New Technologies
and Developments Solar Focus 2014
Tim Bagley, Alexandria Emerging Technologies Center
Mike Chagala, Sullivan Solar Power
Whitman Fulton, Infinite Invention
Brent Hollenbeck, USPV
Michael Rogerson, SolarEdge
Moderator:
Meter Collar Technology for Rapid PV Integration
11/18/14
Meter Collar: The ConnectDER™
4
Installer Applications
5
Interface
Internals Circuit Breaker
Hardware
6
Utility Applications
7 Image credit: Stefan’s photostream @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/st3f4n/4166307741/
Connection
Software
8
Metering
Status
Black Start DMS Asset Inverter Comms
Projects and Partners
9
November 23, 2014 USPV Confidential & Proprietary 11
Brent Hollenbeck
www.uspvinc.com
Making Solar Simple
USPV Overview
• Founded in 2008 with the goal of Making Solar Simple for PV owners via
turn-key SREC management
• Historically focused on Maryland, DC and Pennsylvania solar market but
now active in various REC markets across PJM
• Clients include municipalities, blue-chips, home owners and everything
in-between
• Competitive advantage
– Understanding of the market place and a track-record of delivering
excellent customer results. 97% customer retention rate
– Collaboration with developers, installers & IPPs to get projects built
– DE-MAP software yields automation and scalability
November 23, 2014 USPV Confidential & Proprietary 12
How The Grid Works
• Reduce kWhs
• Generate kWhs
• Reduce kW demand
charge
November 23, 2014 13
Behind The
Meter In Front Of The
Meter • Whole sale energy
• Capacity
• Ancillary services
• Reserve
• Regulation
Straddling The
Meter • Renewable Energy
Credits
• Demand Response
Next-generation solar projects – that include storage and dispatch
capable inverter - will further blur the line regarding what DG assets
can do
Software As The “Killer App”
• A Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS) is
middleware software solution that sits between Distributed Energy
Resources (DERs) and the grid to which they connect
November 23, 2014 USPV Confidential & Proprietary 14
• EPRI’s Integrating Smart Distributed Energy
Resources with Distributed Management System,
does a good job describing the need for a DERMS
• The same DE-MAP software that USPV uses to
manage RECs is being expanded to provide turn-
key management of more complex solar projects
• Aggregation
• Real-time economic dispatch
• Customer reporting and payment
November 23, 2014 USPV Confidential & Proprietary 15
As part of
it’s goal of
Making
Solar
Simple,
USPV
services
will
increasingl
y include
turn-key
manageme
nt of more
attributes of
a PV
system
Software As The “Killer App”
©2014 SolarEdge
OPTIMIZE YOUR
BUSINESS
Maximize System Size
Flexible Design
Less Truck Rolls
Comprehensive
Service
Bouygues Construction
| 17 ©2014 SolarEdge
SolarEdge Overview
20% Market Share in the US Residential Market
3rd Largest inverter supplier to the US Residential
market
80% Market Share of Global DC Optimizer
Market
4M optimizers & 150k inverters representing
1GW+ of power
Residential, Commercial, and Utility solutions
US Headquarters in Silicon Valley, California
| 18 ©2014 SolarEdge
Residential PV Embraces MLPE
MLPE: Module Level Power Electronics growing
End 2013: Nearly 2 out of 3 installs in US residential market use MLPE
Today: MLPE represents 2 out of top 3 suppliers to US residential market
GTM Research: US PV Leaderboard (Q2, 2014)
GTM Research: The Microinverter and DC Optimizer Landscape 2014
MLPE Traditional
| 19 ©2014 SolarEdge
SolarEdge Residential System
Power Optimizer
Inverter 3-11.4kW
Monitoring
| 20 ©2014 SolarEdge
More Power per String (600V)
21 modules
13 modules
60% longer strings means lower BOS costs: less wiring, combiner boxes and fuses
| 21 ©2014 SolarEdge
More Power per Module
SolarEdge solution
Traditional String Inverter
SolarEdge frees the modules to produce maximum power They are no longer affected by neighboring modules
| 22 ©2014 SolarEdge
Safer Installations
SafeDC™: Optimizers and dc cables drop to 1 Vdc if inverter is off
Array is de-energized to <30 Vdc
No high Vdc during installation, maintenance or firefighting.
Courtesy of Eco Solar
| 23 ©2014 SolarEdge
PV Safety: 2014 NEC
Operating Voltage Rising: 600V to 1000V
PV voltages climb When OFF (Voc)
PV voltages climb When cold (water)
Rapid Shutdown Introduces the idea of Service Voltage
Control mechanism required at the array: <30 Volts within 10 seconds
Draft 2017 NEC: extends reach of rapid shutdown to within the array
| 24 ©2014 SolarEdge
PV Intelligence
Inverter is “Brains of PV Array”
Inverter is now growing a nervous system
Extending to modules:
Integrated monitoring: eyes and ears
Increased flexibility: using PV in more places
Increased energy: high resolution harvesting
Increased safety: able to de-energize
Extending to Grid:
Reactive to grid saturation
Dispatch power to home; storage; grid
Help regulate grid voltage and frequency
| 25 ©2014 SolarEdge
Thank You!
Thanks to our sponsors!
Thanks to our sponsors!
Thanks to our sponsors!
Thanks to our sponsors!