PV Powered Announces Collaborative Relationships to Advance DC-to-DC Power Optimization Technology

As the solar industry shifts from first cost to lifetime return-on-investment metrics, customers are increasingly aware of the financial value of performance over the operating life of a system.  System design limitations, panel mismatch and degradation, and environmental issues such as shading and soiling can reduce maximum energy production and need to be addressed to accelerate solar adoption. DC-to-DC power optimization, which inserts smart electronics between the solar array and the inverter, is an emerging technology that has the potential to address these problems.  “The benefits of DC-to-DC power optimization will be maximized when used with an optimized inverter,” says Steve Hummel, VP of Engineering for PV Powered. “We see an opportunity to increase energy production for our customers by collaborating with DC-to-DC technology companies to provide a complete system solution.”

 PV Powered will leverage its deep expertise in power electronics, reliability engineering and grid interaction to identify and develop inverters that work seamlessly with DC-to-DC technology.  PV Powered will optimize its inverter and data monitoring technology to work with a variety of distributed power management devices.  “Customers want the ability to choose the technology that works best in their application,” says Gregg Patterson, CEO of PV Powered.  “PV Powered is excited to be working with DC-to-DC technology innovators like eIQ Energy, Phobos Energy, and Tigo Energy, to support the adoption of this advanced technology and improve the economics of solar energy production.”

 "We applaud PV Powered for its collaborative approach to improving the lifetime financial value of solar power installations by integrating distributed technologies," said Michael Lamb, VP of Business Development for eIQ Energy.  "This type of work is an essential step toward making solar energy more cost effective, and eIQ Energy is proud that our Parallel Solar technology will be included. Like PV Powered, eIQ Energy is committed to solving customer problems, and we’re increasingly seeing parallel array wiring as a long-term foundation for cost-effective large-scale installations."

 “Collaboration between companies providing inverters and DC optimizers will be important in driving mass market adoption,” said Pete Del Vecchio, CEO of Phobos Energy.  “We’re excited about working with PV Powered to create a high-reliability, high-efficiency, system-level solution that provides benefits for all installations and is appropriate for next-generation solar architectures, including module-integrated electronics and BIPV.”

 “Industry collaborations such as this will help drive the adoption of module-level system optimization technology,” said Sjuli Beekhuis, Director of Worldwide Channels at Tigo Energy. “Our collaboration means that customers can be sure that our products work well together in today’s new or retro-fit installations.  As we move forward, we intend to develop new levels of optimization and integration for future large-scale projects.”

 About PV Powered

PV Powered is the innovation leader for grid-tied PV inverters in the residential, commercial and utility markets, setting the industry standard for innovation in reliability and efficiency. Founded in Bend, Oregon in 2003 and privately owned, the company brings together one of the most experienced design teams in solar power electronics.  PV Powered was recently selected to receive a Stage 2 award under the Solar Energy Grid Integration System (SEGIS) program by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).  The company is leading a team of recognized distributed energy and smart grid partners in developing innovations that increase energy harvest, reduce the cost of PV systems, and remove barriers to high levels of PV grid penetration.

For more information on the company, visit www.pvpowered.com.

 About eIQ Energy

eIQ Energy, Inc. uses unique power management technology to make solar energy and other clean energy sources more effective and affordable. The company’s Parallux system, built around the vBoost converter module, reduces overall system costs and enables a true Parallel Solar architecture—benefiting system designers, installers and operators. eIQ Energy was founded in 2007 with the principal goal of improving the performance and the return on investment for clean energy sources such as photovoltaic systems. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., eIQ Energy’s executive team combines sophisticated knowledge of power supply design, semiconductors and energy management with broad entrepreneurial skills.

 About Phobos Energy

Phobos Energy, based in Silicon Valley, California, and Boulder, Colorado, is an industry leader in maximizing power output and decreasing installation costs for solar photovoltaic systems.  Phobos Energy’s system-level energy harvesting solutions provide fine-grain optimization of PV arrays with extremely high reliability and turn-key installation.  For more information, contact inquiries_pvp1@phobosenergy.com.  www.phobosenergy.com

 About Tigo Energy

Based in Los Gatos, California, Tigo Energy was founded in 2007 and focuses on applying innovative technologies to the Solar PV space.  The Tigo Energy Maximizer system has UL 1741 Certificate of Compliance and is now shipping in volume. Tigo Energy has numerous patents granted; strong financial backing from leaders in the venture capital community (including Matrix, OVP, and ICV); and is led by an experienced team of Silicon Valley and international technology executives. Tigo Energy has offices in the United States, Japan, Germany and Israel.   The company has successfully deployed numerous residential and commercial installations with many of the most prominent solar industry leaders.  Additional information on Tigo Energy is available at www.tigoenergy.com.

Media Contact:

Erick Petersen

PV Powered

VP Sales & Marketing

Ph: (541) 312-3832

erickpetersen@pvpowered.com