Power-One Launches Second Micro Inverter Generation
Power-One, Inc. announced the second generation of its micro-inverters, the improved AURORA MICRO-0.3-I and AURORA MICRO-0.25-I.
With an output of 300 and 250W respectively, the new products benefit from Power-One’s experience gained during the last twelve months of designing and testing. Compared to the previous version, the micro-inverters offer a broader dc input voltage range with a maximum of 65Vdc, an extended MPP DC voltage range and an enhanced MPPT control with reduced dc input current ripple. Moreover, the new units reach best-in-class efficiency ratings of up to 96.5 percent.
"How micro-inverters will be incorporated into the solar installations of the future is currently one of the hot topics within the Residential PV industry", said Paolo Casini, Vice President, Product Marketing at Power-One. "As the devices are directly connected to each individual solar panel, there is no need for string sizing nor to stand to any constraint in terms of topology and orientation of the PV modules not to mention the reduction of the effect of module aging. Moreover, Power-One’s AURORA MICRO micro-inverters offer many benefits to small rooftop installations including the speed and ease of installation, increased control of individual panels and maximized energy harvesting for every installation – regardless of its size."
"It is our belief that micro-inverters will soon become a very popular option for residential installers as the setup times will be reduced without affecting the installation’s energy harvesting capablities. In addition, micro-inverters also reduce the susceptibility to fault: in case of a component failure only the energy produced from the affected PV module will be lost." Casini concluded.
One of the main benefits of equipping each module with its own micro-inverter is that each panel benefits from a separate MPPT, which creates the optimum power curve for any light conditions. This does not only minimize efficiency losses from partial or temporary shading, but also from panel mismatching. Moreover, the units ensure system expandability at panel level without the hassle of string re-sizing or panel matching.
Additional features of the AURORA MICRO micro-inverters include a rugged outdoor enclosure and HF isolation allowing to fit any application which requires the grounding of either one of the dc input terminals. The units are electrolyte-free to further increase the product lifetime and long term reliability. As there are no high voltage DC BoS components, the installation of the micro-inverters is very easy. A proprietary wireless communication hub and grid interface which is included in the package further simplifies the set-up of the devices. To allow for easy and fast controlling of the energy harvest produced by a single module or the entire plant, Power-One’s micro-inverters can be linked to the internet with the AURORA CDD monitoring device.
More news and information regarding the latest developments in Smart Grid electronics can be found at Darnell’s SmartGridElectronics.Net.
