When owners decided to renovate a shopping center on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, their plans didn’t stop at the ceiling.
The expansive open rooftops at the multi-building complex offered perfect platforms for a new solar system to take advantage of the islands’ famous sunshine.
The 30-year-old shopping center on the Kamehameha Highway is an important commercial hub for the community, anchored by mainstays including Ross Dress For Less, 24-Hour Fitness and Foodland groceries. The center also offers an array of professional and financial services, popular retail outlets and eateries.
The project has become an ambitious proving ground for commercial solar power, and for APS microinverter technology – in terms of scale, and also because of Oahu’s nonstandard power grid voltages.
Three-quarters of the project operates at 277V AC, significantly higher than the 208V three-phase systems and 240V residential voltages standard in the continental US.
APS microinverters’ chip-based architecture allowed each unit to be specially programmed to easily accommodate the higher grid voltage – a flexibility built into each APS unit and unmatched by any other microinverter in the market.
“We’re the only microinverter that would work here,” said Tommy VanCleave, technical support manager for APS America. “We offered a technical solution that made this installation possible.”
In terms of scale, it is by far the largest domestic application of APS microinverter technology.
The system includes 3,046 PV panels by ReneSola, each offering up to 305W power output. The panel array is served by 1,523 APS YC500 dual-MPPT microinverters –- one for every two panels, representing significant cost savings and installation ease over other alternatives.
The proprietary APS microinverter design was also ideally matched to the large, 305-watt PV modules, and the greater AC output offered investors a significant ROI advantage over other inverters on the market.
Total system capacity is 929 kW, supporting the shopping center’s operations and putting power back into the local grid. Mall patrons are benefiting from Hawaii’s most abundant resource: the sun.
The project is now roughly 80 percent complete, with all 277V systems and one of two smaller 208V rooftop arrays now producing power.
The APS Energy Communication Unit software will provide real-time graphical monitoring of each rooftop system and individual PV modules within each array.
The early returns are strong — the system is actually outproducing the agreement between the shopping center and Pacific Power Renewables, putting more energy back into the system than originally envisioned.
“Overproduction – that’s great,” VanCleave said.
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Five common mistakes that can ruin your PV installation
/in Press CoverageYou don’t understand the voltages of microinverters in relation to modules. Microinverters operate in a specific voltage window, and give optimal performance with modules designed for the same range. Having an undersized or oversized module may affect production and potentially cause output “clipping.”
Mistake No. 2:
You think of monitoring as an “add-on” rather than an integral part of the system. The homeowner likes to know the solar array is working properly and efficiently, and the installer needs it to help diagnose problems (and possibly gives the installer a way to sell a service package). Some installers do not include monitoring in their installations, which leaves both installer and homeowner flying blind. Make monitoring a priority.
Mistake No. 3:
You install the gateway device in a poor location. Communication units that relay module performance data need to be sited properly to facilitate strong Power Line Communication between the PV system components.
Mistake No. 4:
You set up the communication unit incorrectly. Always make sure to designate inverter numbers and configure local grid parameters properly, to prevent crosstalk with other systems in the area.
Mistake No. 5:
You don’t know your local codes and jurisdictions. Some inspectors may be using 2008, 2011 or 2014 NEC codes, based on state adoption. This could affect the connections and any safety measures needed. Always make friends with the inspector.
APS microinverters the only solution for Hawaii shopping center
/in Case StudiesWhen owners decided to renovate a shopping center on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, their plans didn’t stop at the ceiling.
The expansive open rooftops at the multi-building complex offered perfect platforms for a new solar system to take advantage of the islands’ famous sunshine.
The 30-year-old shopping center on the Kamehameha Highway is an important commercial hub for the community, anchored by mainstays including Ross Dress For Less, 24-Hour Fitness and Foodland groceries. The center also offers an array of professional and financial services, popular retail outlets and eateries.
The project has become an ambitious proving ground for commercial solar power, and for APS microinverter technology – in terms of scale, and also because of Oahu’s nonstandard power grid voltages.
Three-quarters of the project operates at 277V AC, significantly higher than the 208V three-phase systems and 240V residential voltages standard in the continental US.
APS microinverters’ chip-based architecture allowed each unit to be specially programmed to easily accommodate the higher grid voltage – a flexibility built into each APS unit and unmatched by any other microinverter in the market.
“We’re the only microinverter that would work here,” said Tommy VanCleave, technical support manager for APS America. “We offered a technical solution that made this installation possible.”
In terms of scale, it is by far the largest domestic application of APS microinverter technology.
The system includes 3,046 PV panels by ReneSola, each offering up to 305W power output. The panel array is served by 1,523 APS YC500 dual-MPPT microinverters –- one for every two panels, representing significant cost savings and installation ease over other alternatives.
The proprietary APS microinverter design was also ideally matched to the large, 305-watt PV modules, and the greater AC output offered investors a significant ROI advantage over other inverters on the market.
Total system capacity is 929 kW, supporting the shopping center’s operations and putting power back into the local grid. Mall patrons are benefiting from Hawaii’s most abundant resource: the sun.
The project is now roughly 80 percent complete, with all 277V systems and one of two smaller 208V rooftop arrays now producing power.
The APS Energy Communication Unit software will provide real-time graphical monitoring of each rooftop system and individual PV modules within each array.
The early returns are strong — the system is actually outproducing the agreement between the shopping center and Pacific Power Renewables, putting more energy back into the system than originally envisioned.
“Overproduction – that’s great,” VanCleave said.
APS microinverters are Solar Builder’s cover story for July/August edition
/in Press CoverageThe cover story touts our advanced APS microinverter technology and the real per-watt costs savings that come with our dual-module microinverter units.
“Our big leap forward was to be able to do a dual that is not twice as big as the single,” APS CEO Kelly Samson says in the story. “There’s a lot of dual use of parts inside that box. The box is 60 percent bigger than a single. That does a lot of magic things for you — makes the box smaller and lighter, makes it more efficient, less costly to manufacture, cheaper to ship and we have a significant price advantage over the competition.”
Read the whole story here.
APS is coming to PV America
/in Events2014 Trends: Solar Module-Level Power Electronics – Solar Power World
/in Press CoverageProduct reliability distinguishes top microinverter brands, APS VP Michael Ludgate tells Solar Power World in a new article on MLPE trends. Read Micahel’s comments here.
Trends And Challenges Of Solar Inverters
/in Press CoverageLetting the sun shine in: Habitat for Humanity neighborhood gets solar panels
/in Press CoverageBlue Frog Solar and Habitat for Humanity have teamed up to bring solar to 32 new homes in Port Orchard (using APS microinverters, of course!), and we get great coverage in the Kitsap Sun newspaper. Read the whole story here.
Microinverter tech shines bright, APS VP Ludgate tells Solar Power World
/in Press CoverageAPS VP Michael Ludgate sees a bright future for microinverters in a new column at Solar Power World online.
“Microinverters have only scratched the surface of their potential, as focused research and development across the industry pushes this technology even farther forward,” Michael says.
Read the whole column at solarpowerworldonline.com.
THANK YOU to Solar Power World for inviting Michael and APS to share his insights on microinverter R&D and the module-level power electronics market’s exciting prospects!
Do We Need Solar Inverter Reliability Standards? Here’s What Manufacturers Think
/in Press CoverageAPS VP Michael Ludgate is among the industry elite invited to weigh in on solar equipment reliability standards at Solar Power World online:
Do We Need Solar Inverter Reliability Standards? Here’s What Manufacturers Think
“It is common practice in telecommunication and military power equipment to meet certain predictions on product life and reliability, better known as mean time before failure (MTBF) estimates. Some form of MTBF could separate the good from the bad and force solar module manufactures to address failures with analysis and constant product improvement.”
—Michael Ludgate, VP of Business Development, APS America
Read the whole article here.
APS USA co-founder Samson a serial solar entrepreneur
/in Press CoverageAPS America CEO Kelly Samson is featured in the latest issue of the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal for his leadership in the solar industry. Thanks to the Journal and writer Rodika Tollefson for the great coverage of APS and our solar future!
Click here to read the article