Photo courtesy of SolarMax
SolarMax recently introduced the SolarMax RX A, a powerful new central inverter for the U.S. market that addresses the needs of large-scale solar farms faced with increasing competition from conventional power plants.
Available in 500 kW or 600 kW versions, the RX A is an outdoor-rated central inverter that significantly reduces the system cost of large utility-scale projects through its flexible and modular design.
Delivering Affordable High Yields
The SolarMax RX A inverter consists of four independent power units (125 kW or 150 kW), each with an independent, fast and precise MPP tracker. The use of separate trackers minimizes power loss in the event of partial array shading caused by cloud movement or varying module orientation. The RX A also features independent DC wiring input, which eliminates the need for fuses and reduces balance of system (BOS) costs.
The RX A’s power system design also enables customers to connect multiple RX A units to one medium-voltage transformer winding to further reduce system cost. Additionally, the RX A delivers high efficiency and availability, as well as straightforward serviceability to lower lifetime costs, enabling large-scale solar power plants to produce power at competitive prices.
The design of each inverter includes an on-demand forced air-cooling system, which allows the inverter to operate in ambient temperatures up to 50° C. SolarMax’s RX A inverters are available as stand-alone units for pad mounting or as part of an Integrated Skid Solution (ISS). The ISS includes one to four RX A inverter units, a shared medium voltage (MV) transformer, and auxiliary transformers and power distribution to support monitoring or SCADA equipment. SolarMax provides flexible ISS options to meet plant and local utility needs.
Grid Management and Monitoring
Integrating large-scale PV plant-generated power into the existing grid infrastructure can be challenging. Solar farms must meet advanced grid requirements to help stabilize the grid. The RX A allows ride-through and active or reactive power control at the grid feed point, providing enhanced grid stability. For plant monitoring, SolarMax provides simple integration with extensive data logging systems.
“Solar farms must be installed in a cost-optimized manner and operated with the highest efficiency over a long lifetime in order to compete with conventional power plants,” says Walt Marusak, product manager, SolarMax. “Durable central inverters play a critical role in enabling PV plants to deliver sustainable high energy yields and the RX A is leading the field in terms of performance and grid integration capability.”
Want more? Try these articles:
SolarMax Offers HT series Inverter For Commercial Solar
Designing Solar High And Low