Turning On & Off

Q: How do I turn on my solar energy system? I have SunPower AC panels with built-in inverters.

A.There are 3 steps:

1. Turn on the outside disconnect, on the outside of your house. This is marked with our red sign saying “AC Disconnect”.
2. Turn on all solar breakers on your electrical panel. They are marked with our red sign saying “Solar System”.
3. Wait 5 minutes. Then, your production meter should start counting “up”. You should see slow movement of the numbers, provided it is daytime and sunny.

Q: How do I turn on my solar energy system? I have a SolarEdge inverter.

A. Simply turn the big power knob on the front of your inverter (the large white box) to the On position. This may require a little muscle as the knob can be tight.

Q: Help! I flipped the switch but nothing happened. The green light on the inverter isn’t on, and the production meter isn’t moving. What next?

A. Please make sure the breaker assigned to your solar system in your main electrical panel is on. And be sure the outdoor disconnect is turned on. We typically leave both these things on when we’re done with your installation. But sometimes, one of them can get turned off by the utility during the meter swap, or the town during an inspection. Not sure what they look like? Look for the little red sign that reads “Solar System” on your electrical panel, identifying the solar system breaker. And look for the red sign saying “AC Disconnect” on your outdoor equipment. They will look something like what you see in these photos.

Breaker on electrical panel

Outdoor disconnect

If your system has been live for a while and you have reason to think it may be off, follow those same trouble-shooting steps. We know of numerous examples when a non-solar work crew at a customer’s home has turned off the solar, without the customer knowing. If you have a work crew anywhere near your solar equipment (the inverter and your “data over power lines devices” — small boxes we install next to your inverter and near your router), please make sure everything is turned back on after they leave! We cannot be responsible for lost production due to your system being off in this type of situation.

Q: How can I be sure the system is on?

A. You’ll know that your system is on if the production meter wheel starts to move. The sun must be shining on your panels for the production meter wheel to spin, so don’t worry if it’s night or cloudy and nothing happens!

Q: How do I shut down the system?

A: There is no reason to turn the system on or off; the system will do that automatically. In a power outage situation, the inverter will shut down your solar automatically to protect utility line workers trying to re-establish power. Once the power is back, your inverter starts up again, automatically. However, if you really need to turn off the system, use the on/off switch on the front of the inverter, or the breakers in your electrical panel.

Also, please note that we know of numerous examples when a non-solar work crew at a customer’s home has turned off the solar, without the customer knowing. If you have a work crew anywhere near your solar equipment (the inverter and your “data over power lines devices” — small boxes we install next to your inverter and near your router), please make sure everything is turned back on after they leave! We cannot be responsible for lost production due to your system being off in this type of situation.

(This video also appears on the System Components page.)