Solectria Renewables, LLC, the leading U.S. PV inverter manufacturer, announced that it has acquired New Power Labs, Inc. and its smart combiner technologies. New Power Labs, a Massachusetts‐based Company, designs and develops string level monitoring products for commercial and utility‐scale photovoltaic (PV) arrays.
“Acquiring New Power Labs and hiring Tom Johnson was a strategic decision for Solectria Renewables. Smart combiners are rapidly becoming an integral part of the safety and performance of modern PV systems. We are pleased to be able to work with Tom and bring this innovative technology to our customers,” said Michael Zuercher‐Martinson, Solectria Renewables CTO. “There are many engineering challenges associated with monitoring solar power at the string level.
Joining Solectria Renewables is a pleasure and I am excited to incorporate our solution directly into the STRCOM string combiner product line. Together we will create an integrated product with the advanced features and options desired by our customers,” Tom Johnson said.
The development of a smart combiner product is just one part of a major effort by Solectria Renewables to improve the intelligence of the entire PV system, ranging from better utility power coordination to improved safety and performance measurement for solar arrays. According to the Department of Energy, smarter photovoltaic systems will ultimately result in a lower cost per kilowatt hour produced by increasing annual energy production and reducing installation and maintenance costs.