A solar monitoring system can help you evaluate your PV system’s performance. It offers information about energy consumption and generation, optimizing energy usage, and damage to your solar system, among other data. It’s important to monitor your solar setup in some manner – without monitoring, it can be difficult to figure out if your solar panels are operating at the level they should be.
First: how do solar monitoring systems work?
Solar monitoring systems operate through your solar system’s inverter(s). Companies often offer solar inverters that come with a proprietary monitoring software setup.
As your solar inverter converts DC current into AC current for use in your home, information about power levels and production is collected and sent to cloud-based monitoring systems and their companion apps. You can access this information in several ways, including through mobile apps and paired smart home devices. Some monitoring systems offer on-site monitoring as well, and wire information from the inverters directly to a monitoring device on your property.
Most monitoring systems can be set up to have cellular capabilities, which allows you to access system data stored in the cloud from mobile devices without needing to connect to your WiFi network. As a result, if your personal internet connection is lost, you may still be able to access your solar monitoring system.
Systems with power optimizers don’t rely on a wireless connection to transmit data, so monitoring continues during internet outages. Depending on the interface you have set up, you may also be able to access your monitoring data even when your internet is down. However, this isn’t the case for microinverter monitoring systems – they rely on a WiFi connection to monitor each panel individually, in real-time. This means that when the internet goes down, so do your monitoring capabilities.
Aside from displaying energy consumption and generation data, monitoring systems offer many tools to help you understand your solar energy setup. Monitoring software can often help detect problems and defects with panels, and recommend repairs to your setup. You can also track historical data from your system. For example, monitoring systems offer data on historical weather-based performance, so you can know how the weather has impacted your solar production in the past, and what you might expect in the future.
Enphase vs. SolarEdge monitoring systems
Two of the most popular solar inverter providers, Enphase and SolarEdge, offer high-quality, proven solar monitoring solutions alongside their inverter products.
One of the main differences between the two systems is the type of inverters used. Enphase employs microinverters located at each individual solar panel in your system, which communicate wirelessly with a central device that provides data to their mobile application. SolarEdge uses power optimizers wired to a string inverter, which connects wirelessly to the internet and in turn, to a mobile application.
There are additional differences between the two systems, but the choice of inverters figures to be the most important limiting factor when deciding between the two companies for monitoring systems. Aside from Enphase and SolarEdge, many other companies offer varying levels and types of solar monitoring systems, all of which will help you to understand your solar panel setup and operation in more detail.
Start your solar journey today with EnergySage
EnergySage is the nation’s online solar marketplace: when you sign up for a free account, we connect you with solar companies in your area, who compete for your business with custom solar quotes tailored to fit your needs. Over 10 million people come to EnergySage each year to learn about, shop for, and invest in solar. Sign up today to see how much solar can save you.
