The field of inverter-agnostic rapid shutdown devices that also offer panel-level optimization is small. The latest entrant in this category is power electronics provider Enteligent Inc. The new NMax Rapid Shutdown with Optimization ecosystem will deliver on those two objectives without requiring a proprietary communications network.
This brings some crucial alternatives to the market, something the solar industry lacks.
“Currently, over 80% of North American rooftop solar installations benefit from power optimization and panel-level monitoring, but this solution is only available from the two leading solution providers who form a market duopoly,” said Sean Burke, founder and CEO of Enteligent. “Enteligent’s NMax solution provides our PV inverter partners with features that meet and exceed the market leaders, allowing them to now compete for the 80% market share from which they were previously excluded. And it gives homeowners a better return on their solar investment, maximizing their rooftop coverage at a lower cost overall.”
The Enteligent NMax device provides companies with a holistic solution to cover their power optimization, monitoring, and rapid shutdown requirements. It consists of the following:
- Rapid shutdown capability
- Power optimization
- Panel-level performance data over power-line communications (PLC)
Power optimization overcomes an inherent flaw of PV string installations that when one or more of connected solar panels are underproducing — whether due to shading, soiling, snow, or differing panel orientations— the output of all solar panels is reduced. Power optimization allows each panel to operate at its individual highest output all the time.
Additionally, the Enteligent NMax panel-level monitoring feature provides the solar generation statistics of individual panels. The monitoring allows installers to validate that the panels are functioning properly, helps service providers diagnose and troubleshoot module issues, and gives homeowners peace of mind by making it easy to monitor performance.
Applying best practices from the tech sector enables Enteligent to take a system-level approach to solar power optimization. The company’s design team engineered next-generation technology to monitor and instantaneously respond to dynamic system-level events. Enteligent’s proprietary technology delivers the highest power output in the industry because it optimizes only when necessary. It dynamically switches in and out of optimization mode when required, resulting in an average of 10% higher electricity from a typical rooftop solar installation.
The Enteligent NMax family of products will be available next quarter with leading industry distribution companies like Power Store and ABC Supply.
— Solar Builder magazine
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.