©2019 Pentair plc. I
13
Pentair Pentek Solar Drive Operation
If the motor is properly connected, the Pentair Pentek Solar
Drive will begin the startup procedure. The green AC LOAD
LED (Figure 13) will have a solid green light, and the motor will
start running. Additionally, the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive will
immediately start performing MPPT operation over the solar
PV source. The MPPT operating range is 45 to 60Hz for 60Hz
rated motors, or 40 to 50Hz for 50Hz rated motors.
The Pentair Pentek Solar Drive has built-in overload
protection, so if a connected motor has a power level higher
than the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive limitations, it first slows
down and tries to run the motor at a lower power level. If
the motor power continues to be outside the power range
of the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive, it will shut off the motor
operation. If there is not enough solar power, the unit’s
SOLAR LED light will blink yellow, as shown in Figure 14.
This usually happens in the early morning or late evening,
or during overcast weather. The Pentair Pentek Solar Drive
controller will try to start the motor once every minute with
increasing time between start attempts. Each attempt will
be indicated by the blinking green LED. If there is not enough
solar production from the solar panels, the yellow LED will
start blinking again.
Shutdown:
To stop the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive’s operation, the DC Disconnect should be used.
Once in the OFF position, the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive will automatically stop the
motor’s operation.
However, if a tank or well float switch is used when the tank becomes full or the well
becomes empty, the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive will stop its operation, and the WARNING
LED will blink red.
The WARNING LED will be solid red if the temperature of the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive
rises above 80°C (176˚), at which point the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive will stop operating and
wait until the temperature drops. This can happen if the unit is exposed to direct sunlight,
which should be avoided.
If the Pentair Pentek Solar Drive gets too hot during normal operation, it will switch to
Power Deration mode, limiting the maximum power that is transferred to the motor load.
During that time, the AC LOAD LED will be solid green and the WARNING LED will be solid
red. If the unit cools down to a regular operating temperature, it will automatically continue
operation without the thermal deration. If the temperature of the Pentair Pentek Solar
Drive continues to increase, it will eventually stop operating, at which point the WARNING
LED will be solid red.
AC LOAD
SOLAR
WARNING
!
S
Figure 13:
LED 1 – AC LOAD is ON
AC LOAD
SOLAR
WARNING
S
!
Figure 14:
LED 2 – SOLAR is BLINKING
