Tell us how many optimisers have dropped out, whether it appeared after a firmware update or gradually, and any SetApp screenshots. We confirm whether it's a wiring fault or failed units before any site visit.
Book pairing diagnosticAll SolarEdge problemsA single dropped optimiser and a full-string dropout have completely different causes. We identify which before recommending action.
Brilliant. He fitted a new dongle and set the system up properly. Even better, he explained why the storage batteries don't work in a power cut - not correctly wired up - expensive to fix, but a simple turn of the master switch will give emergency power. He is the third technician to look at this issue and the only one to resolve it. Friendly and appoachable, comes when he says he will and reasonable charges. What's not to like!
Absolutely amazing service. Ive had a couple of issues with my Givenergy system and couldn't manage to get in touch with Givenergy after they went bust. So I was searching on Google and came across Rons number. I sent Ron a WhatsApp message and got a prompt reply and he resolved the problem I had with my system. I can't recommend Ron enough its not often you get such a good service in this day and age. If you are experiencing issues with your solar system Ron is the man to contact.
When my GivEnergy system had an issue, I was completely left without support and had honestly lost all hope. Thankfully, I searched online and found Ron, which completely turned things around. After sending him a message, he responded incredibly fast and called me to assure me that he would get the problem fixed. I really admire his dedicated, supportive nature and his determination to find a solution. With this kind of outstanding attitude and customer service, he has absolutely secured a future customer in me.
Wow!!! I have a Givenergy system. The battery stopped charging and depleted fully. Obviously Givenergy went into administration, so I was working with the reseller / installer to get it fixed. They told me they couldn't resolve it and the best they could do was offer me a replAcement at cost, so basically having to buy a new system. I happened to come across STS when searching for how to fix it myself. Ronald has been a god send, within 2 days all is working perfectly and set up correctly. When it comes to experts. He truly is the expert. If you have issues with your Givenergy system and don't know where to go for good help, give him call. 07944 877329. Thanks Ronald, regards Neil W
My GivEnergy Solar/Inverter/Batteries system went down and the GivEnergy Administrators are totally non- existent/useless. Luckily, I found Ron, who used to be a GivEnergy Installer, and beyond my wildest dreams, he sorted everything out remotely from 200 miles away. His approach to everything is very professional and I cannot recommend him more highly. Thanks very much Ron!!
Fantastic service, I would highly recommend. From first contact my solar issue was resolved within 2 days. Wouldn't use anyone else.
"Pairing failed" is the wording SolarEdge Go reports when the inverter has lost its communication pairing with an optimiser over the DC power line. SolarEdge publishes no numeric per-optimiser fault code, so this is the wording to look for. N/A is the label the monitoring portal displays when no data is arriving from that panel. In most cases a pairing failure produces an N/A status — but the app gives more diagnostic detail about timing and cause. If you're seeing N/A in the monitoring portal but haven't checked SolarEdge Go, do that first.
Not sure which page you need? See the optimiser showing N/A guide for the monitoring portal view and pattern-based diagnosis.
The key question is whether this is a pairing or firmware issue (often resolvable with a reset) or a physical fault (needs an engineer). These steps determine which it is.
Connect to your inverter via SolarEdge Go on Bluetooth. Stand within 3–4 metres of the inverter. Navigate to Alerts or the Device Status section. Confirm you're seeing the optimisers reported as not paired, and not a different alert. Take note of:
Log into monitoring.solaredge.com and check the layout view. Optimisers that have failed to pair will typically show as N/A (greyed out). Note whether they are in a consecutive run or scattered — this distinction is covered in step 3.
In the monitoring portal, go to the system's inverter details page and check the event log for any firmware update activity. SolarEdge pushes OTA updates to inverters automatically — sometimes without any notification to the system owner. A firmware update is one of the most common triggers for a pairing failure in otherwise healthy systems, because the update process can break or reset the inverter's pairing table with its optimisers.
This is a pairing re-establishment issue. Try the soft reset in Step 3 — most post-firmware pairing failures clear within one or two resets. If they don't, a manual re-pairing via SolarEdge Go by an engineer is the likely fix.
More likely a physical cause — wiring break, failing connector, or failed optimiser. Proceed through the steps, but expect an engineer visit is likely needed.
The pattern of dropped optimisers in the monitoring portal layout is one of the most important diagnostic signals. It tells you whether to expect a single root cause or multiple independent failures:
Usually a failed optimiser unit or a single faulty connector at that unit. The rest of the string is unaffected. Check warranty — 25-year cover applies.
PLC chain broken at the first affected unit. Single root cause — look for a connector or cable fault at or just before that panel. Not multiple failures.
Inverter-side communication issue. Often firmware or a DC bus fault. Check whether the inverter display is lit and whether any string data shows in the portal.
Scattered dropouts (non-consecutive, across different strings) are rarer and may indicate multiple ageing optimisers approaching end of life, particularly in older pre-2016 installations.
Before calling an engineer, try one soft reset. The 90-second wait (longer than a standard reset) allows the optimisers' PLC pairing state to fully clear before the inverter restarts and attempts re-pairing. At the consumer unit, switch the solar PV circuit breaker OFF. Wait 90 seconds. Switch back ON. Allow 15–20 minutes for the system to restart and the monitoring portal to refresh.
The fault was a pairing glitch or post-firmware disruption. Monitor over the next 3–5 days. If the fault does not return, no further action needed. If it returns intermittently, book an engineer — an intermittent pairing failure suggests a marginal connector or cable developing a fault.
Physical fault confirmed. There is a break in the DC power line communication chain — a wiring fault, connector fault, or failed optimiser. An engineer visit is required. Do not continue resetting.
Only attempt a reset if you have not seen an Arc Fault Detected alert. Arc fault events must not be reset — see the arc fault guide if that alert is present.
If the pairing failure persists after a reset or keeps coming back, book an engineer. Have ready:
The engineer will connect via SolarEdge Go and attempt a re-pairing sequence first. If that does not restore communication, they will proceed to physical DC string testing and inspection to find the underlying cause.
There are three distinct cause categories — each with a different resolution path. Knowing which you're dealing with determines whether this is a same-day reset fix or a site visit.
SolarEdge automatically pushes OTA firmware updates to inverters, typically overnight. The update process can disrupt the inverter's pairing table — the internal record of which optimisers are registered to the system and on which string positions. When the inverter restarts after the update, some or all optimisers may fail to re-pair automatically.
This is not a hardware fault — the optimisers themselves are undamaged. The inverter simply needs to re-establish the PLC pairing with each unit. A soft reset (90-second power cycle) is usually sufficient. In cases where the pairing table has been significantly disrupted, an engineer may need to connect via SolarEdge Go and initiate a fresh pairing scan — a process that takes 10–20 minutes on site but does not require any physical work on the roof.
SolarEdge optimisers use power line communication (PLC) — they superimpose a high-frequency data signal onto the DC power cable to relay information back to the inverter. PLC is reliable when the DC circuit is intact and the cable quality is good. But any fault that increases resistance or breaks continuity in the DC line also breaks the PLC signal:
Physical PLC breaks do not clear on reset — the fault is in the DC wiring and persists until repaired. The pattern (a consecutive run starting at a specific panel) points the engineer to the right section of string.
A power optimiser that has failed completely stops functioning as both a power converter and a PLC relay. Depending on how it fails, it may either break the PLC chain (causing all downstream units to drop off too) or simply drop off the chain without affecting others. Either way, the monitoring portal shows the failed unit as N/A and SolarEdge Go reports it as not paired.
Hardware failure of an individual optimiser is more common in older installations (pre-2016) and in early S250/S270 series units. SolarEdge's 25-year warranty covers the replacement unit — but confirming the fault requires an engineer with SolarEdge Go to test the unit in-situ and document the failure before SolarEdge will process the warranty claim.
The engineer's approach differs depending on whether the cause is likely a pairing or firmware issue or a physical fault. SolarEdge Go allows a significant portion of the diagnosis to happen before any roof access.
The engineer connects to the inverter via SolarEdge Go and reviews the full fault log. They check when the fault first appeared, which optimisers are affected, and what firmware version the inverter is running. SolarEdge Go's commissioning mode allows the engineer to initiate a fresh pairing scan — the inverter broadcasts a pairing request and all functional optimisers within range respond. This test immediately distinguishes a pairing issue (optimisers respond to the scan) from a physical fault (optimisers do not respond at all).
If the SolarEdge Go pairing scan finds the optimisers but they are not registered to the inverter's pairing table, the engineer will initiate a fresh pairing and commissioning sequence. Each optimiser is re-registered using its serial number. This process takes 15–30 minutes depending on the number of optimisers. Once complete, the system is restarted and the engineer confirms all previously unpaired optimisers are now showing normal output data. No roof access is required for a pairing-only fix.
If the pairing scan shows optimisers are not responding at all — meaning the PLC signal is not reaching them — the engineer will perform DC string continuity and voltage measurements at the inverter input. A break in the string will show as an open circuit or reduced DC voltage. The position and magnitude of the voltage drop narrows the physical location of the fault to a specific section of cable or a connector on the roof.
With the fault location identified from step 3, the engineer accesses the roof and physically inspects the connectors and cable in that section. Faulty MC4 connectors are replaced. If the fault is in the cable, the damaged section is repaired or replaced. If an individual optimiser has failed, it is replaced — using the SolarEdge warranty claim process if within the 25-year warranty period. After any repair, the engineer restarts the system and confirms the repaired section is communicating and producing normally in SolarEdge Go before leaving the site.
SolarEdge uses a communication method called power line communication (PLC) to send data between the optimisers and the inverter. Rather than separate signal wiring, the optimisers superimpose a high-frequency data signal directly onto the DC power cable. The inverter reads these signals from all optimisers simultaneously, giving it panel-level production data, fault codes, and control capability over each unit.
For PLC to work, there needs to be a complete, low-impedance DC circuit from the inverter through each optimiser and back. The optimisers communicate in a chain — each unit acting as a relay for those before it in the string. This architecture is why a break at a single point causes all subsequent optimisers to go silent: the relay chain is interrupted, and the data cannot reach the inverter past the break point.
The PLC pairing is established when the system is first commissioned. The inverter scans the string, discovers each optimiser by its unique serial number, and registers it in its pairing table. This table persists in the inverter's memory — but a firmware update that overwrites or corrupts the pairing table can require this process to be repeated. This is why a re-pairing sequence in SolarEdge Go can restore communication without any physical work on the roof when the cause is firmware-related.
Pairing failed is what the inverter reports when an optimiser that was previously in the pairing table stops communicating — regardless of whether the cause is a firmware disruption, a hardware failure, or a physical wiring fault. The wording doesn't distinguish between these causes, which is why the diagnostic steps in this guide (pattern analysis, firmware check, soft reset, pairing test) are needed to identify which applies.
Understanding the N/A status in the monitoring portal and how to read the pattern for diagnosis.
See optimiser showing N/A →Arc Fault Detected — a safety event requiring isolation, not a reset. A different fault type entirely.
See arc fault detected (AFCI) →System running but generating zero output — DC, AC, and firmware causes covered.
See no solar production →Steady or flashing red LED — what each pattern means and what to do.
See red light on inverter →This is a brand-specific version of our general system not producing guide, which covers all brands.
We diagnose optimiser pairing faults using SolarEdge Go — starting with a pairing test and re-pairing attempt before any roof access. If the fault is physical, we trace the string and carry out the repair. Optimiser warranty claims managed with SolarEdge.
Due to unprecedented demand we’re currently only carrying out on-site work in Yorkshire, and replies are taking up to 7 days. Remote diagnostics continue for the whole UK as normal.
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