SolarEdge Technologies Inc exhibited its DC-DC converter for photovoltaic (PV) power systems at PV EXPO 2010, a trade show that took place from March 3 to 5, 2010, in Tokyo, Japan.
Unlike power conditioners, the converter, "PowerBox," is connected to each PV panel. SolarEdge has already built an office in Japan, planning to enter the Japanese market.
The PowerBox is a kind of micro converter, which is used for each PV panel (See related article). It consists of a DC-DC converter that can rise and lower voltage, the "Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)" circuit to maximize the output of PV cells and diodes for rectification.
In other words, it does not have DC-AC converter. Therefore, an inverter and a function to work with the electricity grid of a power company are required.
The advantage of the PowerBox is that it carries out MPPT for each PV panel. When a power conditioner is used to carry out MPPT for multiple panels, it sometimes does not work well in the case where part of the panels are shadowed. If MPPT is conducted for each PV panel, this problem can be mitigated.
"With the PowerBox, it is possible to increase the electric energy obtained from a PV power system by up to 25%," SolarEdge said.
In Europe and the US, many manufacturers are shipping such micro converters. But the SolarEdge's product has a communication function, and its operation can be monitored by using a Web browser. Also, it has a capability to automatically stop a PV panel from generating electricity when the inverter would not function well.
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