TMEIC receives orders for 1500V DC photovoltaic inverters in the US

Toshiba Mitsubishi Electric Industrial Systems (TMEIC) announced on June 6 that it has received an order for a photovoltaic inverter (PCS) with a DC 1500V specification and a rated output power of 2.7MW for a million-volt photovoltaic power plant to be built in northern Colorado, the United States. The DC circuit specification of million-volt photovoltaic power plants in the United States is transitioning from 1000V to 1500V. This is the first time that a Japanese company has received an order for a 1500V PCS.

Appearance of "SOLAR WARE 2700" (Source: TMEIC)

TMEIC received an order for 1500V PCS from the U.S. subsidiary of Germany's juwi, which has a world-leading track record in renewable energy development and construction. The order is for 12 "SOLAR WARE 2700" units to be delivered to a 30MW photovoltaic power plant by the end of June 2016.

The rated output power of this model is 2.7MW, which is said to be the world's largest single-unit capacity for DC 1500V PCS. The large capacity can reduce the number of PCS installations, and by increasing the voltage of the DC circuit, it can also reduce the number of peripherals such as step-up transformers, switch devices and cables, and the workload of installation and wiring, which can reduce the construction cost of photovoltaic power plants.

The "SOLAR WARE 2700" is said to be designed to operate in an ambient temperature range of -20°C to 50°C, and can cope with harsh environments such as deserts. In addition, it uses "fanless technology" that allows 50% of the rated output to be operated in natural cooling. The conversion efficiency is 98.8%, which is the world's top level.

Currently, the voltage on the DC circuit side of megawatt-hour photovoltaic power plants in Japan and abroad is 1000V as the mainstream, but as a next-generation system aimed at improving efficiency and reducing construction costs, the construction of a system with a DC 1500V has attracted global attention. Compared with 1000V, the 1500V system can not only improve the efficiency of the entire equipment, but also reduce construction costs through the intensification of equipment and the reduction of engineering work.

The United States has made the fastest progress in introducing 1500V systems. TMEIC believes that "the introduction of 1500V systems in the United States will accelerate from 2016, and will account for more than half of the newly built 1 million photovoltaic power plants in the second half of 2017." In addition, the company believes that "Japan, India and China are also discussing the introduction of 1500V systems, which will become the mainstream of the global 1 million photovoltaic power plant system in a few years."