SunPower panel orange or red in app: what it means and what to do
In the panel view of the mySunPower (SunStrong Connect) app, an orange panel has stopped communicating with the PVS monitoring device, and a red panel has stopped producing power. Grey means a temporary loss of production or communication and is normal. SunPower's guidance is to allow 48 hours for grey panels and to contact your installer for orange or red ones.
Fix soon
Common causes
- Noise on the home's wiring interrupts the powerline signal the panels use to talk to the PVS. SunPower lists motors (pumps, fans, fridges), power strips and surge protectors, UPS units, chargers, plug-in pest repellers and failing CFL bulbs.
- A tripped solar breaker, which cuts communication for every panel on that circuit.
- Panels only communicate in daylight, so they go quiet at night and in early morning or late evening.
- A fault at the panel or its microinverter (red: no production).
Safe steps to try
- Check the time of day Panels communicate only while the sun is up. East-facing panels wake first and west-facing ones stay on later, so check in the middle of a sunny day.
- Give grey panels 48 hours SunPower says a grey status is normal and to allow 48 hours before seeking help.
- Check your solar breakers SunPower asks homeowners to confirm that all solar breakers in the service panel are in the ON position, because a tripped breaker stops communication for that whole circuit.
- Look for new electronics If panels lost communication after you added a pump, UPS, charger or power strip near the electrical panel, note it for your installer as a possible source of interference.
- Check total production If the Home and Analyze tabs still show system production, the system is generating and the panels have likely only lost communication.
When to call a professional
Contact your installer or a solar service provider if any panel stays orange or red after 48 hours of sunny weather, if a breaker keeps tripping, or if total production has dropped. Do not go on the roof.
Frequently asked questions
- Am I losing power if a panel is orange?
- Not necessarily. Orange means the panel stopped communicating; it may still be producing. SunPower notes the production meter can keep reporting the full system output.
- Can I get alerts when a panel status changes?
- SunPower's FAQ says status change notifications were not available in the app.
- I don't see the Panels tab. Why?
- Panel-level data requires a panel layout set up by your installer. Ask them to enable it.