China-based Sungrow, manufacturer of PV solar inverters, is releasing three new, UL listed inverters for the North American market at SPI on October 21st, 2014:
• SG60KU: 60kW utility string inverter
• SG56KU: 56kW large commercial string inverter
• SG1000MX: 1MW central inverter
SG60KU
The SG60KU is the a utility string inverter, and can reach the 99% peak efficiency. As costs for large three phase string inverters come down, there has been a trend to use them on larger and larger projects, including ground mounted utility projects up to 10-MW in size.
The 1,000Vdc, 400/380Vac transformerless inverter’s lower output voltage allows for direct medium voltage transformer connection, and the built-in MC4 connector design enables 2 in 1 junction, speeding installation and reducing cost, as well as giving the advantage of a string inverter at central inverter pricing.
String level monitoring and MODBUS allow for full visibility on performance, and the product is utility ready with local and remote HVRT/LVRT/FRT, power, and PF controls.
It has a compact footprint with a sealed electronics enclosure thanks to advanced thermal and high power density design which also keeps the unit relatively light weight and able to be mounted almost anywhere.
SG56KU
The SG56KU is similar to the SG60KU, but optimized for commercial applications, with dual stages, 4 MPPT’s with a wider voltage window, 480Vac output, and 16 fused DC inputs with string level monitoring. It shares the same communication and control capabilities, as well as compact footprint with sealed electronics enclosure, and can be wall, pole, rack, or ground mounted. It can be mounted at an angle as well as horizontally (the SG60 also has this feature).
Sungrow’s SG56/60KU
These units are updated 2.0 versions of the 30 and 36kW series, which were released in Europe and Asia in 2012, and in North America in 2013, of which over 10,000 have been deployed (mainly in Germany and the US, two of the most competitive markets).
SG1000MX
Similarly, the SG1000MX 1MW central inverter is a 2.0 version of Sungrow’s successful and globally deployed 500, 750, and 800kW units. It can be mounted on turnkey, prefabricated and prewired 2MW skids with medium voltage transformers and auxiliary equipment to reduce on-site labor costs. Changes in air flow and cooling techniques allow for high power density. Able to produce 1100kVA at temperatures up to 50˚C, the 1,000Vdc transformerless unit comes with 8-12 fused DC inputs (or an optional breaker recombiner cabinet), DC switch, AC circuit breaker, full remote and local grid functionality, and many other features that lower installation and maintenance costs, such as side and bottom cable entry, front-side maintenance, and slide-n-swap IGBT power blocks.
“While inverters are relatively easy to make, great inverters come from experience,” said Mizhi Zhang, CEO of Sungrow North America. “With over 8GW deployed in over 50 countries since 1997, everything we’ve learned about design, quality control, real world conditions, and maintenance considerations have gone into these new products.”
Sungrow’s portfolio for inverters in North America now spans from 30kW strings to 1MW centrals and 2MW integrated power stations.