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Xantrex Technology has signed contracts with EDF Energies Nouvelles subsidiary enXco worth at least $1.5 million to supply commercial three-phase photovoltaic inverters for a trio of large-scale solar-power projects, one in California and two in New Jersey.

Sandra Biner, marketing manager for enXco, told PV-Tech that there was an additional project not mentioned in the original press release. She also provided details on the three projects where the Xantrex inverters have been deployed:

• The 1.25-MWp Sacramento Soleil ground-mounted system in Wilton, CA (which became operational in July).
• The 1.9-MWp Hall's Warehouse rooftop installation in South Plainfield, NJ (which is "on schedule" to come online by year's end).
• The 650-KWp Bayshore Recycling roof-mounted project in Keasbey, NJ (which is expected to produce energy in December, according to enXco).

The projects employ tens of thousands of First Solar thin-fim CdTe PV modules, with a few thousand Uni-Solar a-Si TFPV flexible laminates also integrated in the Hall's system.

"We chose Xantrex inverters for these large installations because of the efficiency and high voltage of the commercial units," said Tristan Grimbert, president/CEO of enXco. "We believe Xantrex’s high-quality products combined with enXco’s expertise in project design, development, and management will result in energy-efficient and cost-effective solar energy systems at each of the project sites."

The Xantrex GT250 (250-KW) grid-tie commercial solar inverters selected for the enXco projects incorporate an advanced maximum power point tracking algorithm to maximize the energy harvested from a PV array. To reduce power losses during the conversion process, the inverter uses the latest switching devices and a high-efficiency transformer to achieve a weighted CEC efficiency of 96%, according to the company.

The inverters and subcomponents are also thoroughly evaluated using highly accelerated life testing protocols to ensure system reliability.

Xantrex, headquartered in Vancouver, BC, was acquired by Schneider Electric in September and operates as a subsidiary of the global energy management company.