Rable, a Dutch PV systems manufacturer, expanded its line of lightweight PV systems with a compact residential solution. “We created the RABLE2go system to address the growing frustration among households with long wait times for professional solar installers,” Nikki Hoexum, Rable Commercial Manager told pv magazine.
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The startup’s new rooftop system has two 350 W Canadian Solar panels, a Hoymiles HMS600 inverter, which limits system power to 600 W, and two ballast tanks.
Without ballast, the system weighs 55 kg and measures 270 cm x 173 cm x 34 cm. It comes with 5 m of cabling and does not require additional on-site wiring. It can be installed within 20 minutes and is easily moved, according to the company. The mounting rack is made of Magnelis-branded steel and aluminum.
“There are very clear safety guidelines for what to do and what not to do during installation with technical details on correct positioning and filling of ballasts, for example,” said Hoexum, adding that the unit price of €880 ($963.4) means that a small Dutch urban household should be able to recoup its investment within five years without subsidies.
Furthermore, Rable makes a material sustainability claim for its tiny rooftop system. The sub-structure is made of metal salvaged from the production line of its flagship Rable4roofs systems. To prevent overproduction and to produce only what is purchased, the system is sold on a pre-order basis. By selling via the company’s online shop, the company can seize the opportunity to offer a solution without the need for an electrical engineer or solar installer, according to Hoexum.
The residential rooftop system is an addition to the Delft-based company’s commercial and industrial (C&I) products, which have a size ranging from 10 m to 25 m. These ballast-free systems are lightweight and were conceived for roofs that cannot support more than 7 kg of ballast per square meter and made for East-West orientation. “We started installing the first large projects this year,” said Hoexum, adding that at the end of this month, the eighth project will be realized with two more planned for the end of December.
Its largest project to date is a 5,000-panel rooftop plant sold to Reginox, a Dutch kitchen cabinet company, following a pilot plot with 240 panels.
In May, Rable announced raising €2.5 million ($2.72 million) from Dutch investors. The plan is to develop the domestic and Belgian markets as a first step, followed by Sweden, France and Germany later on.
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@pv-magazine: Have you done or can you do a feature on “Balkon Solar”.
Solar module wholesale costs in China: €120/KW
Solar module wholesale costs in Rotterdam: €160/KW
Solar PV costs on roof (with inverter etc): €3000/KW
Part of the answer problem is Balkon solar, which comes it at about €1000/KW (including inverter), because it’s self installed. But limited to 600W (German Rule). Or is it 800W (EU rule).
And what if someone couples a 3KW array with a battery, and a maximum output of 800W to the plug. Is that allowed?
There have been so much advancements in PV in just last few years that is helping ditching the fossil fuels.