Nixon Power Services and KACO new energy have entered into an agreement to jointly pursue business opportunities that allow the deployment of simple, yet powerful AC microgrids by combining KACO’s PV solar inverters with generators and other sources of electricity using new controller technology patented by Nixon.
Nixon’s US Patents 8742620 and 8957546 establish method, control, and authority over the interaction between synchronous AC generator(s) and the solar derived AC output of grid connect DC/AC inverters when such devices are paralleled in the absence of utility furnished AC power.
Off-grid paralleling requires specific controls and current modulation to prevent damage to the components in a ‘microgrid’. Nixon patent technology meets these requirements, providing installation versatility, efficiency, reliability, and cost savings.
“Nixon patent technology not only saves significant amounts of fossil fuels” said Ken Cockerham, Nixon’s Executive Vice President, “it reduces the maintenance and life cycle costs associated with prime power generator operations, the heart of any microgrid.”
“It allows the operators of small, locally controlled, and independent microgrids to use maximum solar power available in place of carbon fuels that may be difficult to transport or expensive to use.”
“If you are electrifying a small remote village in Alaska, Nigeria, or anywhere off grid, reducing diesel fuel consumption that may cost $15/gallon or more, using PV solar derived AC power is a huge benefit. This is especially true when battery storage becomes optional – no longer required – for successful microgrid operations” Cockerham added.
“KACO new energy is very excited about the collaboration with Nixon and the opportunities that the combination of KACO’s advanced PV inverter technology with Nixon’s patented control technology present. Adding PV solar to legacy high-fuel cost generation methods is one of the most financially rewarding use cases. Payback times are generally measured in months rather than in years.”
Nixon and KACO new energy have begun work to develop applications of the new technologies for the world’s rapidly expanding microgrid markets. Energy consultants around the globe are projecting those markets are growing about 10 percent a year, to reach about $35 billion by 2022.
News item from KACO new energy