Inverters

Scientists in India have tested a new inverter topology with a single-phase, induction-motor water pump. The seven-level inverter, with five power semiconductor switches, is said to be particularly efficient at reducing switching losses thanks to a pulse width modulation technique.

Lack of flannel in the latest quarterly and full-year filing indicates the Israeli inverter maker is happy the figures speak for themselves. The company is in an expansionary mode as it enters the energy storage and electrical vehicle markets with cash from its financial warchest.

Japanese researchers have investigated the effectiveness of SiC devices in sub-kilowatt applications. A 790g device was tested in a mini PV generator system which included a battery and maximum power point tracker circuit in the same housing. Compared to traditional mini inverters the SiC device showed 3% higher efficiency.

The German inverter maker last year saw shipments and revenue rise by 35% and 20%, respectively. The company claims measures taken to reduce its cost structure are bearing fruit.

The manufacturer said its new hybrid device includes a maximum power point tracking system, which makes it ideal for east/west oriented rooftop PV systems. The inverter is available with power outputs of 3 kW and 6 kW and is compatible with most lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries that are made by leading storage specialists.

The approach combines virtual impedance and a modified pulse-width modulation strategy to suppress fault currents in grid-connected PV systems.

The Italian manufacturer said the product is based on a technical solution previously used for power downgrading. The device is said to be ideal for projects at altitudes greater than 1,000m.

At its recent “Analyst Day” presentation, the company also showed off a 640 W two-module commercial inverter, as well as an “Ensemble in a Box” solar+storage package for two PV modules.

Intersolar Europe is always a key date in the solar calendar but this year’s show had it all, including three panel-smuggling arrests. Elsewhere, wafers were getting bigger, efficiency records were tumbling and new technologies were emerging. There was also more news on the solar car ports fad and Hanwha’s ongoing legal tussle.

The first part of pv magazine’s review of 2019 considers Q1, when solar early adopter Italy offered an optimistic start to the year by fleshing out its plans for PV but uncertainty still clouded the world’s biggest solar market. The potential for household solar installations to rocket the world over – helped by ever cheaper panels – prompted strategic decisions in the inverter market and analyst expectations were confounded as the cobalt and lithium price plummeted, bringing the EV revolution a big step nearer.