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Micro inverter and optimizer ready to improve solar panel outputs

By Paul Dvorak | May 11, 2011

By equipping each module with its own Aurora Micro-0.3 inverter, each panel benefits from a separate maximum power point tracker, creating a best power curve for individual panel conditions.

A manufacturer of renewable energy, and energy-efficient power conversion and power management equipment has launched a 300W micro-inverter as well as a dc/dc power optimizer. The Aurora Micro-0.3 inverter is an alternative to traditional string inverters. By linking a micro-inverter to each solar module, the output of every single panel can be individually controlled and optimized. A second product, the Aurora Opti-0.3 power optimizer, is also linked to one solar module to help maximizing energy output.

“The micro-inverter and power optimizer help users make the most out of installations which have to cope with difficult conditions such as partial or temporary shading or significant panel mismatching,” says Paolo Casini, Vice President, Product Marketing at Power-One. “The Micro-0.3 is the choice for those who want to adjust the size of their applications easily.”

By equipping each module with its own micro-inverter, each panel benefits from a separate maximum power point tracker, creating the best power curve for individual panel conditions. This minimizes efficiency losses in challenging conditions and allows individually controlling modules, making plant expansions easy and without the hassle of string re-sizing or panel matching.

Additional device features include efficiency ratings up to 95.5%, a rugged outdoor enclosure, and HF isolation, letting it fit any application requiring the grounding of either one of the input terminations. The micro-inverter is electrolyte-free to further increase the product lifetime and long term reliability and is easily installed due to a proprietary wireless communication hub and grid interface included in the package. Up to ten micro-inverters can be connected in a string.

Power optimizers such as the Aurora Opti-0.3 complement all Power-One Aurora inverters because they optimize the energy harvested from each module in an array. Usually, solar panels are joined in serial so if one panel is impaired, the energy produced from the entire installation drops. This effect can be significantly lowered by using power optimizers. The Opti-0.3 uses dc-to-dc technology to maximize the energy produced by each module within a string as it optimizes the voltage or current for any given weather condition.

Moreover, the device helps minimize loss caused by partial or temporary shading and mitigates PV panel mismatch and to acquire single-panel data, radio transmitted to a communication hub which is part of the package. This helps installers create the largest installations possible and increases the return on investment. The optimizer has efficiency rates to 99.5%, a single panel MPPT and a temperature hardened construction.

Power-One, Inc.

http://www.power-one.com/renewable-energy


Filed Under: News
Tagged With: Aurora, Micro-0.3, Opti-0.3, power-one
 

About The Author

Paul Dvorak

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