Alencon Systems successfully gained ETL certification for its newest SPOT – String Power Optimizer and Transmitter – family of products. The ETL Mark from Intertek is proof that the product has been tested by an independent laboratory and meets the requirements of the applicable product safety standard. The new SPOT family of products meets the requirements of ANSI/UL1741, the safety standard for inverters, converters, controllers and interconnection system equipment for use with distributed energy resources. The SPOT is the largest ETL listed DC-DC optimizer for PV applications available on the market today.
SPOT Specs
The latest version of the SPOT features a more rugged, low profile design along with a number of unique power electronics features to allow both new and existing PV plants to generate more energy while also streamlining their operations and maintenance (O&M) activities. Alencon’s SPOT can improve the yield of PV plants from anywhere 5 – 10% on average.
Galvanic Isolation: Alencon’s Unique Solution for Better PV Plant Performance
Alencon’s SPOT provides complete galvanic isolation between PV strings and the inverter. This unique feature makes the SPOT an incredible tool for O&M because any arc or ground faults that occur with a PV string can be isolated from the rest of the solar system. Additionally, arc and ground faults can be quickly traced to the exact PV string where they are occurring which means maintenance can be more efficiently deployed and repairs can be safely done on one string while the rest of the PV plant continues to produce power.
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Voltage Step-Up: Lower Conduction Losses, Better Inverter Performance
Alencon’s SPOT allows for a broad range of both input and output voltages, so it can be deployed to improve the performance of any PV plant, irrespective of its age. By stepping up voltage on the output, the SPOT is able to markedly reduce conduction losses. Additionally, by feeding a central inverter fixed voltage, the SPOT will allow a central inverter to run much more efficiently by providing it the level of voltage that allows it to perform at its highest rated efficiency.
The PV-IoT for Performance Monitoring and Control
In addition to providing a number of energy production enhancing features such as granular MPPT, galvanic isolation and voltage step up, the SPOT is also a very unique PV plant performance monitoring tool. The SPOT offers continuous, wireless communication to a central aggregator, so the performance of a PV plant can be studied down to the string level. The SPOT is an Internet-of-Things (IoT) ready device. By applying the PV-IoT, the Photovoltaic Internet of Things, the SPOT allows PV plant owners to assure their assets are operating at peak performance.
— Solar Builder magazine
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