SOLARAWARDS2011 SHORTLISTED
Energy Usage Enabling Award
inverters - simplified PV array design and installation - greater safety because no dangerous high voltage DC is present and smart monitoring, down to the level of individual modules
Duo 360 micro inverter
The Enecsys Duo 360 micro inverter marks a breakthrough in solar PV inverter design. For the first time, it makes the cost of solar PV systems based on micro inverters comparable to those based on string inverters. This achievement builds upon other industry firsts by Enecsys since the introduction of the company’s first micro inverter at Intersolar in June 2010: - the first commercially available micro inverter to match the 25-year service life of solar modules, an achievement made possible by the elimination of life-limiting components (electrolytic capacitors and opto-couplers) through an innovative, patented design - the first micro inverter to be commercially available in both North America and Europe - the first micro inverter without electrolytic capacitors to achieve UL 1741 certification - the only micro inverter to be recognized with an innovation award from the prestigious Cleantech Forum in Monaco Enecsys micro inverters mount on the rails behind solar modules and convert DC to AC from one solar module or, in the case of the Duo, from two modules.
Product Challenge To create a micro inverter that matches the service life and reliability of solar modules at a price that makes systems based on micro inverters cost-comparable with those based on traditional string inverters.
Problem Solved
The 25-year service life of Enecsys micro inverters has been achieved by a patented topology that removes life- limiting electrolytic capacitors. Capacitors store energy. Enecsys patented a way to reduce the required total capacitance by an order of magnitude. This enabled use of long-life plastic film capacitors, which have a service life four times longer than electrolytic types. Each Enecsys Duo accepts DC input from two modules, enabling maximum power point tracking for both. The Enecsys Duo therefore reduces hardware and installation costs compared with using one micro inverter per module.
Noteworthy
In addition to delivering all the benefits of micro inverter architectures at comparable cost to solar PV systems based on string inverters, Enecsys micro inverters are unique in maintaining full performance over an operating temperature range of - 40 to +85 degrees C, reflecting the real- world operating conditions to which they are exposed.
The reliability of Enecsys micro inverters has been verified using industry-standard test methods including HALT and HTOL. The inverters have also undergone thermal cycling to IEC61215, the same tests applied to solar PV modules.
Innovation
This eliminates the need for the string inverter used in conventional solar PV architectures. Advantages include: - up to 20% higher energy harvest over the life of the system, depending on the site and system configuration - greatly enhanced system lifetime and reliability due to the removal of life-limiting components found in other inverters, including all string
The outcome is a design in which the largest, bulk-capacitor needed, for an inverter rated at 240W output, is around 30 µF. This brings it within the scope of robust and reliable capacitor technologies that avoid all of the problems associated with electrolytic types. Enecsys has used polyester film capacitors. A custom capacitor was needed to achieve a low-
profile for the assembled inverter of just 30mm available space in the mounting area behind PV modules is very limited. As well as providing the necessary density in a small space, the polyester film type has the required ripple-current rating.
Customer Benefits
System users enjoy 5 to 20% reduction in the levelised cost of energy over the life of their solar PV systems, compared with conventional systems using string inverters. Installers benefit from simplified PV array design and installation. Modules don’t have to be matched, there is maximum roof-space utilization, and modules can be mounted in multiple planes/orientations. No special DC isolation circuits are needed. The elimination of high voltage DC wiring also makes the system safer for end users, installers and, in the event of a building fire, for fire-fighters.
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APT44GA60BD30C
The Microsemi new MOS 8 Process for High Performance, High Voltage Mosfets and IGBTs offer a wide range of solutions. In particular the APT44GA60xxxx IGBTs variants have been optimized for low frequency operation (10 KHz 30 KHz), where conduction loss dominates overall system losses. The MOS 8 PT IGBT portfolio provides low conduction loss options at 2.0 V (600 VBR(CES)) and 2.5 V (900 VBR(CES)). Microsemi’s reverse recovery DQ diode is an anti-parallel free wheeling diode. The new BD30C reduces the 600V designs to 1.5 V Vce(sat), the BC1 further reduces the 600V design to 1.05V Vce(sat). These parts provide low cost, simple gate driver circuitry, fast switching, recovery Combi diode for both hard switching and zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) topologies resulting in an efficient, easy to design part for inverters.
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue VII 2011
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