21 September 2012
Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation today introduced the Power XpertTM Solar 1500kW inverter for utility-scale solar applications.
The Power Xpert Solar inverter converts direct current (DC) power into clean alternating current (AC) and is designed to improve plant levelized cost of energy (LCOE), maximize customers’ energy harvest, operate reliably in harsh environments and adhere to high safety standards.
The Power Xpert Solar 1500kW inverter is engineered to reduce installation costs, boost reliability and improve plant uptime, according to Eaton.
With a true megawatt inverter platform and unique transformer coupling approach, the Power Xpert Solar 1500kW inverter enables a skid-less inverter station, which the company says reduces equipment requirements and installation costs. Engineered for utility-scale applications, Eaton designed the Power Xpert Solar 1500kW inverter to use an MV pad-mount transformer, which is connected to the inverter via a direct-coupled throat connection. According to Eaton, this reduces cable requirements, pad size and commissioning time.
A fault-tolerant design also helps to minimize downtime and maximize plant availability, while true reactive power (VAR) support at rated power means no power de-rating up to a ±0.91 power factor range. Fault-tolerance is achieved by a segmented and fault isolating inverter design, which enables the system to run at partial power in the case of a fault.
The Power Xpert Solar 1500kW inverter is outdoor-rated, 98% efficient and features a wide Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) voltage range. A proprietary Eaton control strategy and optimized filter design optimizes the inverter efficiency, while the wide MPPT voltage rangemaximizes inverter operation time to boost energy harvest.
