Residents Allege Power Surge Fried Solar Equipment, Appliances

CHATHAM – On Aug. 19 to 20 last summer, some electrical customers in town received a powerful surge in the electrical grid, frying hundreds of appliances including components of home solar systems. That’s the claim being made by a group of around 20 residents who are asking the select board to request an explanation from Eversource.

 The apparent power surge destroyed hundreds of microinverters attached to individual rooftop solar panels, all manufactured by California-based Enphase Energy. But also damaged were heating and cooling system components, an electric stove, a computer and an electric vehicle charger, the residents say. The damage was not confined to a particular neighborhood of town, but was scattered throughout Chatham.

 On Feb. 17, the select board heard from energy and climate action committee Chair Robert Wirtshafter, who said he was approached by a group of residents who believe the damage was either caused by Enphase or Eversource.

 “Eversource and Enphase have failed to respond to the homeowners’ concerns, despite repeated requests,” Wirtshafter said. The committee determined that the complaint is a matter of concern for the whole town, since it’s not known whether equipment was damaged at other properties. “We would like to make this as public as we can so that other Chatham residents and businesses can check their systems,” he said.

 Resident Jeffrey Vanacore said the surge destroyed 500 of the microinverters, each costing between $200 and $300, and “all of which are now sitting in a landfill.” Each device has built-in surge protection for spikes of up to 275 volts, he said. According to local solar installers, previous surges happened in Brewster and Eastham, recording voltages of up to 322 volts.

 “It doesn’t take an electrical engineer to realize, 322 volts is not a good thing,” Vanacore said.

 Select board Chair Dean Nicastro said that since all of the affected microinverters were manufactured by Enphase, it points to a potential manufacturer’s problem. 

 “It’s a curious point,” he said.

 Vanacore said the homeowners are investigating that possibility, but “the weight of the evidence certainly indicates that Eversource is likely a significant source of the issues that we’re encountering.”

 “There was damage to more than the inverters,” Wirtshafter stressed.

 Vanacore said Eversource uses a remote monitoring system to check for voltage spikes in its system, and saw nothing unusual on those dates. An engineer came to investigate the problem and created a report for Eversource, he said, which they eventually shared with him. Vanacore said he repeatedly asked Eversource for permission to share the results of that report with the select board, and was told he could not do so.

 “That is simply outrageous,” he said. 

 An Eversource spokesman did not return an email from The Chronicle seeking comment.

 When power surges occur in an area, police and fire departments typically receive an increase in automatic fire and burglar alarms, which are sensitive to power fluctuations. Chatham Fire Chief Justin Tavano said neither his department nor the police had an unusual number of such calls on Aug. 19 or 20.

 “Here’s one thing we know for sure: the Easter bunny didn’t deliver this present to 20 residents,” Vanacore said. “We have 20 geographically dispersed houses that have various equipment damage, and there’s no indication whatsoever that it's a failure of our electrical systems.” 

 Wirtshafter asked the select board to send a letter to Eversource requesting the company to send a representative to explain to the board what happened and how such events might be prevented in the future. Specifically, the utility should send the person most knowledgeable about the situation to speak, rather than a spokesperson or an attorney, he said.

 Board member Cory Metters said the request is a simple one. 

 “You’re not asking us to get involved in litigation or anything like that,” he said. But Metters said he’s not optimistic that the board’s letter will have the desired outcome. “The expectation is, this entity has lawyered up and they are not going to come forward and speak if there’s any sense of litigation,” Metters said.

 While it’s not clear what happened, an explanation is warranted, board member Jeffrey Dykens said.

 “Clearly there was an anomaly somewhere in the grid, and our folks suffered,” he said.

 The board concurred and voted unanimously to send the letter.