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CALGARY, Alberta, CA, September 6, 2006
(Refocus Weekly)
A 2.5 kW grid-independent inverter that can
operate at full rated power in all weather conditions has been
developed and successfully prototyped with funding from the U.S. Air
Force.
Sustainable Energy Technologies of Calgary developed the inverter
under a subcontract with Electrovaya, to integrate solar and battery
power with conventional diesel generation to provide lower-cost and
more-reliable power under extreme conditions.
“This is critically important to forward installations in remote
areas, such as we see every day in Afghanistan and other
trouble-spots in the world, as well as to disaster relief situations
where there is no assurance that the needed protection will be
available,” says SET president Michael Carten. “In addition to
opening new potential markets for our inverter platform, the
development is an important milestone in our long term development
program” because it demonstrates that the inverter platform and
control software will support products for grid-connected stationary
fuel cells, solar PV and small wind power systems.
“With this step, we are now in a position to deliver an inverter
which is interchangeable between off-grid and grid-connected
applications,” he adds. “This will be an industry first, and only
possible with our patented low-voltage inverter technology.”
Inverters must be protected from wind, sand and rain, but SET says
its off-grid unit is impervious to the elements. Inverters are
“strategic to the integration of new renewable energy technologies
(solar and wind power, fuel cells, and energy storage systems) into
the high-quality power demands of the modern electrical grid,” the
company explains.
The off-grid inverter was developed for a USAF project to
demonstrate the use of solar tents to reduce diesel fuel consumption
in forward military installations, where reliability and thermal
performance are critical factors. Enclosing off-grid inverters in a
protected environment is not always possible in a forward military
installation or in a disaster relief situation.
The off-grid SUNERGY builds on the design of the grid-connected
SUNERGY, and SET undertook the project to prove the ‘universality’
of its inverter platform. “Notwithstanding our continued focus on
the main grid-connected solar market, the off-grid solar and small
wind power market continues to grow and there is a need for an
outdoor rated off-grid inverter,” explains Phil Winters.
The actual size of the off-grid hybrid market for AC load inverters
is not well documented and the company will develop an assessment
and market penetration strategy with a possible product launch next
year. Deliveries will begin in September on the company’s first
large order for 1,000 inverters to Spain, “and we are in the race on
several other large scale projects which could significantly
increase these numbers.”
“We continue to devote the bulk of our resources to supporting
production and marketing in the grid connected European market
specifically in Spain,” the company explains. “In this market, our
main focus is on solar tracker applications where the ability of the
SUNERGY inverter to operate at full power over extended periods of
time is highly valued.”
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