US solar optimiser manufacturer Ampt has announced plans to deliver 195MW of string optimisers to what it has called a “utility-scale solar-plus-storage project” in North America.
The optimisers improve the overall efficiency of a solar-plus-storage facility by tracking the power output of individual strings within PV modules, and transferring this power to a DC bus, the power distribution system often used in solar modules. Electricity transferred to the DC bus is done so at a high, fixed voltage, which could improve the power output of the entire system.
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This process, known as “maximum power point tracking”, is particularly useful in solar-plus-storage projects where storage systems use DC, the same form of electricity produced by the solar modules. While AC storage systems are easier to install than systems which use DC, systems which use DC generally have a higher conversion efficiency, and as the solar sector looks to optimise its operations, these systems could be more commonplace in the future.
The company also claims that, by tracking individual strings within the modules, its optimisers improve the tracking resolution by up to 300 times, compared to systems that use central inverters for tracking.
“Ampt string optimisers support a growing number of solar-plus-storage systems, ensuring the system performance is never compromised and that renewable energy can be stored to be used later when it’s needed most,” said Ampt CEO Levent Gun.
When asked about the specifics of the solar-plus-storage project, Ampt would not provide details beyond its location in North America. However, the region is primed for considerable growth in the solar and storage sectors in the coming years, with many commenters expecting some of the more impactful benefits of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to come into effect from 2024 onwards.
The news also follows Ampt’s release of its i50 string optimiser last week, which builds on its i32 model that has been deployed at a number of solar-plus-storage projects around the world, including a 390MW project in Chile that has the largest capacity of any such projects in the country.
The company’s latest releases coincide with its presence at RE+, one of the largest renewable energy conferences, currently underway in Las Vegas, in the US. The event has already seen tracker manufacturer Nextracker open a new manufacturing facility in the city, and more updates, especially concerning manufacturing and production in the US in the wake of the IRA, are expected to follow.