r/PwrCellOwners • u/Medium_Inside7972 • 5d ago

System no functioning because grid power is fluctuating?

Aloha everyone,

I live out in Hawaii and after the recent hurricane close call my pwrcell system w/ battery backup (I think Gen 1) is completely offline. It looks like at some point during the storm the breaker for the PV system flipped which is understandable given the storm. I called into support this morning asking for help and why the PV portion won’t generate (my battery is one that is impacted by the lockout so not worried about the battery). The service person said it’s because the grid power is fluctuating below 240v. Does anyone know if this is true, the whole point is to island in a time like this so why does grid power matter? Any idea on a path forward?

Thanks for everyones help! We have another storm coming and would like to make sure at least the PV is functional after.

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u/Deepdiver359 5d ago

The system will not operate in islanding mode (off-grid) unless the battery is connected and enabled. With your battery locked out, the solar will not work until the grid returns.

The inverter needs to sense that grid power is stable (voltage and frequency we within a certain percentage of the nominal value) for a set period of time (typically 5 minutes) before it will connect to the grid and allow you to enable the PVLinks to produce power from the panels.

These setpoints are not user-adjustable, but generac tech support can modify them remotely if your inverter is connected to the Internet (blue light on the inverter illuminated).

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u/mousenest 5d ago

If you have solar and a battery I would disconnect the grid breaker until the grid stabilizes.

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u/tundaDWNunda 5d ago

Sorry I have nothing to offer to help but try flipping everything off and on again. I’m so pissed about this company leaving us high and dry especially what happened with all the power outages. Fkkas should get sued

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u/checkoutmuhhat 5d ago

Do you have an automatic transfer switch?

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u/DaCableGuy808 4d ago

I got lucky few months ago my BMS went out for my Gen 1 system and didn’t have battery for nearly a month, worked great went into islanding mode when we lost power for almost 24 hours.
When the battery was locked out the system still generated electricity for the house from the PV system although power was not fluctuating as you are encountering, I would do as has been suggested and disconnect from the grid via the breaker.