subsequent releases.

That noise level might mean I can do a basement install instead of garage. Is that level (9kw) at which cooling kicks in ALL the time passing that current to the outputs or only when it's inverting from battery/PV?

I guess I'm not familiar enough with the modes to know if it's "line interactive" and inverting all the time or doing AC passthrough and DC phase alignment for hot backup if grid power is being used.
I have a basement install on the common wall with the stairway. You can hear a little noise in the stairway adjacent to where the inverter is mounted if the fan is running. It is slightly audible through an unisunulated 2x4 and drywall walI. You don't really notice it when it is running, only when it turns off and it is not running and you dont hear it do you realize it was even on. It is not audible at the top of the stairs.

The fan kicks on when the inverter is invertering, not passing through from the grid. It never turns on at night, only when the sun is shining and the inverter is inverting from DC to AC.

Web portal? What am I missing?
 
I have a basement install on the common wall with the stairway. You can hear a little noise in the stairway adjacent to where the inverter is mounted if the fan is running. It is slightly audible through an unisunulated 2x4 and drywall walI. You don't really notice it when it is running, only when it turns off and it is not running and you dont hear it do you realize it was even on. It is not audible at the top of the stairs.
Identical to what I'm planning to do, so excellent feedback, TY!
 
They have indicated everything works better with a battery. - not required, just smooths everything out.
I was wondering if you add a bit more insight into what/how it runs better with a battery? Are you talking about additional battery storage, or some sort of auxiliary battery inside the unit somewhere? Or am I totally misunderstanding, and "they" means your power company?

Thanks!
 
So don't bother DL the app, or is it needed for other reasons?
Sure get the App just to have it in case something happens with the Web Version. I have it on my Phone but I almost never use it.
 
I was wondering if you add a bit more insight into what/how it runs better with a battery? Are you talking about additional battery storage, or some sort of auxiliary battery inside the unit somewhere? Or am I totally misunderstanding, and "they" means your power company?

Thanks!
It can run without Battery storage but I would not even attempt that.
If your producing 5KW of PV to power your house and a cloud passes over it will either use Grid power if it's available or Trip out if it has no battery.
 
It can run without Battery storage but I would not even attempt that.
If your producing 5KW of PV to power your house and a cloud passes over it will either use Grid power if it's available or Trip out if it has no battery.
It doesn't have 12k storage?
 
It doesn't have 12k storage?
None of the Whole home Inverters have storage built in. I think you are thinking of Eco Flow or Jackery type system. Those are tiny systems for powering a campsite or cabin at night.
 
I think the Tesla powerwall has the inverter built in the same unit as the batteries but that's the only one I can think of
 
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