February_2009_Newsletter

PV Powered Introduces the IntelliString™ Line of Smart Combiner Boxes

Simple, accurate and easy-to-use solution makes string-level monitoring practical and affordable.

PV Powered announces immediate availability of the IntelliString™ line of smart string combiner boxes using the Obvius DC Solar Current Monitor to enable smart string current monitoring.

The IntelliString™ smart string combiner box provides PV system integrators with a reliable and easy way to implement string monitoring that is affordable enough to use on every commercial PV system. String-level performance data is a valuable tool for PV system owners because it enables the quick diagnosis of system-level underperformance due to failed modules, shading or soiling. This important tool was previously used primarily on large, expensive systems due to the high cost of string-level monitoring hardware and the complexity of the installation process.

IntelliString™ Features

• 8 string and 16 string versions
• Touch-safe fuse blocks
• NEMA 4X fiberglass enclosure
• Powder-coated back pan with integrated wire management
• Solid busbar eliminates messy wiring to fuse blocks
• Plug-and-play compatible with third party data monitoring partners including Fat Spaniel, Energy Recommerce and Draker Labs
• Monitor up to 20A per string
• Uses standard Modbus communications protocol
• UL1741 listed

“My first smart string combiner installation was remarkably smooth. The IntelliString™ product is well designed and PV Powered’s documentation and technical support are outstanding.”
–Kyle Bolger, SREC Solar

PV Powered Announces the First UL98 Code-Compliant PV System Disconnect

New integrated disconnect, plus an innovative wire raceway design, make the industry’s broadest, most reliable, line of US-made string inverters even easier to install.

PV Powered has added a new installer-friendly single-knob AC/DC disconnect with a wire raceway to its broad line of residential solar inverters. This enhancement eliminates the need for extra conduit and hardware, thereby saving installation materials and labor costs. The wire raceway enables flush side-to-side mounting of inverters with no extra equipment, isolation of the DC, AC and low voltage DC connections per the NEC (National Electric Code) requirements, and generous working room for installers’ hands and tools. The PV system disconnect hardware and enclosure assembly has received extensive testing under extreme conditions. It is the first inverter to have passed the strict UL98 standard specifically written for enclosed and dead front switches, providing inspectors with a recognized standard for safety and reliability.

System Disconnect Features

• UL 98 and NEC 690 compliant
• Internal wire raceway easily accommodates up to four inverters side-by-side
• Endurance tested to 20 year operating life
• Factory integrated inverter and disconnect eliminates need for extra equipment

PV Powered’s residential string inverter line includes nine different inverter models ranging from 1100 watts to 5200 watts in capacity.

PV Powered Helps Columbia Sportswear “Go Green”

PVP100kW Inverter is an essential part of this Fortune 500 company’s Northwest green initiative.

Columbia Sportswear Company, a global leader in the outdoor apparel and footwear industries with a strong commitment to preserving the environment, recently installed a grid-tied solar electric system at their Portland, Oregon headquarters. A PV Powered PVP100kW commercial inverter connects the system to the power grid through a meter which credits Columbia's account for the power generated.

The Columbia Sportwear Installation is an all-Oregon project which uses subcontractors, equipment and materials supplied by companies that are Oregon-based or have a large Oregon presence. Tanner Creek Energy, a Portland based developer of commercial scale solar electric systems was the lead contractor partnering with PV Powered located in Bend, OR and Solar World USA of Hillsboro, OR.

The installation, which includes a total of 570 PV panels mounted on the roof of two of Columbia's buildings, will produce approximately 107,100 kWh of electricity per year. This will reduce Columbia's carbon impact by an average of 90 tons each year and by 2,002 tons over the 25-year life of the system. Columbia expects to recover the initial cost of the system within three-and-a-half to four years.

© February 2009 PV Powered. All rights reserved.

New IntelliString™ Smart Combiner Boxes

First UL98 Code-Compliant System Disconnect

PV Powered Helps Columbia Sportswear
“Go Green”

PV Powered is the largest US-based manufacturer of grid-tied commercial and residential solar inverters.

Visit us at pvpowered.com, email us, or call us at 541-312-3832 today to reset your own expectations about inverter performance and customer service.