Agrivoltaics is a blue-green glimmer of hope in an era of climate change. It refers to the simultaneous use of an area for agricultural production and the generation of electricity from photovoltaics. Until now, agricultural land and ground-based PV systems have mostly existed separately. Anyone who purposefully combines the two forms of land use can benefit from positive effects.
The safety of a PV system depends, among other things, on the design of the overall system. Modern string inverters with integrated features enable a slim system design. This avoids potential sources of error, for example through additional cabling effort when installing module electronics. In a webinar "Analyzing PV system safety and the promise of optimizers" in June 2022, Dr. Heribert Schmidt from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and SMA expert Hannes Knopf discussed the influence of different system designs on the safety of PV systems. Afterwards we received so many exciting questions on the topic, which we would like to share with you. Our colleague Hannes Knopf answered the most frequently asked questions here.
The energy transition will succeed only if the majority of our electricity is generated from renewable energy sources. But these are subject to weather-dependent fluctuations. The SMA Energy System for battery-storage power plants provides grid-forming capability, which is currently provided by decentralized power plants, and feeds green electricity with a stable frequency into the utility grid. This turns power plant owners and operators into key players on the electricity market.
The PV industry is using high-current modules to combat rising system costs. This type of module consists of M10 or larger PV cells, which can accommodate correspondingly high MPP currents (>12 A). Read on to find out what needs to be taken into account in the choice of inverter and what kind of misconceptions can commonly be encountered, as well as the difference between short-circuit current and maximum input current.
With the SMA Energy app, system operators always keep constant track of their PV system. They can monitor their system, control loads, or charge their electric car with self-generated electric current from the roof. Now a new update is available.
Our Online Service Centre is designed to make PV system operators and installers’ lives easier. The intuitive platform makes it easier and quicker to create service requests, report issues, register and manage warranties and access the SMA Knowledge Base – at any time of the night or day.
When it comes to power electronics at the module level, the world’s photovoltaic markets are divided. While it is very common for solar technology specialists in the U.S. to install power optimizers (MLPE) in PV systems to meet the relevant installation regulations, these devices are the subject of considerable controversy in the rest of the world. Sweden, for example, has even issued a partial ban on the sale and installation of power optimizers from one major manufacturer because they do not meet the applicable electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements.* So what’s the story with MLPE? What is really technically relevant, and what is just clever marketing? We resolve five common myths about power optimizers.
The first 18 months of field experience with the charging solution SMA EV Charger have shown in Sunny Portal: more than half of the energy used for charging electric vehicles is provided by solar power from your own roof. It is no longer a secret that this allows you to be on the move in a particularly climate-neutral and cost-effective way. But did you know that it means you can even prevent expensive grid expansion and your contribution to the energy transition becomes even more valuable?
When Dennis Halpape and Alexander Krug journeyed to East Africa for the first time with Kassel-based association TOGETHER – Hilfe für Uganda [Aid for Uganda] to install a solar system twelve years ago, there was rarely any light to be found for many kilometers in every direction in the region of Kooki after sunset. Today, when it gets dark, there are significantly more lights on in the houses there.
The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Africa, is UNESCO World Heritage natural site and tourist magnet. Lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes still live in their natural habitat here. In order to preserve the natural environment, Tanganyika Expeditions has relied on photovoltaics for the operation of its accommodations and on e-mobility for the safaris.