OutBack Power product manager Mara White
The increased interest in energy storage has put inverter and battery back-up companies like OutBack Power onto center stage. We spoke with product manager Mara White to find out more.
Solar Power World: How many years has OutBack been to Intersolar? And what are you planning to show visitors at your booth this year?
Mara White: OutBack has been either attending or exhibiting at the show for as long as Intersolar has been around (2008). Our featured product development is the FlexPower Radian series, which are pre-configured, pre-assembled and pre-wired systems built around our flagship Radian inverter/chargers in 8-kW and 4-kW versions. With the entire system (charge controllers, programmer, networking hub and load center) built onto a back-plane that can be hung on a wall, it’s the quickest path possible to installing and commissioning a custom-quality system while saving valuable on-site installation time. Also, the pre-testing ensures a more trouble-free installation process. We’ll also be showing developments in our OPTICS RE control and monitoring software.
SPW: How has the increased interest in solar storage affected attention on your company?
MW: It pulls us onto center stage because battery back-up has always been in OutBack’s DNA. Everything we do assumes an energy storage component, having come into the grid/hybrid category through our off-grid roots. It’s gratifying to see the microgrid-enabling technologies OutBack sells and supports throughout the developing world becoming the solution for implementing local energy storage in the developed world. We are seeing the same systems that improve quality of life in Pacific Island communities being used in suburban community centers.
FlexPower Radian series from OutBack Power
SPW: Why is it so important for inverters and storage to work together?
MW: For one thing, a storage system needs an inverter/charger to affect storage. But it’s critically important for every system component to work seamlessly and effectively, especially charge controllers because installers know that any problems in the system design are going to show up in the batteries first.
SPW: How can installers choose the best product for them?
MW: Knowledge is power, and that’s certainly the rule when it comes to power conversion. We provide education on a nearly monthly basis with our Certificate Training Program, a comprehensive NABCEP-registered installer school that teaches the theory and practice of storage-based system design and installation. This gives installers the right skills and tools to specify the ideal system for each customer and application.
Visit Mara and the OutBack Power team at Intersolar NA 2015 booth #8117.
