Sunny Boy 240-US

SMA is now offering free monitoring for life for its Sunny Boy 240-US micro inverter. Applicable to all Sunny Boy 240-US micro inverters purchased during 2014 in North America, and active for the inverter’s entire lifecycle, this exclusive monitoring package includes the Sunny Multigate-US and Sunny Portal. This combined technology allows system owners to access module-level data via the Internet or iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android applications.

The Sunny Multigate-US provides reliable, distortion-free communication between the Sunny Boy 240-US and Sunny Portal by keeping the powerline communications on a private band. This allows the Sunny Portal, the world’s largest Web-based PV monitoring platform, to provide real-time data, enabling pinpoint control and fast error detection. Advances in module-level monitoring data provide a granular look at system performance and allows swift correction should there be an issue with an individual panel.

“While other manufacturers charge upwards of $249 for module-level monitoring, SMA is pleased to offer this as a free service for Sunny Boy 240-US micro inverters purchased this year,” said Henry Dziuba, president and general manager of SMA America and president of SMA Canada. “Because it lasts for the entire life of the inverter, this monitoring package provides significant savings that solar professionals can pass on to their customers.”

In addition to its advanced communication capabilities, the groundbreaking Sunny Multigate-US technology enables greater energy production and superior reliability by mitigating the damaging effects of temperature-related stress commonly found under a module. It also provides advanced diagnostics for simplified installation and servicing.

The Sunny Boy 240-US is ideal for residential systems and rooftops with complex, shaded situations. It boasts an improved cabling concept that eliminates the need for a trunk and branch cabling scheme, increasing flexibility. Simple installation is achieved by pre-assembled AC plugs and connection cables used in a daisy chain configuration, as well as multiple DC connector options. Furthermore, the Sunny Boy 240-US does not require additional grounding equipment, speeding installation.

Solar Power World

Following the UN climate talks this week in New York City, Conergy announced that it will build a one-of-a-kind heart-shaped solar power plant in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, 750 miles east of the Australian Gold Coast.

The four-hectare site is located in the northern community of Pouembout, on Grand Terre, New Caledonia’s largest island, where 7,888 panels will generate enough electricity to supply approximately 750 homes. The 2 MW project was commissioned by TIEA Energie, a subsidiary of local beverage company Froico SA. Conergy will begin engineering and construction (EPC) work in the coming months, partnering with local contractor AMBI Energy.

The power plant’s eye-catching heart shape will only be visible from the air, when it is completed in the first quarter of next year. Called the Heart of New Caledonia, it will save an estimated two million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over its projected 25-year lifetime, compared with power from oil, gas and coal, which generate the majority of the islands’ power today.

The unique design is inspired by the Coeur de Voh, or Heart of Voh, an area of nearby wild mangrove vegetation that has naturally taken the shape of a heart.

“Conergy builds all kinds of solar plants in challenging places and conditions, but we’ve never been asked to do one in the shape of a heart, or any other shape before,” says David McCallum, managing director, Conergy Australia. “The Coeur de Voh is an important landmark for the people of New Caledonia and shows just how extraordinary nature can be. The Heart of New Caledonia solar plant will be its man-made double, a landmark for clean power generation, showing that we can add a new power plant wherever it’s required and still keep a lid on carbon emissions.”

Want more? Try these articles:

Conergy To Design And Build 8MW Solar Plant In Phillippines

Australian Wildlife Park Takes A Bite Out Of Electrical Bill With Solar

Solar Power World

Sunrun, a residential solar company, plans to hire more than 800 employees and build new operations centers or expand existing facilities across the country in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Hawaii, New York and New Jersey by the end of 2014.

The company’s rapid expansion is being fueled by increasing consumer demand, with home solar installations already up 45% industry-wide last quarter over Q2 2013 and a yearly growth projection of nearly 50% – more than any other segment of the market, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

“Home solar installs have more than doubled in the last two years alone as Americans demand cleaner and more affordable energy like home solar,” says Lynn Jurich,CEO of Sunrun. “We continue to invest in the areas of our business that support high demand and high customer satisfaction, from Sunrun BrightPath, which ensures customized solar and fast installation to the quality assurance testing we perform on our hardware. Sunrun’s plans for continued expansion further reinforce our commitment to having the teams, operations and resources in place for long-term growth and providing a high quality customer experience.”

The range of positions to be filled is concentrated in sales and field operations, including field marketing associates, installers, electricians, site technicians, project and inspections coordinators, and branch coordinators. Interested applicants may visit Sunrun’s Careers page to view and apply for open positions.

Want more? Try these articles:

Sunrun Brings Affordable Home Solar Service To Nevada

Successful Hiring Means Finding Team Players

SolarCity Expands Massachusetts Operations to North Shore

Solar Power World

OutBack Power Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of power electronics for renewable energy, backup power and mobile applications, will showcase its newest Grid/Hybrid photovoltaic (PV) systems at the NECA Show, September 27 to 30 in Chicago. With its Radian family of solar inverters, advanced energy storage technology, AC-coupling upgrade solution, and complete UL-1741 rated systems, OutBack Power delivers solar for residential, commercial and municipal users, and provides solar upgrade opportunities for electrical contractors, allowing them to get involved in this growing industry without the hassle of installing new solar panels on customer rooftops.

Electrical contractors have great upgrade opportunity since nearly all of the more than 300,000 residential solar installations and the vast majority of commercial ones in the U.S. today are simple grid-tied systems, which means they can save users money when the sun’s shining—and that’s it. Users still must rely on grid electricity at night. And during an outage, they are without power just like everyone else, as many owners of solar-equipped homes on the East Coast discovered after Superstorm Sandy, which left literally millions of watts “up on the roof” and unusable by the affected residents below. By adding energy storage to these systems, solar users are able to store the surplus energy they create for times when energy prices are at their peak, when the sun is down, or in the event of a power outage.

“Energy insecurity plus changes in utility and government incentive policies means that smart, hybrid systems with energy storage capabilities is a long-term, fast-growth area,” said Harvey Wilkinson, general manager at OutBack Power. “Solar-equipped homes in the U.S. equal greater than 8,000 megawatts of installed solar electric capacity. This installed market presents a promising upgrade opportunity for Grid/Hybrid technology and is a great point of entry into the solar business for electricians.”

OutBack Power is an expert in PV/solar power conversion systems that go far beyond grid-tied systems and deliver clean, reliable electricity 24/7. This proven technology is behind OutBack’s AC-coupling package, which adds smart-grid and electricity storage capabilities to any PV/solar electric system without requiring solar panel work.

“As a business, it is exactly in the ‘sweet spot’ of electrical contractors,” said Mark Cerasuolo, director of marketing and training. “The electrician upgrades the existing solar electric system with a second, smarter inverter/charger and a battery bank for energy storage. All the work is done near the electrical panel, integrating the AC-coupling upgrade into the existing system. OutBack is the only company with a UL-1741-compliant, end-to-end solution, including power conversion components, batteries and storage rack, from a single brand, which makes for easier system design and technical support. OutBack Power’s AC-coupling systems make it easy for electricians to add solar to their business and provide greater, long-term value for their customers.”

 The power behind solar for contractors
OutBack Power products and systems are preferred by “fault-intolerant” users around the globe because of their industry-leading reliability, durability and proven performance. Backed by world-class support and an acclaimed, NABCEP accredited Certificate Training Program, the electrical contractor community can enter the solar market with confidence with the OutBack Power brand. Some of the benefits OutBack Power offers include:

• Easier to operate and maintain – OutBack Power’s OPTICS-RE monitoring and control application allows installers to remotely monitor system operation, performance and output, reducing service calls and system downtime.
• UL-1741 end-to-end – OutBack Power offers the only single-brand solution in a complete renewable system with energy storage that meets critical UL-1741 requirements.
• Superior energy-storage technology and programs – OutBack Power’s batteries are essentially maintenance-free, using advanced absorbent glass mat (AGM) technology with valve-release lead-acid (VRLA) design. High-density chemistry delivers extra-long shelf and service life, up to 80 percent greater than the conventional batteries used in other PV/solar systems. OutBack’s OnSite Direct battery program guarantees contractors fresh batteries shipped right to their jobsites when they need them.
• Solar upgrade opportunity – Electrical contractors can install value-adding energy storage capability to any solar/PV system with innovative OutBack FlexCoupled technology without getting on the roof.
• Solar expansion opportunity – Contractors who want to offer complete PV/solar services to their customers can find everything they need in power conversion, control and storage technology from OutBack Power, and count on one brand that is the industry leader in service and support.

Solar Power World

Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals, announced that it will introduce at SPI 2014 in Las Vegas the FlexRack Series B, its latest ground mount system for installing ballasted PV solar on landfills, brownfields and water-saturated terrain where no, or little soil penetration is allowed.

With the new Solar FlexRack ground mount system, loads are transferred to the cement ballast block with two supports instead of one, meaning that, depending upon load conditions, lighter cement blocks are needed for ballasting. The two-support system also makes a front-back, or split, ballast block arrangement possible. With this ballast layout using two smaller blocks, lighter lifting machinery can be used when low bearing pressure requirements exist on the job site.

The new ballasted mounting system is compatible with all Solar FlexRack racking systems including the G1, G2 and G3 racking systems, which are pre-assembled at the factory, shipped as a single unit and ‘unfolded’ at the job site.

“Our new ballasted ground mount solution continues our ongoing drive toward more cost savings for installers and a better ROI for developers,” noted Solar FlexRack CEO, Tom Meola. “Our flexible racking systems solve the problems that come with difficult, uneven terrain and this new ground mount solution helps reduce the costs when ballasted ground mount systems are required because of soil conditions.”

The new Solar FlexRack ground mount also has fewer components and fasteners, reducing material costs for steel. Designed with ground clearances, the system also makes possible a lower profile for the PV panel array layouts.

Solar FlexRack will also present its new ‘turnkey’ engineering and installation services for developers and installers at SPI.

The new ground mount system, along with Solar Flex Rack’s flexible, ‘unfolding’ racking systems will be available for viewing by SPI attendees in Las Vegas from October 20-21 at Booth #1212.

Solar FlexRack
solarflexrack.com

Solar Power World

Enphase Energy offers a new solar energy solution for the commercial market. The new offering combines the advantages of Enphase’s intelligent microinverter technology with a comprehensive set of services and partnerships to assist the owner and installer of a commercial solar project from concept through implementation and eventually to maintenance—providing low-cost solar energy and long-term reliability.

“We are offering the infrastructure and ecosystem for an end-to-end commercial solution that includes maintenance and support, with clear economic benefits,” said Paul Nahi, CEO of Enphase Energy. “Enphase is already powering more than 1,500 commercial systems across a wide variety of market segments, from schools and corporate offices to baseball stadiums. With this new commercial solution, Enphase addresses critical aspects of operations, finance and technology for the commercial owner, developer and installer.”

“The U.S. Commercial PV market is poised to grow by 21 percent annually to over 1.3 GW in 2014. In light of this enormous opportunity and the significantly reduced cost of solar, PV installers are seeking innovative solutions that will speed up the installation process and increase design flexibility while increasing the value and dependability of the solar energy delivered to the end customer,” according to MJ Shiao, Director of Solar Research, GTM Research.

Enphase offers both a technology and operations and maintenance (O&M) services solution capable of taking a commercial-scale system from concept to long-term operations and maintenance. The commercial-grade system includes the C250 Microinverter, the cloud-based Enlighten monitoring system, the Envoy Communications Gateway and a rapid-response Enphase Energy Services (EES) team, giving developers, installers and owners a robust solution for maximizing the performance of their solar assets.

C250 Microinverter System
The C250 Microinverter system is specifically designed and built for medium and large commercial projects. Leveraging Enphase’s world-class microinverter technology, the C250 supports three-phase 480Vac installations for 60- and 72-cell PV modules, delivering optimal performance for larger commercial projects and a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) lower than that of competing inverters. The improved design efficiency of a C250 system enables less wiring and balance-of-system components, significantly reducing labor and installation costs.

Integrated Design Software
Enphase has partnered with Folsom Labs to incorporate the C250 Microinverter system into HelioScope, Folsom Labs’ advanced system design tool. This integrated solution streamlines the system engineering workflow for commercial designers, enabling PV installations to be rapidly designed and modeled.

“Partnering with Enphase to incorporate their advanced microinverter and AC system design into HelioScope is a clear win for our users,” said Paul Gibbs, CEO of Folsom Labs. “Enphase shares our focus on enabling installers and integrators to quickly deploy high-quality PV arrays. This integration will enable our customers to efficiently and accurately understand their system designs, from bill-of-materials to energy yield.”

Enphase Energy Services
An integral part of the commercial solution, Enphase Energy Services (EES) leverages Enlighten’s data analytics to provide proactive operations and maintenance services. Through remote and onsite maintenance, Enphase is enabling its customers to cost-effectively predict and manage their long-term O&M programs. Additionally, Enphase Energy Services offers best-in-class support and a guaranteed system uptime.

“There is a high demand for comprehensive, long-term O&M services in the commercial solar sector,” said Marty Rogers, vice president of global customer service and support for Enphase Energy. “With our unique bi-directional communications capability and unparalleled insight into the health and performance of our systems, we can deploy our EES teams in a much more cost-efficient, intelligent manner than what is currently available in the marketplace.”

“We are currently using Enphase Energy Services on a commercial project in Hawaii and have been very happy with the performance of the system, as well as the quality of the response from Enphase to any issues experienced,” said James Musselman Jr., co-founder and president of Valta Energy (formally The Green Utility). “We are excited by the opportunity to add more 200kW-to-5MW projects to our portfolio throughout the United States with Enphase’s new C250 commercial microinverter system and Enphase Energy Services.”

Financing Partnerships
A growing network of financial service providers are partnering with Enphase to fast-track the financing of commercial solar projects and help customers unlock and enhance the long-term value of their systems.

“Pacific Power Renewables is pleased to see Enphase provide a commercial microinverter system for larger-scale solar installations,” said James Gillespy, vice president of sales for PPR, a key Enphase financial partner. “We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Enphase as the company continues to build momentum in commercial solar and deliver reliable technology.”

The new Enphase C250 Microinverter System and the Folsom Labs design software package will be available in the United States in Q1 2015. Enphase Energy Services for commercial projects are available today. Visit http://enphase.com/financial-service-providers/ for links to current financing partners.

To learn more about our new commercial solution, visit Enphase Energy at Solar Power International (Booth 812) in Las Vegas, October 21-23, 2014.

Solar Power World

The Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC), the Town of Dennis, Clean Focus and American Capital Energy (ACE) recently dedicated the largest solar development in New England, Cape & Vineyard Solar One — a 22 MW portfolio of solar arrays located on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.

“This milestone solar development is helping to continue to place Massachusetts at the forefront of solar adoption and enabling us to reach our aggressive goal of 1,600 MW of solar installations by 2020,” says Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. “Extending our solar reach will build on our success by creating jobs and economic opportunity in an industry that will last for generations to come.”

Cape & Vineyard Solar One includes CVEC Round 1 PV, plus an additional array in the Town of Dennis. Combined, the energy generated from this solar development will supply 45% of Cape Cod & Martha’s Vineyard municipal electrical load.

Part of the 22 MW Cape & Vinyard Solar One array in the Town of Dennis.

“CVEC and its member municipalities are thrilled with the installation of these new solar power projects, made possible through the hard work, collaboration, and dedication of CVEC and its member municipalities,” says John Checklick, president of CVEC. “Our outstanding partners, Clean Focus and ACE, have demonstrated significant expertise and skill in deploying these valuable solar assets.”

Clean Focus provided construction and permanent financing, and owns and operates Cape & Vineyard Solar One. ACE is a Massachusetts company that was selected as the project developer and builder through a competitive bidding process; local labor was hired for construction.

“We are very proud that with Cape & Vineyard Solar One, Clean Focus is now the largest owner and operator of solar on landfills in the U.S.,” says Stanley Chin, president and CEO of Clean Focus. “It was terrific partnering with this exceptional team of professionals to bring clean, reliable and renewable solar electricity to Massachusetts — contributing to the health and vibrancy of this region.”

The Cape & Vineyard Solar One dedication. From left to right: John Checklick (CVEC), Stanley Chin (Clean Focus), Paul McCormick (Town of Dennis), Meg Lusardi (Massachusetts DOER), Cong. Bill Keating, US EPA Curt Spalding (Region 1 Administrator), Tom Hunton (ACE)

“With this project, American Capital Energy has been able to flex its experience in developing, designing and constructing solar arrays on landfills and other brownfield sites; it’s wonderful to produce clean energy at locations that would otherwise remain unused,” says Tom Hunton, president & CEO of ACE.

These projects will greatly reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of removing more than 2,700 passenger vehicles from the road. Of the nine solar arrays, seven are sited on capped landfills in the towns of Barnstable, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Harwich and Tisbury. Two solar arrays are sited on other land in the town of Edgartown.

Here’s a look at what else is happening around Massachusetts:

SunEdison Purchases 50MW, Largest In Massachusetts History

SolarCity Expands Massachusetts Operations to North Shore

Empower Energies Completes 3.7 MW Array In Massachusetts

Massachusetts Boy Scouts Go Solar

Solar Power World

There are currently more than 143,000 jobs in solar power in the United States. With emphasis on renewable energy, that number is expected to rise exponentially in the future, according to solar training school RSI. When taking into consideration the current and the future job market, a job working in some capacity in the solar energy sector is a good choice.

With two years of technical school training, a person could be a solar installer and make around $26,000, and with the same training and some years of experience, an Advance Mechanical Assembler could earn nearly $50,000. With an associate’s degree and at least three years of experience, an electrician with solar expertise could make more than $45,000 a year and a solar PV technician could earn $62,270. With a bachelor’s degree and five years’ experience in the solar industry, an industrial engineer can earn just over $75,000, a mechanical engineer nearly $79,000, an electrical engineer just over $83,000, and a solar installation contractor can earn just over $82,000, according to RSI.

So where in America are these jobs? Fortunately, with the savings of solar, the installation incentives, and the cost of solar panels decreasing yearly, these jobs can be found in just about any region of the United States. Here are the top five solar producing states:

California
The top solar energy producing state is, not surprisingly, California. As of 2012 there were more than 600,000 homes in the state that used at least some energy produced by solar panels. That is more than 60% more than the next closest state on the list, according to SEIA. Currently, California receives more than 6% of its energy from the sun, and that number will only increase they have a law says utility companies will have to get 33% of their power from renewable energy by 2020, according to The Seattle Times.

Arizona
The second state in the top five for solar production is Arizona. In 2012, Arizona installed more utility scale solar units than any other state, and it produced over 710 MW of energy. Arizona has the largest solar power plant in the world, and they will sell power to California. This power plant will produce enough solar electricity to operate an estimated 230,000 homes, according to Forbes.

New Jersey
Perhaps some people would be surprised that New Jersey produces the third most solar energy in the United States, but it is the Garden State after all. The increase in solar production in New Jersey has caused utility prices to decline, statewide, by 20% from 2011 to 2012, according to the SEIA infographic. Not content with a good thing for consumers and the environment, New Jersey has a goal of seeing 22.5% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and in September 2014, they introduced a bill that would require 80% of all electricity used in the state to be from renewable sources, according to NJ Spotlight.

Nevada
Nevada is the number four state in the United States in the production of solar power. Nevada is also number two in the U.S. for the number of watts produced by solar energy per capita, says SEIA. Currently, Nevada has a “solar farm” that is a 250-megawatt plant, but, in late summer of 2014 they began working on another 250-megawatt project near Primm, Nevada of which a large portion of the energy will be sold to California.

North Carolina
Finally, the fifth largest solar producing state in the United States is North Carolina. North Carolina has been slow to bounce back from the recession, and an increased number of solar farms have brought in more jobs, more revenue for employees of solar companies, and a chance to attract more eco-friendly businesses to the state, according to fayobserver.com.

Ultimately, solar is growing rapidly across the nation as a way to help the environment, and as a way to decrease expenses for various corporations. This means that if a person is looking for a good career to get into, solar energy is one of the fastest growing, and it appears that it will be important to America and the economy for a long time in the future.

Audrey Clark is a freelance blogger covering a range of topics from careers and finance to travel and leisure, along with everything in-between. When not writing, she’s always on the lookout for her next adventure. Connect with Audrey on Twitter and Google+.

Solar Power World

GE Energy Financial Services, Toyo Engineering Corporation and Kuni Umi Asset Management have invested in Japan’s largest solar power project, a 231-MW facility to be built in Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture, via special purpose company and representative member Setouchi Future Creations.

To support the approximately $1.1 billion project, the three owners have raised more debt than any prior renewable energy project in the country. An $867 million loan — led by Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation — was provided on a non-recourse project finance basis by a syndicate of Japanese banks, including local financial institutions.

GE Energy Financial Services holds a 60% stake in the project, one of the largest single equity investments in renewable energy in Japan. In addition to capital, GE will supply some of the inverters — marking the debut in Japan of the GE 1 MW Brilliance Solar Inverter, which eliminates the need for an intermediate transformer, resulting in higher conversion efficiency and superior grid performance.

“Japan’s favorable regulatory policies make solar power attractive and diversify the country’s power generation sources,” says Sushil Verma, a managing director and Japan business leader at GE Energy Financial Services. “For us, the Kuni Umi project expands our international and renewable energy footprints, which already include investment commitments of $1.8 billion in equity and debt in more than one gigawatt of solar power projects worldwide.”

Toyo Engineering and Shimizu Corporation will build the solar PV plant beginning in November on 1,210 acres of city land on the former Kinkai salt field. The project is expected to reach commercial operations in the second quarter of 2019 and sell its power to Chugoku Electric Power Company under a 20-year power purchase agreement that uses Japan’s renewable energy feed-in-tariff regime. Chudenko Corporation will provide operations and maintenance services.

Want more? Try these related posts:

Yingli Solar, Gestamp Solar Partner On Japanese Project
Yingli Japan To Supply 32 MW To Okayama Project
GE Energy’s Investing Unit Exceeds Renewable Energy Milestone

Solar Power World

 Unirac Inc. is celebrating its 15 year anniversary since incorporating in 1999, as the leading provider of high quality, competitive PV mounting solutions in North America.

This anniversary marks another milestone for Unirac among many achievements as the leading provider of competitive products, responsive customer support, industry-leading engineering services and excellence in supply-chain management. Unirac is poised to introduce several new products at Solar Power International including groundbreaking enhancements to SolarMount, the standard in residential PV roof mounts, and product innovations in other application segments.

“Unirac has been providing kilowatt to megawatt, cost effective, innovative racking solutions to Affordable Solar for 15 years,” said David Hughes, president and CEO of Affordable Solar. “When we have faced challenges, Unirac is always there to help us, sometimes at great expense. They have integrity and that’s important to me, as it makes it easy to do business with them.”

On September 29, 1999, Unirac was formally incorporated by cofounders John Liebendorfer and Hal Newman in Albuquerque, NM. What started out as a small garage business developing universal pole mounts; today, Unirac has a proven track record of performance with more than 2.8 GW of experience in more than 500,000 installations worldwide since it began servicing customers in 1998.

In speaking about the company’s anniversary this year, Unirac CEO, Peter Lorenz, shared that Unirac’s mantra for success is a focused discipline on serving its partners. “We are a long-term partner to our customers, helping them build successful solar projects and improve the competitiveness of their solar business,” said Lorenz. “We are suppliers, but more importantly, we are partners.”

For more information about Unirac’s full line of innovative PV mounting solutions, please visit us at Solar Power International 2014, Booth 306, October 21-23, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV.

Unirac
unirac.com

Solar Power World

If you talk to almost anyone in the solar industry, one of the biggest complaints installers have is the inconsistency of permitting regulations throughout the country. Why is it that Germany can (legend has it) have a one-page solar permitting process, but in the United States it’s harder to get a solar project permitted than it is to get your driver’s license?

We talked to Carlos Moreno, general partner of CNG Solar Engineering, a Woodland Hills, Calif.-based company that handles permitting issues for solar installers in five states. He offers his insights into why the permitting system in the United States is a mess — and what steps can be taken to clean it up.

(Duration: 25:22)

Solar Power World

The SunSpec Alliance is pleased to announce the availability of its first energy storage specification, the SunSpec Energy Storage Models (ES) Specification, now available for download with other supporting SunSpec specifications at www.SunSpec.org.

This specification is open for review and was developed by the SunSpec Energy Storage Workgroup with the collaboration of the MESA Alliance. View a technical and market background document here.

The SunSpec ES Specification is built on the SunSpec Common Model. The SunSpec Energy Storage Workgroup (which includes 1Energy, Advanced Energy, SMA, Outback Power, Ideal Power Converters, and Loggerware with collaboration with from the MESA Standards Alliance) started with the SunSpec Inverter Control Models (for Power Conversion) and built on the SunSpec Common Models and SunSpec Meter Models plus storage system develop the SunSpec Energy Storage Specification.

The SunSpec ES Specification integrates different components of an energy storage system (power meters, power conversion systems, and batteries) and supports a variety of energy storage applications from large, multi-megawatt-hour systems deployed at utility substations, to islanded microgrid installations and smaller systems connected on the customer side of the meter.

An increasing number of grid-connected energy storage systems are being deployed to enable energy arbitrage, better integration of renewables (especially solar), voltage support, microgrids, and other scenarios. Hoverever, a lack of standards and high integration costs are impeding the technology’s adoption.

The goals of SunSpec standards are to address the operational aspects of distributed generation power plants and storage on the smart grid and thus reduce costs, promote technology innovation, and accelerate industry growth.

Learn more about the SunSpec alliance in our podcast with the team at Intersolar 2014. 

Solar Power World

The SunSpec Alliance (SunSpec) and the MESA Standards Alliance (MESA) have jointly released the first open, non-proprietary energy storage system specification for public review.

The specification referred to as SunSpec Energy Storage Models Specification and incorporated in MESA specifications as a “MESA-Device,” was developed through a joint effort and proposes standards for how the different components of an energy storage system (power meters, power conversion systems and batteries) communicate with one another.

“As utilities upgrade their operations to effectively manage and integrate the next generation of distributed assets, standards like SunSpec and MESA, will be essential to successfully achieving the smart-grid vision,” says Craig Collar, assistant general manager of the Snohomish County Public Utility District and MESA Board Member.

A Technical Storage Working Group met weekly over the past nine months to draft the specification. The Working Group included input from a variety of industry participants and built upon SunSpec’s prior work on power meters and power conversion systems and then added battery models to that base.

“By using SunSpec’s protocols as the foundation, the group’s efforts were greatly accelerated,” says Tom Tansy, Chairman of the SunSpec Alliance. “SunSpec is proud to release the SunSpec Energy Storage Model adopted by MESA — it is a major energy storage industry innovation.”

The draft specification can be found on the SunSpec and MESA websites. The Technical Work Group will be accepting public input through the end of 2015.

Looking for more stories on energy storage? Try these:

SunSpec Announces New Energy Storage Models Specification

Samsung SDI, China’s Sungrow Partner On Energy Storage

SunPower And KB Homes Partner On Solar Energy Storage

FERC Affirms Support for Removing Market Barriers to Energy Storage

Solar Power World

APS will showcase its new YC1000 microinverter for the domestic market at Solar Power International, Oct. 20–23 in Las Vegas, booth 3124.

The YC1000 is the industry’s first 3-phase solar microinverter, handling 277/480 grid voltages with 900W maximum output, ZigBee communication and an integrated ground. Up to 11 units (44 modules total, 60- or 72-cell) can be linked in a single 15A circuit. Offered at a price point competitive with conventional “string” inverters, the microinverter is now available through the APS network of distributors and installers.

“The YC1000 is an innovative technology leap,” says Paul Barlock, APS America senior vice president. “With native 3-phase capability in a microinverter package, large-scale commercial customers now have a significantly better solution for distributed rooftop solar.”

Handling up to four PV modules per unit, the YC1000 microinverter offers 3-phase AC distribution designed to meet demanding commercial applications. Its proprietary, chip-based architecture was conceived and designed in the U.S. by APS engineers. Domestic rollout follows rigorous, successful testing in large solar installations overseas, says the company.

For more SPI coverage, try these articles:

Solar FlexRack To Introduce Ballasted Ground Mount At SPI

Continental Control Systems Demonstrates Enhanced Electric Power Meters & Current Transformers At SPI

Welcome To SPI — Here’s What You Need To Know

Solar Power World

Earlier in July, the he eagerly anticipated Yacht Club de Monaco in Monte Carlo held its first ever-solar powered boat race.

The competition known as Solar1 was founded by yacht company Nakhimov to showcase innovations and technology in solar power. The competition had an incredible first year involving 3 days of racing and participation from over 24 teams from all over the world. The event even held a kids solar race and a solar conference.

“Thanks to your ingenuity, your technical skills and scientific knowledge, you have shown that solar-powered propulsion is a very promising solution for the future – which I hope will be developed and applied in the leisure boat industry on larger vessels,” says Monte Carlo’s HSH Prince Albert II. “It gives me great pride to see our Principality reviving a golden age, remembering that in 1904 the first power-boat races held here made a significant contribution to the development of the combustion engine. Monaco remains at the forefront of new technologies in the motor-boat sector.”

From the 9th to 11th July 2015, Monaco will once again see teams from around the world descend to race in Port Hercules and Larvotto bay, in an even more thrilling and explosive event, for the Solar1 Monte Carlo Cup World Championship title. Next years edition will be even bigger with more global teams, higher speeds, more technological advances, more competition and tougher races.

The official invitation to participate in the Solar1 Monte Carlo Cup 2015 has been released, and several teams have already signed up to participate and defend their titles. Deadline for team participation is 1st November 2014.

“We are delighted to be invited back to host the 2nd edition of the Solar1 Monte Carlo Cup, in partnership with the Yacht Club de Monaco,” says Sergei Dobroserdov, CEO of Solar 1. “The support and feedback we received from our first event was incredible, and especially from top industry leaders and enthusiasts; this really validates all the hard work that went into the event. Solar1 are fearless and we strive for greatness, we insist on pushing boundaries and educating through global events.”

Solar Power World

SnapNrack, a leading manufacturer of solar panel racking systems, announced today that the company will be exhibiting at Solar Power International in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 21 to October 23, 2014.

The SnapNrack team will be ready to share the latest information about their new UL Listed systems, their Class A Fire Rating and new products including their tile roof hooks. SnapNrack will also feature a display to showcase their new Flat and S-Tile Roof Hooks. The innovative designs offer a strong, low-profile roof attachment solution for flat concrete roofing as well as S-shaped tile roofing. The tile roof hooks eliminate the need for cone flashing and required cutting and drilling of tiles. All new additions to SnapNrack’s product line are specifically designed to make the jobs of solar installers easier while reducing the time and cost of installing solar.

In addition to showcasing a variety of its new products SnapNrack will be conducting live demonstrations of the residential roof mount system with integrated wire management, snap-in channel nuts and integrated bonding pins that don’t require any drilling.

WHAT: Live demonstrations of installation

WHEN: Tuesday, October 21-22, 2014—11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. PST

WHERE: Booth 3112—Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV

For more information about Solar Power International, visit http://www.solarpowerinternational.com.

Solar Power World

NRG Energy has acquired Pure Energies Group, a residential solar company that focuses on web-based customer acquisition.

“While residential solar is being increasingly embraced by homeowners of all ages across the United States, buying over the internet is the acquisition channel of choice in particular for the younger generation of Americans for whom commitment to a sustainable lifestyle is a fundamental part of their DNA,” says David Crane, president and CEO of NRG Energy.

Pure Energies also complements NRG’s acquisition earlier this year of Roof Diagnostics Solar, a company in home solar direct sales and installation, and NRG’s own Residential Solar Solutions, which has focused on the financing and business operations associated with solar leasing. All of these capabilities and operations, combined as NRG Home Solar, create a one-stop shop for prospective solar customers, offering the optimal rooftop solar system customized to their homes and needs, says the company.

“Home solar is the gateway for most American consumers to join the growing movement toward a clean energy future, and the combination of Pure Energies’ rapid growing online footprint with our existing residential solar platform will enhance our ability to provide customers the freedom to make their own clean energy and capitalize on the energy generating potential of their own home,” says Crane.

Pure Energies and its proprietary customer acquisition process will help NRG Home Solar reduce customer acquisition costs while providing a simplified solar adoption process. Pure Energies’ online capabilities also are expected, ultimately, to provide a valuable sales channel for NRG’s Goal Zero line of portable solar and energy storage products and NRG’s retail businesses (NRG, Reliant and Green Mountain).

“We are focused on being a trusted energy advisor to help homeowners save money on their electricity bills while they invest in a more sustainable lifestyle,” says Zbigniew Barwicz, president of Pure Energies. “Being part of NRG Home Solar allows us to increase our abilities to support homeowners by facilitating the adoption of solar energy and home conservation products across the United States.”

Pure Energies advises homeowners on residential solar systems and home conservation products to help them save money and make a difference in their communities. The company, which previously also used the One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) brand, encourages customers to make smart decisions about home solar adoption. Through the company’s online platform, within minutes, Pure Energies is able to identify and provide a detailed analysis of the customer’s home solar feasibility versus their energy needs.

“NRG strives to provide customers with the easiest path to assess the benefits of home solar,” says Kelcy Pegler Jr., president of NRG Home Solar. “With Pure Energies’ wealth of experience in connecting consumers to their full energy potential, consumers will have greater access to meet their solar needs. Together, we will empower consumers to make smarter, better informed decisions as they move toward the clean energy economy.”

For more NRG related news, check out these articles:

NRG Home Solar Honored With Major Awards

NRG Energy Acquires Goal Zero

NRG Home Solar Launches Operations in Connecticut

Solar Power World

Blue Sky Energy, provider of off-grid solutions and Genasun, which specializes in solar charge controllers, announce a partnership to offer an extensive lineup of power electronics for the off-grid power and begin co-development of new off-grid products.

Through combining their product offerings, logistics management, and order processing, the Genasun-Blue Sky Energy partnership will streamline operations for distributors, dealers, and OEMs that serve off-grid power users with solar array sizes ranging from 5W to 1.6kW.

“Logistics can be a nightmare for distributors serving the off-grid community who have to deal with dozens of suppliers and thousands of products,” said Alex MeVay, Founder and CEO of Genasun. “The Genasun-Blue Sky Energy partnership will simplify sourcing for distributors as they now have a one-stop shop for all of their charge controller needs.”

“While power needs and technical requirements for off-grid loads vary widely, it is imperative that all off-grid products are reliable,” said John Vrahnos, Director, Global Sales & Marketing at Blue Sky Energy, Inc. “Genasun and Blue Sky Energy share rich histories in the off-grid space and a commitment to product durability. We’re excited to partner with Genasun because our product lines dovetail beautifully, which means distributors will have an easier time sourcing charge controllers for a wide variety of applications, including Recreational, Industrial, Street Lighting, Off-Grid, and Military. Genasun’s expertise in charging lithium batteries will allow us to provide excellent support to our own customers who are using advanced batteries.”

“We have a long history with both Blue Sky Energy and Genasun, so this partnership will definitely make life simpler for us,” said Paul Landino, General Manager at e Marine Systems. “We’ve distributed Blue Sky Energy charge controllers for over eight years, and we tested the Genasun controllers before they came to market. We like to offer a broad blanket of products to fit our customers’ needs and deliver the right solution for each customer. My job as a distributor will be a lot easier now that I can purchase and get support for all our charge controllers from one source.

“We are very excited to partner with Blue Sky Energy and offer off-grid customers a full lineup of robust and reliable controllers,” said MeVay. “Genasun has focused on efficiency and performance at extreme temperatures, while Blue Sky Energy has developed feature-rich products that give a great user experience – we’re looking forward to collaborating on developing off-grid products, combining the best from both companies to engineer products that are rugged, efficient, and easy to use.”

Solar Power World

Panel manufacturer JA Solar announced that it selected Tigo Energy to optimize its newly launched JA smart module line. The smart module product integrates Tigo’s technology into the junction box, resulting in high conversion efficiency, enhanced safety, improved panel-level monitoring, and the use of up to 30% longer strings.

“Smart modules are an important advance for the entire industry,” said Mr. Yong Liu, Chief Operating Officer of JA Solar. “Our smart modules are an exciting product that demonstrates our commitment to leading the industry through innovation. Tigo’s solution helps us meet our customers’ high expectations for functionality and reliability. Tigo is a valuable technology and marketing partner for us.”

JA Solar uses only the highest quality components from the best suppliers for its products. Technology from Tigo Energy meets this exacting standard. For instance, Tigo recently announced that its optimizing solution meets the NEC rapid shutdown requirements in the U.S., enabling JA’s smart modules to thus satisfy the requirements set by the new 2014 code. In general, all JA Solar products are manufactured through an automated, in-house procedure, which was inspected and certified by PI-Berlin and Solar-IF. In addition to successful PID certification, the Company’s products are certified by TÜV SÜD and ETL for long-term reliability, harsh climate environment endurance, and other additional certifications.

“We have worked hard to become the number one technology provider for the smart module industry,” said Zvi Alon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tigo Energy. “Selection by JA Solar of our technology strongly validates the technology and business model that we developed. We are excited to offer this integrated solution to our mutual customers.”

JA Solar’s smart module is available today and will be on display at the Solar Power International conference in Las Vegas from October 21 to 23, 2014.

Solar Power World

Solar solutions provider ecoSolargy has signed an agreement with solar financing provider Sunnova to provide modules to Sunnova installers. Sunnova accepted ecoSolargy into its solar partner program after a review of the company’s product offerings and bankability.

“We’re excited about joining Sunnova’s partner program, because it indicates that we deliver a high quality module at a competitive price,” remarked Alan H. Lee, ecoSolargy’s founder and CEO.

“Sunnova represents what we believe to be the best option in residential leasing with a superior platform that ensures customer satisfaction and increases the company’s ability to service the larger marketplace,” noted Peter DeFrank, ecoSolargy’s national sales manager.

ecoSolargy designs and manufactures monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels and is an authorized distributor for inverters (which convert solar power into usable electricity) and racking (to mount the panels). Its commercial and residential projects can be found throughout the United States. Sunnova is working toward becoming the largest residential power provider in the United States by handling all of its processing online to offer customers simple, straightforward solutions.

Solar Power World