Don’t look under your tree just yet. Silicon Valley-based NEP just announced a new high power microinverter that they are dubbing a ‘macro inverter’ for its power capacity of over 500Wac. The industry standard in this category has been about 300Wac per module, but as PV panel makers introduce new panels leaping to well over 500W (dc), the solar industry requires inverter technology innovators to keep up. Such panels, originally optimized for utility applications are also expected to be used in commercial and residential applications – creative designers are finding new ways to use these advanced panels.
“The Macro-inverter is a convenient and cost effective building block to pair with these advanced PV panels. We anticipate creative uses of these products on new commercial and residential applications”, says Ed Heacox, CEO of NEP.
High “ac” power capacity to keep up with increasing PV panel Wattage has been a challenge for the industry. “The industry norm has been to tolerate clipping energy harvest with inverters that do not have the capacity to keep up with panel energy generation. At NEP we are innovating to reduce this waste by driving power performance to keep up”, says Jing Wang, Co-Founder of NEP.
The Macro-inverter is available to order from NEP and leading distributors globally. Production shipments began this month. Pricing in the USA is approximately $159-169 per unit depending on volume. MC4 DC connectors are standard and NEP will offer other brand options to support NEC 2020 compliance (for example, Trina TS4 connectors will be available as one option). Warranty options range from 10-25 years.
— Solar Builder magazine
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