Advanced Energy Industries will feature its horizontally mounted string inverter at Solar Power International (Booth #551) in Las Vegas. The new inverter accessory enables solar installers, site designers and project developers to conserve space and increase project yield using an innovative technique to install the Advanced Energy (AE) AE 3TL string inverter in a 0° to 30° orientation. Already field proven at sites across North America, the compact and cost-effective solution is commercially available for AE 3TL 12 kW, 16 kW, 20 kW and 23 kW models.
The AE 3TL Horizontally Mounted String Inverter Accessory
As a result of the increased popularity of large-scale commercial rooftop designs using three-phase string inverters, AE developed an innovative mounting solution to tackle one of the critical challenges of roof-mounted inverters—the shade cast by the inverters on the photovoltaic (PV) array. The functional design in the horizontally mounted 3TL solution provides balance-of-system cost savings and reduces shading setbacks for additional surface space for up to two additional 300 W PV modules per inverter when compared with competing angled mounting systems. The solution is particularly ideal for projects that require NEC 2014 code compliance, which specifies string inverters in roof-mounted installations must be installed within 10 feet of the array. The mounting flanges are compatible with DURA-BLOK® and UNISTRUT® hardware, enabling site-specific, customized mounting.
The AE 3TL Inverter
The AE 3TL inverter is a reliable three-phase string inverter that can be installed in a distributed architecture throughout a solar array to save space and increase project yield. The inverter can be applied to projects of wide-ranging sizes, from small commercial rooftops to large, multi-megawatt, ground-mount systems. The AE 3TL inverter is UL-certified, with a CEC-rated efficiency of 98 percent and versatile data monitoring options. The product delivers key features to reduce LCOE and increase energy harvest.