China Electronics GreatWall Energy, one of the world’s largest solar inverter manufacturers, has incorporated an Ampt Mode with its Satcon Equinox 750kW inverters. Using these inverters with Ampt String Optimizers can lower the total system cost while improving lifetime system performance to deliver more value than can be achieved by traditional systems without Ampt.
String optimizers, like this one from Ampt, put voltage and current limits on each string to achieve 100 percent longer strings without exceeding 1,000 volts.
The Equinox inverter platform offers industrial-grade engineering and a rugged design with advanced utility-ready features. With Ampt Mode, Equinox inverters operate in a narrow input voltage range that is closer to the maximum system voltage to increase the inverter’s rated output power. For example, the Equinox 750-kW inverter with Ampt Mode has a rated output power that is 50 percent higher than the same inverter operating in standard mode, which is equivalent to a 33 percent cost per watt savings. Since inverters with Ampt Mode are used with Ampt String Optimizers, more system-level value is unlocked.
Ampt String Optimizers are DC-to-DC converters that use Ampt’s patented String Stretch technology to double the number of modules per string, which removes 50 percent of the electrical balance-of-system (eBOS) components. Ampt String Optimizers also put dual maximum power point trackers (MPPTs) on each string to improve the system’s lifetime performance. Combining these benefits with the lower cost Equinox inverters with Ampt Mode delivers a lower cost and higher performing system.
RELATED: How optimizers bridge the gap to 1,500-volt PV systems
“Our customers can achieve unprecedented value by using Ampt String Optimizers to take advantage of the built-in capabilities of the Equinox inverter platform,” said YC Yu, vice president of operations and international sales at GreatWall Energy. “In addition to our compatible technologies being a natural fit, the immediate and significant customer demand from multiple continents made offering this solution with Ampt a logical step in serving the global PV market.”
GreatWall also has joined the HDPV Alliance, an industry-wide initiative focused on lowering the cost and increasing the performance of PV solar systems. The addition of GreatWall forwards this mission and is representative of the Alliance’s growing member base overseas – and among varied industry verticals within PV, including inverters, storage, mounting and tracking systems, electrical components, O&M providers, EPCs and others.
For more on the Satcon Equinox 750kW inverter with Ampt Mode, hit this website.
— Solar Builder magazine
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.