The DC optimizer experts at Ampt released the i50 String Optimizer earlier this year. The i50 features enhanced capabilities for utility-scale solar power plants that use high-power PV modules and solar trackers to lower the total cost of PV power plants.
Ampt String Optimizers are DC/DC converters that deliver full available power from the PV array at a high and fixed voltage. The higher voltage allows the entire system to operate at a lower current for a given power to reduce the cost and quantity of electrical components such as cables, energy storage systems, inverters and transformers.
The i50 optimizer achieves output power up to 70 kW which allows a single optimizer to be deployed on each solar tracker. By accommodating higher input currents, paralleled strings of PV modules, and flexible string lengths, system designers can maximize the utilization of each solar tracker without the typical string sizing constraints in systems without Ampt.
Ampt says the i50 optimizer can mean fewer solar trackers per MW. Ampt’s predictable DC bus voltage also simplifies battery and inverter controls to improve grid responsiveness of the power plant. In addition, the optimizers perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT) on each input to maximize lifetime production and include wireless monitoring to improve O&M.
“As renewable energy projects accelerate across the globe, we’re committed to continually innovating our offering to ensure project owners and developers make the most out of their investments while increasing access to clean, reliable and resilient energy for all,” said Levent Gun, Ampt CEO. “We’re proud to present the new i50 String Optimizer to the market, which is designed to improve the economics of today’s largest, most advanced PV power plants and solar-plus-storage systems.”
— Solar Builder magazine
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