mySolarEdge 4+

Today our #Powur 18 panel system switched on. (Northen Virginia) and tech walked us through installing & configuring app. As one who home-built/depended on off-grid system in Santa Cruz CA mountains for 9 years, I can say this app (and the system) is the BMW/Mercedes/Audi/Cadillac? of powerful and user-friendly management apps. I love monitoring solar production and metering of our production compared to what we send/grab to/from the grid. Excellent real-time updated numbers and clear graphs. I mean this system went “live” a mere 6 hours ago and it is amazing. Includes a real-time “map” of EACH panel production. So it’s right there where a few panels are partially shaded and producing less than ones in open sun. Very Very Cool.

Generally a good user interface for solar panel homeowners. I can monitor the energy that’s being produced, and that’s great.

But this app only gets one star from me for one very important reason. It has absolutely no notification features. If something goes wrong with my system the app doesn’t alert me to it. My system inverter stopped working. How did I find out? Not from a notification on my phone. I found out three weeks later by email from SolarEdge, telling me the inverter had stopped working. An email! Three weeks later. They’re monitoring system took THREE WEEKS to notify me by email. Why doesn’t this app simply alert the owner within 24 -48 hours that the system isn’t working? That’s the most basic feature of a modern mobile app… notifications! The lack of this basic feature months of energy in the hottest month of the year — over $500 that I had to pay the utility company because my panels weren’t generating energy.

Come on SolarEdge, you’re a tech company, move into the 21st century, an update this app with notifications!!

I’ve had my system for several years now and I’m generally happy with the app and my solar PV system. However, 2 years in a row now I have experienced significant system failures. Last year a wind storm knocked out power to my home for several days. When the power was restored, my system failed to restart. I didn’t realize this until a month and a half later when I went to check my production only to find that I didn’t have any. Then a couple months ago, half of my system went down. An entire node stopped producing, cutting my production in half. Both of these incidents could have been mitigated had the app/system monitored and then notified me of these significant long-term production decreases. Busy homeowners do not have the time to monitor their systems compulsively. The addition of an active notification system would be a big improvement and selling point. Thanks!