Tigo Energy stated that never before did a single line of solar electronic component products address such a broad spectrum of horizontal stakeholders in each vertical market. The manufacturer explained its TS4 is a module-level platform of solutions, empowering manufacturers, distributors, installers, financiers, developers, homeowners, O&M providers, utilities and micro grids, with an open architecture device, which is nothing less than a solar operating system – PV 2.0 arrived. The solutions apply for all market segments; residential, commercial, and utility.
The TS4 is a unique hardware-software combination in the industry, replacing the traditional PV modules’ junction boxes with two, soon to be industry standard, key components, according to the manufacturer. The first is a universal TS4 base, which connects to the module and incorporates the power cables. The second is its mating detachable lid or cover, housing the application electronics. Together they form a new generation of junction boxes; flexible, replaceable and upgradable, accompanied by a powerful PV 2.0 communication-centric architecture backend.
Tigo said its TS4 is revolutionary by design, yet when examining its roots it’s clear that this is the most logical evolution from PV module and add-on power electronics. This next generation hybrid enables each TS4 base module to become Smart by changing its inherent functionality, at any given point of its life. Unlike its predecessors, TS4 does it without any additional cables, boxes or rewiring.
There are also no boxes involved. Why is it important? Tigo Energy explained that for a 500-kW, installation, competing solutions can include as many as 2,000 boxes (nearly 3,700 pounds) that will have to be carried to the site and later disposed of, which is easy to forget, and time-consuming once remembered. The additional cables add up to ~14,000 feet –increasing resistance and damaging performance.
The first five TS4 covers offered by Tigo include the following incremental functionalities; diode, monitoring, safety, optimization and longer strings. Finally the company explained a customer can select the exact functionality needed, for the exact budget; maximizing performance at optimal cost. The covers can mix and match, thanks to the universal base, open standard PV 2.0 communication protocol, and a state of the art optimization mechanism that can be selectively deployed.
Each TS4 cover with optimization capabilities is equipped with the new and improved Predictive IV technology, using module unique parameters and advance analytics based on historical module behavior statistics and patented Impedance Matching (as recently demonstrated by NREL to recuperate an average of 36% of the energy lost otherwise).
Deployment of Predictive IV accommodates selective placement as needed and can be applied to any module in a single string, therefore, minimizing the number of optimizers needed to gain the maximum energy generation, Tigo said. In other words, any PV Module in a string that is exposed to shade, higher temperature or has a higher mismatch characteristic with other modules, can be outfitted with TS4-O or TS4-L and gain the maximum energy generation efficiencies. This is by far the most cost effective solution that exists today to ensure maximum energy harvest. In fact, 3rd party tests are consistently showing a higher overall power boost with Tigo at as little as $0.05/watt.
Taking longevity and maintenance into account, tips the scale further towards TS4, even without the systems management features and sticking to the diodes cover – TS4-D. Functionality is identical to a traditional PV module, however in addition to having the option to upgrade or replace covers down the road; TS4 base modules have best-in-class thermal management. The Tigo TS4-D dissipates less heat on the back sheet of the modules than a traditional junction box, improving even a “standard” module’s reliability and performance over time.
