Solar inverters on 3G networks will stop reporting soon, and Ipsun Solar built a tool to help installers manage it
Starting this month, mobile carriers are shutting down their 3G networks to make room for more advanced network services. This means that older devices on the 3G networks will stop working, such as solar inverters whose data is used to help solar owners view their power production. These solar systems will still produce solar power when the 3G network is turned off, but their owners will no longer be able to see the production reporting because their system is not connected to the internet anymore.
Not good! This will result in a message to the customer that tells them their inverters are not reporting, which will result in a flood of maintenance requests and phone calls from customers wondering why they can’t see their solar monitoring data. More critically, warranties may be impacted and SRECs will not be created by systems that are not upgraded.
For solar installers needing to upgrade all of the 3G systems in their fleet, Ipsun Tech is offering a free tool to installers nationwide that will help you locate all of the impacted systems in need of an upgrade.
“Our mission is to fight climate change by helping installers do their work faster and easier,” said Herve Billiet, Ipsun Tech CEO. “We’re offering this free tool to installers because, as we looked at our own systems that needed attention due to the 3G phaseout, we saw that Sunvoy could help.”
“Within a week of becoming aware of the problem, we created a tool that shows the location of our 3G systems on a map. We knew we had to share this resource for free because it will help us all take care of this issue so much faster. Then we can get back to installing and fighting climate change. We don’t have time to waste,” said Ipsun Tech co-founder Joe Marhamati.
Many installers are finding that they’ve got hundreds of systems operating on the old 3G network. The shutdown will happen for AT&T at the end of this month, Verizon in March, and T-Mobile in December.
Sunvoy’s new 3G tool can help installers manage this upcoming issue before it becomes an overwhelming problem. It also helps installers maintain their direct relationship with their customers, rather than having a third party contact them about the issue.
Without the tool, finding the location of each system and mapping a route for the maintenance team would be a matter of looking up each customer individually and creating a map by hand. The Sunvoy 3G tool gives you a one-click connection to your inverter brands, and voila, your 3G systems all appear on the location-enabled map instantly.
Sunvoy’s map is currently integrated with the SolarEdge and Enphase inverter brands to show the affected sites. Sunvoy’s Chief Technology Officer, Jascha Brinkmann, is also working to bring other inverter brands onto the 3G map as well.
“I was thrilled to be able to make this quick solution to what seemed like a big problem for solar companies,” Brinkmann said. “It’s a perfect example of why it’s great to have an app made by solar installers for solar installers. Ipsun saw a problem that needed a fix, and we were able to build this free tool within days instead of months. It’s exciting to be able to do my part to help fight climate change every day, and I hope many companies will use the tool and find it as helpful as Ipsun.”
Comments are closed here.