As the saying goes, “There’s an app for that.” Modern grid-tied solar inverters allow you to connect your solar power system to an app on your smartphone or tablet. But why would you want to connect an inverter to an app? While the app may not directly impact your system’s functionality, using it regularly can make a big difference in the long-term performance and efficiency of your solar power system. Keep reading to learn what these apps do and four important reasons why you should use your solar monitoring app.
What Do These Apps Do?
As mentioned above, a solar app on your phone won’t have any direct performance on the system. However, these apps’ features and monitoring capabilities can help you get more out of your solar array. While the exact functionality varies from one manufacturer’s app to the next, in general, all apps are designed to help you easily monitor your system’s performance. This can include data like current energy output by the panel, historical output, energy consumption rates, and even the charging state of your battery bank in some cases.
But how do these functionalities benefit you? Keep reading to see why you should be using them if you have a solar power system.
Keep an Eye on Production
How do you know something is running well if you’re not monitoring its performance? The fact of the matter is, you can’t. If the version of even a single panel drops unexpectedly, it can drag down the entire array’s production and leave you short on solar power—and, therefore, drawing extra energy from the grid.
Keeping an eye on your energy production can help maximize your output by addressing slowdowns and hang-ups sooner. If you monitor your system regularly, you might notice that one panel consistently has low performance at the same time each day. This likely means that a tree near your array is casting shade on that panel. Knowing this, you can quickly trim back the branches currently shading the panel and increase the production of your entire array.
Catch System Errors
It’s not always something as simple as shading that causes your panels’ production to drop. Sometimes there’s an error or failing panel causing the reduction in your solar power output. While the inverter will show you error messages, most people don’t look at their inverter’s screen daily. Inverters are usually located in an out-of-the-way spot, where you’re not likely to think about checking on them.
When you get push notifications on your phone to tell you about errors in your system, you can get the problems fixed even faster—and the sooner you fix those errors or replace faulty equipment, the sooner your system will be back to maximum output.
Monitor Your Consumption
These apps don’t just monitor your energy production; they also monitor your consumption. How does this benefit you or impact your system? Most people who install solar do so with the intent of relying solely on those solar panels for their energy usage during the day. If you have net metering, you’d likely hope that those excess energy credits would cover your nighttime usage of the grid.
Ensuring that your solar panels produce enough energy for your home is only half this battle, though. You must also ensure you’re not consuming more power than you make. This is easiest to do if you’re keeping an eye on your power consumption. If your app shows you that your energy consumption has increased and you’re at risk of exceeding your production, you can make more energy-conscious decisions to stay within your production limits.
Understand Your System Better
While your solar power system will run effectively without too much work, understanding your system, its components, and how they work can make a massive difference in just how much you can get out of your system. You can learn to recognize patterns in your energy production—such as just how much your production drops in winter, so you can adjust your consumption accordingly—and better understand its overall efficiency. When familiar with your system, you can become much more than just a passive solar user. You can be a proactive contributor to your mission to become completely energy-independent.
Don’t Forget the App
If you have a grid-tie inverter and you haven’t installed a monitoring app for it yet, check with your equipment’s manufacturer to see if they have a smartphone app for their inverters. If they do, be sure to download it and start being more proactive in your efforts to use renewable solar energy for your home.
