Approved PV Inverters Supply More Power

Boston, Massachusetts [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] With the testing and approval of five PowerGate AE-PV Series utility-grade PV inverter designs by the California Energy Commission, SatCon’s range of inverters for commercial-scale photovoltaic projects has met the criteria of the State’s incentive programs.

“The tremendous efficiencies of this product combined with its overall reliable performance have enabled us to ship over 6 megawatts of commercial PV inverters so far this year, with another 4 megawatts in the backlog,” said Millard Firebaugh, SatCon’s president and COO. The company also has other products in R&D for the commercial PV inverter market. The efficiency rating of the PowerGate AE-PV 75kW and 135kW models tested and accepted was 95.5 percent, with peak efficiencies exceeding 96 percent. According to results published by CEC, these are the highest efficiency ratings that have been given to any of the 80+ PV inverters listed by the Commission. Efficiency values help purchasers of solar PV systems determine the amount of rebate incentive available to the purchaser, and enable the owner/operator to accurately calculate the payback of the total PV system. The PowerGate AE-PV Series inverters offer software which, when coupled with a proprietary design, enables the inverters to supply more power to the electrical grid, shortening the payback cycle for the entire PV power system. The series is a commercial-grade inverter available in 208, 240, and 480 V models for grid-connected operation in low and medium voltage applications as single unit and parallel multi-megawatt systems. Integrated with all electrical and control system components pre-assembled and tested in a common enclosure, the package comes in power ratings from 30 kW to 500 kW, meeting requirements of UL1741 and IEEE1547.