Advanced Energy Sets Industry Record for Solar Inverter Efficiency
May 11 2011 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: AEIS), today announced
that its 500kW Solaron® PV inverters have achieved a 98 percent
efficiency rating from the California Energy Commission (CEC), a
record breaking efficiency rating for any inverter in this power
class. Advanced Energy also held the previous industry benchmarks
of 97 percent and then 97.5 percent. By achieving 98 percent
average efficiency without carve-outs for auxiliary power or other
adjustments, the company is further distancing its products from
competitors in the large commercial and utility-scale solar
inverter market.
500kW Solaron(R) PV inverters achieve a
98 percent efficiency rating from the California Energy Commission
(CEC) (Photo: Business Wire)
Inverter efficiency determines the amount of energy converted
from a solar array to power that is delivered to the system owner,
financier, or utility. Each percentage increase in efficiency leads
to additional kilowatt-hours of energy produced, resulting in more
cash and RECs generated from a solar PV system. By improving peak
energy efficiency to 98.7 percent and weighted efficiency to 98
percent, which is one to three percentage points higher than
comparable commercial and utility-scale solar PV inverters,
Advanced Energy’s new Solaron 500 HE inverters can generate more
cash-flow for project developers, owners and financiers.
“Efficiency is a key metric in determining the energy output of
a solar PV system, with higher efficiencies possibly leading to a
higher internal rate of return for a project owner or investor,”
said Jim Hines, research director at Gartner. “When properly
balanced with cost and long-term reliability, incremental gains in
efficiency can lead to a significant improvement in project
profitability. Solar project owners, investors and other
stakeholders should consider the efficiencies of individual system
components when evaluating the levelized cost of electricity
production from a PV system.”
The CEC is the leading North American agency to review, compile
and approve inverters for commercial use. The CEC posts ratings for
hundreds of inverters that have been approved by certified testing
facilities. Commercial and utility-scale inverters with current CEC
ratings can be found at:
http://www.gosolarcalifornia.org/equipment/inverter.php.
“While many look at efficiency as a technical milestone, this is
really a financial and business milestone for the solar PV
industry,” said Gregg Patterson, executive vice president and
general manager Advanced Energy Renewables. “Solar developers and
project financiers know that by using Solaron inverters, they can
generate a higher financial return from their installations. This
benchmark is a testament to our product development team and the
collaboration between Advanced Energy and its partners to develop
real-world solutions that deliver better LCOE for our
customers.”
The company’s renewables business is driving the adoption of
solar by lowering the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for our
customers. By providing reliable, easy-to-install Solaron® and PV
Powered™ inverters and SiteGuard® whole-site O&M services, AE
enables utility-scale, commercial, and residential solar project
developers to maximize the lifetime value of their power plants.
Customers count on AE as a trusted partner leveraging 30 years of
innovation leadership and global services infrastructure for
optimum project performance. For more information on Advanced
Energy’s inverter solutions, please visit
www.advanced-energy.com/renewables
About Advanced Energy
Advanced Energy (Nasdaq: AEIS) is a global leader in innovative
power and control technologies for high-growth, thin-film
manufacturing and solar-power generation. Founded in 1981, Advanced
Energy is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado with dedicated
support and service locations around the world. For more
information, go to www.advanced-energy.com.
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