Energetica India Magazine December 2020

central and string inverters, how do you see this? H oney R aza : String inverters are the superior choice for utility scale solar developments While they have long been used for rooftop solar systems, string inverters are now increasingly chosen by EPCs as the preferred choice for utility-scale solar projects. This has been enabled by the advent of higher power string inverters such as Solis’ 255K-EHV product, and cost declines based on manufacturing efficiencies. String inverters are now roughly cost equivalent with central inverters on a cost per watt basis. If you consider the CAPEX advantage almost you can save 10 – 15 lakhs INR per block depending on the design and array alignments and OPEX is having at least a saving of 5% - 8% per year. There are a number of advantages to a solar systemdesign based around string inverters which will end up providing better performance and cost savings over the life of the project. Here’re just a few of the reasons which describe that string inverters will provide a superior ROI for your utility scale solar project: • Lower Installation Cost There are many installation costs that can be reducedwhenworkingwith string inverters instead of central inverters. String inverters are much smaller than central inverters, and don’t require the same type of heavy equipment to move them into place for installation. Also, with string inverters at the end of each row of modules, you can use AC cabling instead of DC cabling, saving costs on cable. Additional cost savings will be found because there is no need for DC combiner boxes. With no central inverter, there is no need to install a skid, which can cost an additional ten to twenty thousand USD for a central inverter project. • Higher Power Yield High power string inverters like Solis’ 255k have a standard 1.3:1 AC/DC ratio, with a maximum ratio of up to 2:1. This ratio, combined with the ultra-low starting voltage as low as 600V enables energy production early in the morning and late into the afternoon, increasing the overall yield of your power plant. The higher MPPTs also allow for the optimization of bifacial modules. • Lower Operations & Maintenance Costs Solis’ string inverters are relatively maintenance-free and have a remarkable temperature tolerance. They have a highly efficient redundant cooling system that allows them to operate at a higher max temperature (up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit). There’s no need to torque check the terminals. And, in the case of failure, there’s no need to shut down the entire power plant as you would with a central inverter. You simply replace the malfunctioning component and return it to Solis for repair. • Smarter Data Collection Solis string inverters allow smarter data collectionwithpower linecommunication (PLC) and remote IV curve monitoring. Power line communication provides a cable-free parallel communication path, at ten times the speed of RS485. Remote IV curve monitoring allows you to track and optimize the performance of individual strings without the need for a field technician on site, and no power loss while running the scan. • Storage Ready Whether you choose to install storage in the original project or as a retrofit, Solis’ string inverters are AC or DC storage ready. With DC compatible terminals, there is no need to restrict the choice to only AC storage solutions. We expect that by 2022 there will be 30% of the projects to be executed in utility segment with string inverters. The tendering of solar plus storage projects have already been started in India. How do you see this opportunity? H oney R aza : Recently lot of tenders have been issued with this Idea and I think it’s a high time to execute these projects. Solis has a state of cutting edge solutions for Utility and Residential segments. Our new 255k-EHV can be integrated with storage via peripheral devices and is very useful for these projects. Other segment includes latest offering for Off grid which is a complete solution for Indian Sub-continent. These solutions can be integrated to support grid, Non Net-Metering Discoms, remote areas, micro grid applications etc. How much of inverter shipments Solis targets for FY21? Are there any further investment and expansion plans as well? H oney R aza : We are targeting more than 600-800MW in India next year. This includes balanced product spread across residential, C&I and Utility segments. Our new advanced state-of- the-art manufacturing facility will also be ready by Feb – Mar, this will further fillip our shipments. With this new facility the total annual capacity will reach more than 20+GWs annually. INTERVIEW 24 energetica INDIA- December_2020