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Solar power system will face many problems at different stages including design, building, operation, and maintenance. To achieve the ultimate goal of “Improving system performance and Increasing revenue”, various solutions are necessary to correspond to different situations. But James Higgins, the China and South East Asia General Manager of SolarEdge, says that the inverter system actually can solve all the problems at the module level.
How to do it? James Higgins refers to the system’s features. In a traditional solar module array, all the solar module’s actual power generation will match the one with the lowest power generation efficiency. The “Mismatch” often causes inevitable power loss, which forms the limitations of array design. However, the mismatch is only the problem on the module-level, so SolarEdge’s DC power optimizer can solve the problem.
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“Traditional inverter has three functions: inverting from DC to AC, MPPT management, and the interaction with the power grid. SolarEdge removes the built-in MPPT in the inverter and deploys power optimizers to the module level to eliminate mismatch losses, and to increase the power generation further, while keeping the other functions at the inverter level.” Residential systems have one power optimizer per module, while improved scalability commercial systems have one power optimizer per two modules. Power optimizer adjusts the power generation status and is not limited by the array mismatch. Once the power optimizer is placed at the module level, the system is able to gain from additional benefits, such as improved design flexibility, module-level monitoring, and enhanced safety. With increased system uptime, the SolarEdge system can typically bring 2-10% additional power generation in commercial rooftop installations.
Meanwhile, the design also enhances the system safety. Solar system’s high voltage may reach up to 1000Vdc or 1500Vdc. There’s still high voltage even if the power grid and inverter are disconnected, which may cause safety concerns. However, with SolarEdge’s SafeDC feature, whenever the AC power is off, DC wires are reduced to a safe voltage in order to protect installers, maintenance personnel, and firefighters.
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“Our product offers value throughout the entire supply chain. It is simple to install, like a standard inverter solution, while also increasing system performance.” SolarEdge DC optimized inverter solution can optimize the overall power generation with efficient management. The SolarEdge inverter has a standard 12 years warranty which is extendable to 20-25 years, and the power optimizer has 25 years warranty. SolarEdge DC optimized inverter also features module-level monitoring platform with remote troubleshooting, which can directly pinpoint the location of the abnormal modules to increase the maintenance efficiency and decrease O&M expenditure.
SolarEdge is financially one of the most stable inverter providers in the world, operating in more than 23 countries. Higgins believes that Taiwan market is quite promising, especially the floating system, which is more suitable for the SolarEdge solution.
(Author: Rhea Tsao, Analyst, EnergyTrend// Translated by: Billion)