The SolarEdge app is useful, so far as it goes. However, it is missing some extremely desirable and important features that homeowners want and need. These missing features are provided only by SolarView:
- SolarView proactively* notifies you of any detected system faults or errors.
- SolarView provides regular production reports by mobile notification, email, or text message.
- SolarView does not require navigation of web pages or scrolling around to find key data.
- SolarView is very fast and visually compact. In fact you don’t even need the app on display in order for your solar system to be actively monitored.
- SolarView tracks your actual energy production versus the estimated production as promised or guaranteed by your solar company.
- SolarView takes into consideration the degradation of your solar panels over time.
For example, if your inverter has a system fault, this information will not be displayed on the SolarEdge home screen or highlighted in any way, so you will have no way of knowing the condition exists based on a casual glance of their app or web site. By contrast, as long as the SolarView app is active it will monitor for anomaly conditions and (if you have a Proactive subscription) it will notify you by email, text, or mobile device notification.
You can monitor your own solar energy system by manually navigating apps and web sites, but we believe that the purpose of computers is to do the work for you. SolarView checks your system throughout the day, every day of the year, and lets you know when there is something requiring attention. We believe a monitoring system should work for you, not the other way around.
* You can read the comments from actual users of the SolarEdge app to see the importance of SolarView’s proactive notification features.