The Sheridan School in Washington, D.C., recently flipped the switch on a 3,800
square foot roof-mounted solar power array. This solar installation, comprised of 252
224 watt panels from Sharp Solar, is one of the largest in the District, and it will
provide 56 kilowatts of energy. Working with Rockville, Maryland-based Clean Currents
Solar, Sheridan was able to tap Washington, DC's $2 million-a-year Renewable Energy
Incentive Program (REIP) to help fund the project. The school is expecting a complete
payback of their investment in the solar array within ten years. Sheridan students
are particularly excited by plans to install a digital readout in the lobby of the
school and on the school's Web site that will allow real-time monitoring of the
output from each of the 252 solar panels. This capability is made possible by the
separate micro inverters installed on each of the 15-square-foot panels, a first for
a commercial-scale system in the area.
"Sharp is delighted to be a part of this project that will educate the Sheridan
School's students about renewable energy while simultaneously reducing the school's
carbon footprint," said Eric Hafter, senior vice president of Sharp Solar Energy
Solutions Group. "This project highlights what can be accomplished taking advantage
of the public programs that support the solar industry. In this case, the Renewable
Energy Incentive Program helps to drive home the importance of renewable energy
sources to students and in turn helps build a greener future. It's a win for the
students, for the school, for the nation's capital and for the future of our planet,"
he said.
"I'd be hard pressed to think of a better way to teach kids about both sound
environmental stewardship and smart economics than by lighting their learning
experience with solar power," said Lee Keshishian, president of Clean Currents Solar.
"This project, made possible by the partnership of The Sheridan School, Clean
Currents Solar, and the DC government's Renewable Energy Incentive Program, is a
great example of the long-term benefits of solar power to the community and the
environment."
"This project reflects the Sheridan School's long-term commitment to environmental
responsibility and sound economic planning," said Mike Stoll, director of finance and
operations at Sheridan. "At Sheridan, we see value in teaching our students to be
wise caretakers of the planet and responsible members of the community. For us, solar
power was not only the most environmentally responsible option and the best decision
for our students, it also made good economic sense."
2011年3月27日星期日
The Apple of Solar Energy? Enphase Applies Silicon Valley Smarts to Solar's Neglected Plumbing
When the sun shines, free electrons pour out of rooftop solar panels in the form of direct current (DC). But every light bulb, fan, and appliance in a house needs alternating current (AC), which reverses direction 60 times per second. And therein lies a huge headache for installers and owners of photovoltaic systems. The central "inverters" that turn solar DC into grid-compatible AC are among the most finicky and failure-prone parts of any solar installation. When they burn out, they put entire solar installations out of commission until they can be replaced, usually at a cost of several thousand dollars. Yet while solar panel manufacturers continue to invest in R&D to make photovoltaic cells more efficient, the old inverter box hasn't changed much in decades.
Until recently, that is. Befitting the Silicon Valley spirit, there's a Bay Area startup that's out to replace the big, dumb inverters attached to most solar energy systems with small, sleek, smart "microinverters." It's called Enphase Energy, and under its approach, each panel or module gets its own inverter. It's sort of like putting out lots of small bowls to catch the water from a leaky ceiling rather than running around with a single big pail.
Enphase's microinverters are full of custom microelectronics, so they cost more than traditional inverters. But the five-year-old startup in Petaluma, CA, which has raised about $100 million in venture capital, says the devices are more reliable than central inverters and can help harvest more energy from solar installations. Plus, they're easier for installers to work with, and they emit a constant stream of data that lets owners track performance down to the level of an individual panel. That gives the company an advantage that can be likened to Apple's emerging lead in the mobile computing market. And, as in the Apple case, Enphase's systems thinking and marketing savvy could end up helping it grab a huge share of a market that nobody else thought was ripe for disruption.
Traditionally, says Enphase CEO Paul Nahi, the larger the inverter, the less power is lost during conversion from DC to AC, which long pushed solar installers toward wiring panels in series and converting all the power at once—an average of 4.5 kilowatts per residential installation. "When you're dealing with that much wattage, you stress components," Nahi told me when I visited the company's headquarters a few weeks ago. "You generate a lot of heat in the central inverter, and heat is the single biggest enemy of reliability. But it had been drilled into [solar installers] that this is the way solar works. It never occurred to anybody that you didn't have to have that problem. And the technological leap required to solve that problem was so dramatic that it was never even discussed."
Enphase's achievement has been figuring out how to use sophisticated electronics to efficiently convert as little as 200 watts at a time—-the output of a single panel. That might mean using 20 or more microinverters in the place of a single central inverter, but the payoff comes in the form of productivity. If you wire panels the old-fashioned way—in series, like Christmas tree lights—it means that an entire array's output can only be as high as the lowest-performing panel. If one panel is dirty or shaded by trees, the whole array's output is lowered to the level of that panel. With microinverters, by contrast, each panel feeds power into the system independently, at maximum efficiency for its light conditions. "Greater energy harvest is the essential benefit," Nahi says.
Until recently, that is. Befitting the Silicon Valley spirit, there's a Bay Area startup that's out to replace the big, dumb inverters attached to most solar energy systems with small, sleek, smart "microinverters." It's called Enphase Energy, and under its approach, each panel or module gets its own inverter. It's sort of like putting out lots of small bowls to catch the water from a leaky ceiling rather than running around with a single big pail.
Enphase's microinverters are full of custom microelectronics, so they cost more than traditional inverters. But the five-year-old startup in Petaluma, CA, which has raised about $100 million in venture capital, says the devices are more reliable than central inverters and can help harvest more energy from solar installations. Plus, they're easier for installers to work with, and they emit a constant stream of data that lets owners track performance down to the level of an individual panel. That gives the company an advantage that can be likened to Apple's emerging lead in the mobile computing market. And, as in the Apple case, Enphase's systems thinking and marketing savvy could end up helping it grab a huge share of a market that nobody else thought was ripe for disruption.
Traditionally, says Enphase CEO Paul Nahi, the larger the inverter, the less power is lost during conversion from DC to AC, which long pushed solar installers toward wiring panels in series and converting all the power at once—an average of 4.5 kilowatts per residential installation. "When you're dealing with that much wattage, you stress components," Nahi told me when I visited the company's headquarters a few weeks ago. "You generate a lot of heat in the central inverter, and heat is the single biggest enemy of reliability. But it had been drilled into [solar installers] that this is the way solar works. It never occurred to anybody that you didn't have to have that problem. And the technological leap required to solve that problem was so dramatic that it was never even discussed."
Enphase's achievement has been figuring out how to use sophisticated electronics to efficiently convert as little as 200 watts at a time—-the output of a single panel. That might mean using 20 or more microinverters in the place of a single central inverter, but the payoff comes in the form of productivity. If you wire panels the old-fashioned way—in series, like Christmas tree lights—it means that an entire array's output can only be as high as the lowest-performing panel. If one panel is dirty or shaded by trees, the whole array's output is lowered to the level of that panel. With microinverters, by contrast, each panel feeds power into the system independently, at maximum efficiency for its light conditions. "Greater energy harvest is the essential benefit," Nahi says.
2011年3月22日星期二
National Semiconductor Introduces New SolarMagic ICs for Microinverter, Power Optimizer and Charge Controller Systems
National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: NSM) today introduced ten new SolarMagic™ integrated circuits (ICs), the first in a series developed to reduce cost, improve reliability and simplify design of photovoltaic (PV) systems. Ranging from the industry's first full-bridge gate driver to a micropower voltage regulator, the new ICs are well-suited for a variety of photovoltaic electronic applications, including those found in microinverters, power optimizers, charge controllers and panel safety systems.
"National now offers an extensive portfolio of analog and mixed signal ICs that provide manufacturers of microinverters with the robust, renewable energy grade ICs they need to ensure long-term operation," said Bill Mazotti, Solar IC Business Unit Director at National. "National's solutions for the photovoltaic space now include components for power optimizers, microinverters and inverters."
The new SolarMagic ICs are the first developed to meet photovoltaic renewable energy-grade qualification requirements. Each IC is engineered specifically for demanding rooftop environments that range from extreme cold to severe heat, and each passes rigorous testing with enhanced reliability specific to solar requirements. In addition, the ICs ensure long-term operation, developed to meet and exceed the 25-year life expectancy of photovoltaic modules.
Collectively provided as a complete design, SolarMagic ICs increase energy harvest, reduce cost per kilowatt-hour and improve safety in junction boxes and other types of enclosures. Used independently, the ICs provide high voltage and high current gate drive for microinverter or power optimizer designs.
"National now offers an extensive portfolio of analog and mixed signal ICs that provide manufacturers of microinverters with the robust, renewable energy grade ICs they need to ensure long-term operation," said Bill Mazotti, Solar IC Business Unit Director at National. "National's solutions for the photovoltaic space now include components for power optimizers, microinverters and inverters."
The new SolarMagic ICs are the first developed to meet photovoltaic renewable energy-grade qualification requirements. Each IC is engineered specifically for demanding rooftop environments that range from extreme cold to severe heat, and each passes rigorous testing with enhanced reliability specific to solar requirements. In addition, the ICs ensure long-term operation, developed to meet and exceed the 25-year life expectancy of photovoltaic modules.
Collectively provided as a complete design, SolarMagic ICs increase energy harvest, reduce cost per kilowatt-hour and improve safety in junction boxes and other types of enclosures. Used independently, the ICs provide high voltage and high current gate drive for microinverter or power optimizer designs.
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