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Design & Installation
Booming demand for large-scale PV power plants in the US has required an evolution in solar project developers’ and contractors’ approaches to system design and engineering. Today, not just pure-play solar enterprises but, in growing numbers, power plant construction...
Racking
When selecting array racking and mounting systems for pitched-roof applications, the optimal solution relies on many factors, including structural requirements, aesthetics, ease of installation, wire management and module grounding, roof clearances and compatibility with...
Solar Heating
A fundamental challenge with implementing financing models in the solar water heating market segment is quantifying the energy a given system produces or offsets. Unfortunately, measuring the energy residential and commercial solar heating systems produce is not always a...
Design & Installation
PV system designers and installers tend to treat the impact distributed power generation has on the electric power grid as an afterthought. This article discusses the basic architecture of the electric power system in the continental US and explains why PV systems can...
Project Profiles
Cathartes Private Investments and Nexamp teamed up to develop, build, finance and operate the 4.5 MWdc Westford Solar Park. The installation is located on a portion of a 115-acre industrial site, 27 miles northwest of Boston.
Project Profiles
In December 2012, LightWave Solar commissioned a ground-mounted PV system at the University School of Nashville’s (USN) Athletic Campus.
Industry Interviews
For the first 3 years of its existence, Blue Oak Energy was a company with just one employee: Tobin Booth, its founder and now CEO. Today, Blue Oak Energy employs some 50 electrical, civil, structural and mechanical engineers, and also provides project installation and O...
Product Launches
KACO new energy has announced the availability of its blueplanet M series inverters equipped with an integrated Tigo Energy Maximizer Management Unit (MMU).
Product Launches
The introduction of the Slimline Series source-circuit combiners by Shoals Technologies Group adds a low-cost, compact combiner line to the company’s existing product family.
Product Launches
Creotecc USA recently announced that its complete product line of clampless PV racking systems for ground, low-slope roof and flush roof mounting has been tested and certified to the UL 2703 standard for electrical bonding and grounding.
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Design & Installation
This article presents a quantitative analysis of conductor sizing, as well as some surprising conclusions that will assist designers in determining optimal conductor sizes in terms of cost and transmissions losses.
Design & Installation
In the summer of 2012, exactly one module manufacturer had publicly announced the release of a listed 1,000 V–rated PV module. In just 6 months, now over 200 different models of listed 1,000 V PV modules are available from 17 different manufacturers.
Inverters
This article presents some of the innovative architectures and controls employed in central inverters for utility-scale PV applications. This specific class of PV inverter serves an important market segment throughout the world.
Design & Installation
Booming demand for large-scale PV power plants in the US has required an evolution in solar project developers’ and contractors’ approaches to system design and engineering. Today, not just pure-play solar enterprises but, in growing numbers, power plant construction...
Project Profiles
In December 2012, LightWave Solar commissioned a ground-mounted PV system at the University School of Nashville’s (USN) Athletic Campus.
Project Profiles
The South Burlington Solar Farm is unique in that it utilizes a decentralized design with 382 SMA string inverters integrated with dedicated AllEarth Renewables AllSun dual-axis trackers. This distributed approach provides a high degree of redundancy—eliminating the single...
Design & Installation
We detail the Code requirements for designing and installing ungrounded PV systems while reviewing some fundamental concepts and definitions relevant to the task. We discuss them in detail, including their unique ground-fault protection features.
Design & Installation
We provide an introduction to some common components used in medium-voltage circuits, including distribution transformers, overhead and underground feeders, pad-mounted switchgear, and metal-enclosed and metal-clad switchgear.
Product Launches
Three surge protection devices (SPDs) are available from MidNite Solar for both ac and dc circuit protection. The individual MNSPD models are available with 115, 300 and 600 V ratings and are listed to the UL 1449 rev3 standard. The SPDs are approved for indoor or outdoor...
Inverters
We introduce electricians and integrators who are new to batterybased grid-tied PV installations to basic system topologies and the power-conditioning equipment used to build these systems.