During webinar carried out by Solis, the company's electrical engineer Pedro Almeida commented on the company's new bets for photovoltaic solar plants in Brazil in 2021, and highlighted 1500 V inverters as a market trend.
“These two models (250 kW and 255 kW) that we are launching are the largest string inverters in the world. But here comes the question: why use a string photovoltaic inverter and not use a centralized, higher power one?”, asked Almeida.
“The string inverter has a series of advantages compared to the centralized one, such as a greater number of MPPTs. In this 255 kW model, it has 14 – the largest number of MPPTs in the world – and a total of 28 DC inputs, allowing greater flexibility for the project”, he highlighted.
Furthermore, the specialist said that such equipment also provides greater flexibility in installation, as they weigh less and, consequently, are easier to transport. “They are also products that do not require a 'combiner box', that is, you can connect the modules directly to the inverter.”
But why operate at 1500 V and not at a lower voltage, which would be a safer level? “There are a few reasons for this. First, with a higher voltage of 1500 V we were able to build longer strings, we were able to reduce the number of strings in parallel and we also had a reduction in cabling costs and also in the protection system”, explained the engineer.
Other features
Below are other characteristics highlighted by Pedro Almeida in relation to 1500 V inverters:
- Maximum efficiency of 99%;
- Allows overloading greater than 200%, if necessary;
- Compatibility with high power modules, above 500 W, and bifacial;
- Continuous output capability at high temperatures, meaning they can operate efficiently even in the most hostile environments. For example, at 50 °C the output power will generate 220 kW. Compared to other models available on the market, it is the highest power value at this temperature;
- Fuse-free and maintenance-free design;
- IP66 protection for outdoor installations and harsh environments;
- Built-in Anti-PID function to improve system efficiency. As the inverter stops generating energy, when it gets dark, for example, it activates this function to minimize losses due to the PID effect;
- Supports “Y” connection on the DC side, as it has a higher input current – up to 13 A;
- It has a spare interface for connecting a DC storage system and supports reactive compensation function (SVG) and connection to weak networks;
- For each MPPT an input current of up to 26 A is possible;
- Rated AC voltage of 800 V.
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