Eaton Launches Utility-Scale Inverter Technology for Wind and Solar Customers
Eaton Corp. introduced advanced utility-scale inverter technology in its new Series 6001 energy storage grid-connect inverter, engineered to provide improved power stability for wind and solar energy customers. The Series 6001 features proprietary electronics that the company says make it one of the most efficient inverters in the renewable power market.
"With the recent IE Power acquisition, Eaton is now combining strong design capabilities with an established product platform to deliver dependable and efficient inverters for utility-scale customers," Chris Thompson, business unit manager at Eaton. "As a result, Eaton’s reliable energy storage power conversion solutions provide customers with flexible energy management for more reliable and efficient power."
The Series 6001 provides high-performance conversion in utility applications for wind, solar and other heavy industrial power applications by creating a high-performance link between the power source and battery. The Series 6001 helps utilities reduce downtime and clear faults faster by staying on line during fault conditions. True low-voltage ride through (LVRT) with proprietary algorithms enables the Series 6001 inverter to run near zero line voltage for extendedperiods, while maintaining line synchronization. Additionally, high-voltageride through (HVRT) capability is achieved through conservatively rated components.
Eaton ride through capabilities meet the requirements of North American and European standards: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Bundesverband der Energie und Wasserwirtschaft (BDEW), and E-ION. These standard compliance settings are field selectable to match site requirements.
Engineered for utility-scale grid-connect battery applications, the Series 6001 inverter is designed to allow customers to achieve full battery storage potential because of a large direct current (DC) operating voltage window. Eaton power electronics switching techniques result in lower losses and improved efficiency.
A four-quadrant inverter for battery charge and discharge, the Eaton Series 6001 is engineered to withstand demanding applications with a rugged design. The enclosure is designed to meet a seismic zone 4 rating and is available as indoor or outdoor rated. The dust-tight section protects the liquid-cooled inverter and electronics control components from harsh and dusty environments. Additionally, a vented section houses robust air-cooled magnetics.
The Series 6001 is rated for 500 kilowatt (kW), 1000 kW and 1500 kW applications. Designed for a 20-year life for utility applications, the Series 6001 has conservativelyrated magnetics, liquid-cooled power modules with over seven million hours mean time between failure (MTBF) and a rugged enclosure for demanding environments. Additionally, the transformerless design, proprietary control strategies and filter design result in over 98 percent peak power efficiency.
Eaton grid-connect inverters provide the required grid support, including: low, zero and high voltage ride through; standalone/black start operation; islanding detection; utility communication; and full four quadrant operation.
In conjunction with a system supervisory controller and feedback from the point of common coupling (PCC), additional grid support features can be achieved. These include: peak power shaving, load leveling, grid frequency regulation and voltage control.
The highly configurable Series 6001 interface enables communications and control of the inverter through a variety of links. By connecting to a system supervisory controller, transmission providers are able to send commands and receive data.
More news and information regarding the latest developments in Smart Grid electronics can be found at Darnell’s SmartGridElectronics.Net.
