North American Clean Energy July/August 2021 Issue

VOLUME 15

2021

ISSUE 4

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

BUYERS GUIDE Pg. 77

Using New Technology to Reach our Electrified, Carbon-Neutral Future

Pg. 8

Solar Safety is Up to You The ‘Cost’ of Wind

Pg. 14

Pg. 60

Making Microgrids Even Greener Pg. 72

Plus Show-in-Print Features:

SEE OUR ADVERTORIAL ON PAGE 23

• NABCEP 2021 Continuing Education Conference Pg. 52 • American Clean Power O&M Safety Conference 2021 Pg. 69

Pg. 62

Pg. 23

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contents

VOLUME 15

in the 10 Cybersecurity Industrial Sector

ISSUE 4

JULY•AUGUST2021 Volume 15, Issue 4

2021 ENERGY EFFICIENCY

PUBLISHER

BUYERS GUIDE Pg. 77

Ian Stuart istuart@nacleanenergy.com

Using New Technology to Reach our Electrified, Carbon-Neutral Future

Pg. 8

Solar Safety is Up to You The ‘Cost’ of Wind

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Pg. 14

Quinn Stuart quinn@nacleanenergy.com

Pg. 60

Making Microgrids Even Greener Pg. 72

Plus Show-in-Print Features:

EDITORS

SEE OUR ADVERTORIAL ON PAGE 23

• NABCEP 2021 Continuing Education Conference Pg. 52 • American Clean Power O&M Safety Conference 2021 Pg. 69

Pg. 62

Jill Walters editor@nacleanenergy.com Meg Lugaric meg@nacleanenergy.com

Pg. 23

NACE_JulAug2021-FINAL.indd 1

ART DIRECTOR

2021-06-29 4:54 AM

On our cover…

BEAM Global’s 100% renewable, transportable, and off-grid EV charging stations deploy in just minutes. It is a versatile energy infrastructure product with a sleek aesthetic design that fits in the size of a standard parking space.

& energy storage 37 Solar product spotlight: Utility-Scale, Commercial, & Residential Inverters

BEAM Global

56

departments

44

Solar spotlight:

10

48

Software

Solar spotlight:

52

Show-in-Print:

12

How Guam Keeps Real-Time with Solar Solar Safety is Up to You

Is a Module Shortage on the Horizon?

18

Dangers of Cross-Mating

PV cable connectors aren’t always a match

20 33

Cloud Clean Energy Solar & energy storage spotlight:

Utility-Scale, Commercial, & Residential Inverters

43

Solar product spotlight:

Rapid Shutdown Systems

4

Keaton Spence keaton@nacleanenergy.com CIRCULATION MANAGER

James Vail circulation@nacleanenergy.com

74 Comparable Power

8 Using New Technology to Reach our Electrified, Carbon-Neutral Future

14 16

Don McIntosh dmcintosh@nacleanenergy.com

After the Fall Why just wearing fall protection isn’t enough

Top story Solar energy Solar & energy storage spotlight: Utility-Scale, Commercial, & Residential Inverters Solar product spotlight: Rapid Shutdown Systems Solar spotlight: Performance Monitoring Solar spotlight: Software Show-in-print: NABCEP 2021 Continuing Education Conference Wind power Wind product spotlight: Lubricants & Greases Service spotlight: Drones Show-in-print: American Clean Power O&M Safety Conference 2021 Energy storage 2021 Energy Efficiency Buyers Guide Events calendar & advertiser’s list

Cybersecurity in the Industrial SectorFuture

SALES

Ian Stuart istuart@nacleanenergy.com Quinn Stuart quinn@nacleanenergy.com

/// www.beamforall.com

8 10 33

43

44

48

52

54 67

68

69

70 77 90

Chris Van Boeyen production@nacleanenergy.com

Performance monitoring

ACCOUNTING

spotlight 68 Service Drones

Energy Efficiency 87 2021 Buyers Guide Raptor Maps

64

Harmonic Mitigation

A critical element to wind farm profitability

66

Identifying Faults in Wind Power Through Electrical Signature Analysis

67

Wind product spotlight:

54

Subsea Solutions for US Offshore Wind

68

Service spotlight:

56

69

Show-in-Print:

After the Fall

58

Dual Scanning Lidar Increases Coverage, Accuracy, and Efficiency in Offshore Wind Assessments

60 62

Lubricants and Greases Drones

American Clean Power O&M Safety Conference 2021

70

Why Refrigerated Warehouses Need Long-Duration Thermal Energy Storage

72 Milling About 74 Achieving better blade-to-generator connections with orbital milling machines 77

The ‘Cost’ of Wind

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

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NABCEP 2021 Continuing Education Conference

Why wearing fall protection isn’t enough

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Making Microgrids Even Greener Comparable Power

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North American Clean Energy

5

editor's note

news bites

“Be Safe.”

It’s the new “buh-bye”or “See ya later!”

I’ve heard, “Be Safe” more in the last 18 months than ever before. I understand when someone at the post office or grocery store bids me adieu by saying, “Be Safe”, what they actually mean is “Be Healthy”, but for some reason, the phrase that’s caught on is, “Be Safe”. It’s as though everyone’s big priority these days is to ensure everyone else is safe. Even OSHA, who is celebrating its 50th birthday, is requesting we join them “in making a renewed commitment to keeping workers safe and healthy.” To that end, they have allocated millions to spend on federal enforcement to ensure workers are kept safe. Employers do their part and display Job Safety and Health: It’s the Law posters in their workplaces. The posters are available for free from OSHA in 13 different languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, Cebuano, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese to inform workers of their rights.

Workers and technicians take continuing education classes and certification courses to ensure they remain current on safety protocols and plans, as well as the most up-to-date tools and equipment. The Global Wind Organization (GWO) has set standards and advanced training courses to inform workers of sufficient rescue operations. Read the article, After the Fall: Why just wearing fall protection isn’t enough, on page 56 to find out more. But for all the efforts of trying to keep workers safe, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, there were still 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses and 5333 workplace fatalities.

Somewhere, in between the training and the “Safety First” posters, the millions of dollars being spent and the more than 75,000 workplace inspections, accidents are still happening, leading us to believe we can’t, our employers can’t, and the government can’t really ensure the safety of another person.

Our personal safety is ultimately, our personal responsibility.

The article, Solar Safety is Up to You, on page 14 speaks more to this topic. While it’s essential employers do all they can to

A new carbon economy

provide a safe workplace for their employees, their first responsibility is the success of their company for themselves, their shareholders, and their staff.

As workers, we need to understand it’s up to us to ensure we do our job in a safe manner, and speak up whenever we see unsafe practices or have ideas on how to improve the safety of a process. Ultimately, workers are the ones who get injured, so they can’t depend on anyone else to keep them safe, it’s on them, and them alone. But, I wonder, is it possible, the more we see notices proclaiming “Safety First” on every available wall space, the more mandatory safety trainings we attend, the more we hear people telling us “Be Safe”, the more we get complacent about the importance of our safety? I know when I repeat a warning to my kids, their reaction is, “Yeah, Mom, I know, you’ve told me before. I’m not stoooopid,” as they roll their eyes and walk away. And then I find myself in the ER at 3am, holding their hand as they get numbed up for stitches, or on the side of the road giving the kid a hug as he mourns the loss of his precious Mustang. No matter how many times I said, “Drive safe” or “Be Safe”, at that moment, they took their eye off the ball and simply... didn’t. So instead of telling others to “Be Safe” how about I do my utmost to keep myself safe, and you do the same for you, and maybe the next time the Bureau of Labor Statistics issues a report, it will have much smaller numbers.

Be well.

Jill For Mike Rowe’s take on the topic, watch his Dirty Truth episode, “Safety 3rd”. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km8XxRCuCho

LanzaTech, with partners from The University of Michigan and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, announced that it was awarded $4.1million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) for its Carbon Negative Chemical Production Platform. The funding will be used to enhance existing technology to enable the direct conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to ethanol (a building block for low carbon intensity fuels and chemicals) at 100% efficiency, and usher in a new industrial era in which recycled CO2 will be the feedstock of “carbon refineries” to create ethanol, displacing fossil fuel to make products such as household cleaners, perfumes, textiles, and packaging. LanzaTech will develop a gas fermentation process that leverages affordable, renewable hydrogen (H2) to directly capture and fix CO2 into valuable fuels and chemicals while limiting emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere. The project is supported by Professor Stephen Ragsdale (U. Mich.), an expert in biochemistry. Oak Ridge National Laboratory will provide mass-spectrometry capabilities and expertise. The carbon optimized conversion technology developed under this project can be integrated with multiple CO2 sources, such as corn grain ethanol refining and direct air capture, to create a new carbon economy. LanzaTech received this competitive award from ARPA-E’s Energy and Carbon Optimized Synthesis for the Bioeconomy (ECOSynBio) program, which focuses on developing advanced synthetic biology tools to engineer novel conversion platforms and systems that are more efficient and produce fewer emissions than current fermentation processes widely used in biorefining.

LanzaTech /// www.lanzatech.com

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Beer and seltzer powered by wind and solar

Anheuser-Busch’s entire portfolio of domestic beer and seltzer brands, including Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, Busch, and its Brewers Collective family of craft partners, is now brewed with 100% renewable electricity from solar and wind power. The Anheuser-Busch Solar Farm, the brewer’s 222MWac solar project in Texas, officially came online in June, marking the early achievement of Anheuser-Busch’s Sustainability Goal to source 100% of its purchased electricity from renewables by 2025. The Anheuser-Busch Solar Farm, located in Pecos County, TX, was developed in partnership with Recurrent Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc. Anheuser-Busch’s ongoing investments in renewable electricity include the AnheuserBusch Solar Farm and the 152MW Budweiser Wind Farm at Thunder Ranch in OK with Enel Green Power. Through the two projects and more than 10 additional renewable electricity installations at its flagship breweries, distributorships, and craft partner breweries across the country, Anheuser-Busch has added nearly 400MW of renewable electricity capacity to the grid. Budweiser and Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold previously announced that the brands are brewed with 100% renewable electricity. With the Anheuser-Busch Solar Farm coming online this month, the early achievement of this renewable electricity goal ensures consumers enjoying any Anheuser-Busch domestic beer or seltzer brand moving forward will know their choice of brew was brewed with sustainability in mind.

Anheuser-Busch /// www.anheuser-busch.com

A house made of coal

X-MAT, the Advanced Materials Division of Semplastics, has been working diligently to create the first functional house made entirely out of coal. With new advancements, the company is now able to begin production on structural columns, walls, bricks, roof tiles, and other crucial elements of construction. The project is focusing on using coal as the primary medium of construction, with the coal-derived building materials being extremely strong, non-toxic, fire resistant, and light weight. These eco-friendly materials are already proving to be a better alternative to their traditional counterparts. The progress in the creation of the coal house and related materials have been made possible with government funding, with $6 million raised in contracts and grants from the U.S. Department of Energy. Most recently, the company received a $625,000 contract from the Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to create the coal-derived building materials needed to construct the house.

X-MAT, the Advanced Materials Division of Semplastics /// www.x-materials.com

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North American Clean Energy

7

top story

Using New Technology to Reach Our Electrified, Carbon-Neutral Future

by Leah Kaffine and John Glassmire

With the Biden administration set to decarbonize the United States’ energy sector by 2030, the country is in a pivotal moment. Electrification and renewable energy address the top two emissions culprits simultaneously: electricity production accounted for 25 percent of US emissions in 2019, and 29 percent was due to transportation.

A clear pathway to 2030 involves coupling these sectors while decarbonizing the grid with increasing renewable generation. However, we can’t do this without integrating the latest digital technology. Advances in data and automation, microgrids, and battery energy storage systems (BESS), are a few examples of technology that bring once lofty goals of carbon neutrality within reach.

During a recent roundtable on carbon neutrality, it was clear that these digital grid technologies combine to create the resilient and flexible infrastructure needed to reach and maintain an electrified future. One great example of this is Snohomish County Public Utility District (SnoPUD), a public utility in Washington state. SnoPUD was able to leverage data and automation, create a renewable microgrid with a BESS, and add two-way vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric vehicle (EV) chargers. This is an ideal model of how utilities will use technology to enable North American power grids to deliver impressive carbon neutrality goals.

Data and automation

Industries increasingly rely on data to improve operations and performance - the energy industry is no different. The electric grid has been called the largest machine on earth, connecting billions of people together. Achieving carbon neutrality on this scale will require the greatest data play in our history.

From advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters that capture power flows throughout the grid, to sensors that track EVs’ power usage, data flows in from a multitude of different sources. It is important to leverage this data to perform functions such as maintenance scheduling, asset management and risk management under a single platform, so that it can be utilized across the entire organization - not just by the silos within the organization. By connecting, managing, and using these data efficiently and strategically, utilities can maximize their assets' performance and improve their reliability and efficiency, and provide the energy backbone for customers and suppliers to do the same.

Out of this sea of data, it can be a challenge to identify actionable pieces of information. While it can be helpful early on to enlist people with the institutional knowledge to separate valuable data from what can be let go, another important initial step is understanding the problem so it can be approached with better access to data and intelligence. For instance, with a robust data solution, utilities can

determine how long batteries could support a solar-powered grid when the weather is overcast and use that information to prepare their operations. SnoPUD uses data solutions like this to ensure its microgrid can keep its data center running on its solar arrays in the event of an earthquake.

Another example is using data to identify underperforming transmission and distribution assets (those losing a larger than expected amount of energy or needing maintenance), ultimately extending the life of those assets. Used to solve issues like these, data provides a basis for utilities to save energy, maintain infrastructure, and operate optimally without having to rely on reserve or back-up power sources.

Yet, the true power of data in creating our green future arrives when paired with automation. Automation mobilizes and orchestrates operations. For instance, when air conditioners work overtime during a heat wave, smart forecasting can be used to charge up batteries in advance of the needs, and then real-time data can alert these batteries to discharge to meet the additional power draw. Instead of having to rely on less efficient power plants to meet the peak demand, utilities’ data and automation systems can activate battery storage systems.

Extending these concepts, automated systems can collect, combine, analyze, and act on data from disparate sources - better connecting asset needs to the teams that manage them. Properly calibrated automated systems can help reduce outage time and streamline the processes and energy flows of a utility.

This improves energy efficiency and saves costs, whether across an organization or across the entire power grid.

Microgrids and battery energy storage systems

Ensuring that the variable generation of renewables can best meet the dynamic power needs of utility customers is a central part of our carbon-neutral future.

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

BESS and microgrids are essential to flattening out the peaks and valleys of renewable generation, mitigating the impacts of natural disasters and other extreme events on our grid, and optimizing the distribution of resilient power.

The maturity of use cases for microgrids in remote locations allows us to see how densely populated areas have started to incorporate the technology into their own power grids. It is in the midst of this technology adaptation that SnoPUD commissioned its microgrid.

What SnoPUD learns today — from design to control to communications challenges — will make it easier for other utilities to leverage microgrids and BESS to reach our carbon-neutral goals. This is a major step toward building a power grid that’s ready for EVs and the electrification of everything.

The technologies for decarbonization are interconnected; to reach a carbon-neutral future, we will need all of them. We can get the greatest benefit, and reach our goals more quickly, if we adopt and coordinate all these pieces together.

Microgrids, BESS, data, and automation show how digitalization of the power sector is a key requirement for meeting US goals.

Leah Kaffine is a Principal Technical Consultant at Hitachi ABB Power Grids with over 10 years of gas and power industry experience. She currently focuses on developing better grid models and forecasts for more renewable electricity generators.

John Glassmire is a Senior Advisor of Grid Edge Solutions at Hitachi ABB Power Grids. He has extensive experience in the modeling and design of both distributed and traditional energy supply systems.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids /// www.hitachiabb-powergrids.com

Electrification of everything

The future is electric. After a history of reliance on fossil fuels, industries are on a viable path for a carbon-neutral future.

Currently, the grid isn’t set up to maximize the carbon emissions saving opportunities for EVs, especially for night charging. To align this new demand with renewable sources, utilities will need to create robust data and automation systems to support increasing BESS and microgrids - leveraging data to see how far a particular vehicle travels and automatically filling up the battery to what’s needed (avoiding an unnecessary full charge). Microgrids like SnoPUD’s could eventually use the batteries within the EVs as an extension of the BESS system through V2G EV chargers. With smart and interconnected data and automation, the grid could also borrow electricity from parked vehicles during peak hours and return it when the vehicle is scheduled to move.

North American Clean Energy

9

solar energy

Cybersecurity in the Industrial Sector

by Jason Grimbeek

CYBERSECURITY HAS LONG BEEN A TASK LEFT TO

business IT teams to perform, typically by protecting email, making sure we change our passwords, and doing the odd phishing test to see if we take the bait. In recent years, there has been a shift away from cybersecurity as an afterthought; regulatory standards are forcing the utility industry to apply some control to interconnected systems, largely through the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection Standards (CIP) standards. The last 18 months has seen a significant increase in the number of attacks in industrial sectors. Ransomware is the go-to tool for most attackers now as it brings even the largest organizations to their knees, becoming a lucrative market for nation states and organized crime alike.

Some rogue nations have been struggling to survive through crippling western sanctions, forcing them to find new means of obtaining valuable foreign currency.

The rise in ransomware has been partly attributed to these agents as it is a reliable and relatively easy way of gleaning large sums of money from western companies. The May 2021 Colonial Pipeline cyber attack was achieved by using a simple password compromise; it led to 11 days of fuel shortages across the Southeastern US and impacted seven airports and flights, causing widespread travel delays. The company ultimately paid $4.4 million to the attackers to decrypt their systems. Analysis of the event indicates it was perpetrated by a Russian group calling themselves the DarkSide Group. While not officially state-sponsored, the Russian government has no interest in cooperating with any investigation efforts, leading political analysts to speculate that the DarkSide may be linked to the government or influential Russian leaders. Through an analysis of the bitcoin wallet used, researchers were able to determine that the group had been paid over $90 million in ransom over the last year alone.

The bottom line is that these attacks are profitable - no industry or company is immune. Boards and Executives must understand the impact of these events, not only to their organization, but to the upstream and downstream players as well.

Cybersecurity for solar

One of the key lessons the solar industry can learn from the Colonial Pipeline attack is that the government will react and force change. Within 5 days of the attack, President Biden issued Executive Orders on improving national cybersecurity.

For 15 years, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection Standards (CIP) has slowly been changing the way the electric utility industry applies cybersecurity to their industrial systems. Solar has largely been able to dodge the heavy requirements, as the thresholds of applicability are generally higher than most single solar installations. However, as demand for renewables has increased, so have the sizes of the arrays, many of which now cross the 75-megawatt threshold for low impact compliance. Additionally, larger organizations are beginning to operate multiple solar power plants across the continent from a central control center, putting them into a potential medium impact category under NERC CIP. While NERC CIP is designed to secure the critical infrastructure for the purpose of reliability, it is by no means a comprehensive cyber program, particularly as most solar power plants would be considered a low impact. Low impact under NERC CIP has four key requirements:

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

• Managed electronic access • Provide general awareness on cybersecurity to your users • Have a physical security plan • Have a plan to respond to cyber incidents

Wading through the minefield

Executives need to understand that a cybersecurity incident is now a significant business risk to not only their solar operations, but the overall grid and any interconnected businesses. Too often, NERC CIP compliance is used as a checkbox to indicate all is well.

Organizations committed to cybersecurity have a strong cyber program; CIP compliance is a mere subset of that overall program.

Insurance companies are beginning to require that companies demonstrate the health of their overall cyber program before determining insurance rates. Customers and business partners are starting to require assurance from the organizations they connect with, that cybersecurity is managed within those entities. A crippling attack on a central control center for multiple solar power plants could have a devastating effect on a region’s power stability.

Too many cybersecurity consultants produce reports on cyber program maturity and control deficiencies that focus on the immeasurable gaps between current state and the final “gold” level of cyber maturity. This tends to leave management feeling helpless in their inability to reach such a high goal. Instead, executives should go for “bronze”: Start with a foundation like the National Institute of Technology (NIST) Cyber Security Framework (CSF), which can easily be tied to NERC CIP, and slowly build each component one-by-one. Much like building a home with a limited budget, it’s important to start with a plan, then focus on the next block. The key is placing each block in the right place according to that plan and priority. This provides a tool to manage and report on your organization’s cybersecurity health, as well as the ability to demonstrate progress over time.

Future attacks are inevitable. Expect to see American and Canadian governments working together to increase the regulatory control over cybersecurity in the renewable energy sector. The days of solar being under the radar are limited. Organizations must begin building their overall cybersecurity programs now to minimize the cavernous gap to more stringent regulatory requirements that will be necessary in the future.

The author is Jason Grimbeek, CEO of Iron Spear, a cybersecurity advisory firm for the industrial sector.

Iron Spear /// ironspear.ca

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North American Clean Energy

11

solar energy

How Guam Keeps Real-Time with Solar

by David Jeon

Guam’s photovoltaic solar farm

AS COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD INCREASINGLY

look to renewable sources to meet their current and future energy requirements, sustainable energy holds particular promise for island nations. Lacking natural resources for energy of their own, islands tend to be heavily dependent on imports of fossil fuels. In fact, Hawaii is the most petroleum-dependent state in the U.S.1, with oil making up over 80 percent of the state’s energy consumption. Before the 2011 Fukushima accident, Japan increasingly relied on nuclear power2 to lessen its oil imports (the country has since turned sharply to renewables3). Even island nations that discover energy resources, such as the United Kingdom’s North Sea oil and gas fields, may still depend on imports4 to meet demand, and finite fossil fuels do little to meet carbon reduction goals.

Solar and wind hold significant appeal for islands seeking to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, especially as most do not possess the sort of water sources that generate hydroelectricity. The decreasing cost of solar and wind makes them accessible, and they do not require the same level of investment as building traditional power plants. Many island governments have also set goals to use entirely renewable energy for power generation, which will require bringing many more solar and wind sources online.

However, islands are also grappling with the limitations of renewables; as intermittent sources, they produce different levels of power depending on the weather.

This can lead to grid instability when they are connected to traditional power grids. The U.S. territory of Guam is one such island with this issue – it’s also an example of how real-time energy controls can help ensure grid stability.

Solar Power in Guam Securing your core operations against cyber attacks is today’s priority. Measurement of your cyber security maturity is no longer a nice-to-have, it is a necessity to manage your risk.

Iron Spear is Canada’s leading cyber security advisory and management partner firm, specializing in building, operating, and measuring cyber security programs across the industrial sector. We are trusted by Canadian and U.S. industrial giants to deliver robust and cost-effective cyber security programs.

Our partner approach brings value from cyber security by strengthening operational resilience. We remain independent of technology suppliers and put our customer requirements first.

Let our experts help you define and meet your cyber security requirements.

VANCOUVER CALGARY REGINA WINNIPEG WWW.IRONSPEAR.CA 1.800.561.4007 12

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Guam shares many of the typical small island challenges when it comes to energy generation. The small, isolated Western Pacific island of just under 170,000 people is almost entirely dependent on petroleum imports to meet its energy needs.5 Meanwhile, the island’s government has set a goal for 50 percent of their electricity sales to be from renewables by 2035, and 100 percent by 2045. Like all other utilities, the Guam Power Authority (GPA) faces challenges from operating traditional fossil generation units when large penetration of renewables is present. The government has committed to bringing 120 MW of new solar capacity online by 2022, to help offset the reliance on petroleum; this experience with solar energy serves as an example to island nations with similar energy challenges.

Currently, Guam’s main energy source (aside from imported petroleum) is a 25 MW solar farm that came online in 2015. While this helps Guam add renewable energy, the intermittent nature of solar adds instability to the grid. This is particularly true thanks to Guam’s weather extremes, such as typhoons during the rainy season that can result in the solar farm’s output ranging from 5-25 MW. Volatile power delivery can strain and damage the grid, which was designed to receive steady power from legacy power plants.

will be a key priority for power utilities in places like Guam.

Their new successes with real-time controls could be a useful example to island grids facing similar challenges.

David Jeon is Head of Engineering and Operations at PXiSE Energy Solutions, a San Diego-based developer of leading grid control technology.

GPA must also keep grid frequency in check as solar is added. Grid frequency is typically easy to keep stable when power is supplied from traditional plants - as long as fuel is available, large turbines will provide reliable power and inertia to the grid. For solar, when the sun stops shining, a photovoltaic array simply stops generating electricity, which makes it much more challenging to balance load vs generation. This could destabilize the grid frequency that is crucial for daily society. A variable grid frequency can lead to outages, as well as damage industrial equipment and motors. It also has a peculiar effect on clocks - they lose or gain time. For example, if the daily average frequency is 60.1 Hz, as opposed to the standard 60 Hz, the clocks on Guam will be three minutes fast each day.

PXiSE Energy Solutions /// pxise.com

https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=HI https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/countryprofiles/countries-g-n/japan-nuclear-power.aspx 3 https://spectrum.ieee.org/energy/batteries-storage/ fukushimas-legacy-japans-hard-turn-toward-renewables 4 https://www.iea.org/countries/united-kingdom 5 https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=GQ 6 https://renewablesnow.com/news/kepco-to-build-60-mw-pvpark-with-storage-in-guam-699263/ 1 2

Stabilizing the Grid

An energy storage system is one of the easiest ways to compensate for the intermittent nature of solar. When there’s limited access to the sun, power can be retrieved from the batteries, mitigating the issue of intermittent generation by creating a steady supply of solar energy. In the case of Guam, the GPA installed two battery systems: one to mitigate solar fluctuation and the other to support grid frequency.

How should a grid operator manage different sources of power, such as when to draw energy from the batteries and when to charge them? This is where a real-time energy control system comes into the equation.

GPA installed a real-time controller to manage power from the new storage systems. Two separate controllers (one in the capital of Hagåtña and one at the solar farm) help manage grid frequency and stabilize power from the photovoltaic arrays. Following the installation of the control system, GPA’s staff kept the grid frequency between 59.9-60.1 Hz, despite fluctuating power usage and output. The below graph shows the frequency on the upper line, compared with the variation in power output of the frequency-controlled battery at the same time on the lower line.

Real-time energy control software is immediately available and easy to install, which makes it a prime solution for utilities bringing solar arrays online while needing to maintain grid stability. This is especially true of island nations. In Guam alone, the government has enlisted firms to build two more6 solar farms, which are expected to be operational by 2022.

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13

solar energy

Solar Safety is Up to You

“Test before touch” (TBT) verifies electrical test tools without placing the technician in potentially hazardous electrical environments.

by Stephen San Juan and Sean Silvey

When it comes to solar technology, everything is new — including safety standards. Regulation and documentation from agencies like OSHA, NFPA, NEC, and others are trailing the equipment and facilities; the time- and practice-tested guidelines that have developed in other energy sectors don’t yet exist for solar. So when it comes to safety standards and practices, the judgement of the solar technician in the field means everything.

The worst that can happen

Thanks to training and personal experience, electricians bring a great deal of accumulated knowledge to every job. However, the market’s hunger for solar workers is bringing in a huge influx of technicians with little experience beyond the basics. Yet it’s the new technicians that are often the safest workers; more senior people tend to become complacent.

The worst thing that can happen on a job is getting away with it. Most incidents are less an accident than the result of a long line of small contributing factors (cutting a corner, forgetting PPE, or just doing a quick fix). If nothing happens, soon the shortcut can become a habit… and disaster becomes inevitable.

When you’re standing in front of the box, safety begins and ends with you.

Remember to ALWAYS: 1. Check your tools.

Use the right tools with the proper category rating for the job; in solar, that’s CAT III. Use a tester to make sure your meter works before you head out to the other end of the facility.

2. Wear the appropriate PPE. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is meant to protect you from serious injury or death in the event of a failure or transient voltage. Even with PPE, always use safe work practices when exposing yourself to a potential hazard. Working safely can be quick without cutting corners.

3. Assume maximum potential until you verify otherwise.

Never assume you’re safe. Be sure. Don’t touch the panel or the cable until you test it, and test every circuit before you start working on it.

Keep timing in mind, too; for example, if you’re working on a solar module at night, be mindful of the time so you don’t risk your safety and the job in a race against the sunrise.

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Know the facility’s DC health

Electricity always behaves as electricity, but each facility has its own considerations. What’s the condition of the array you’re working on?

When you’re in the field performing periodic maintenance, such as wire management, module replacement, Voltage open circuit (Voc) checks, IV curve tracing, even vegetation management, you should be briefed or ask questions about the conditions you’re working in. Depending on the scope of work, awareness of the equipment’s condition and the electrical danger is paramount for safety; damaged modules, connectors or tracker arms can all be electrical shock hazards.

Safety means adapting to the environment

In solar, the environment around you is one of your biggest safety considerations because it can be so unpredictable — you work outdoors, in remote locations, and Mother Nature is always your partner.

The electrical checks are the same, but the conditions in which you’re making them are extremely variable.

• Sun At a solar facility, the sun will always be a concern in some way — whether it’s clear or cloudy, whether you’re working during the day or at night.

Solar panels generate electricity from the sun’s light, not its heat; they operate even with clouds in the sky. Your PPE can afford some protection, but use sunscreen where you’re exposed and stay hydrated to avoid heat-related health issues.

• Moisture Water and electricity don’t mix. Depending on the location and the season, however, you may be working in high humidity, standing water, rain, sleet, or snow. You could put on a full HRC IV arc flash suit, but if it gets wet, it’s no protection at all. What if your tools get wet, or the leads, or the terminals, or your work area? Some manufacturers recommend against opening their cabinets when humidity exceeds

a certain level; this particular recommendation can be open to some interpretation on site, so it’s up to you to understand what moisture does to the electrical systems you’re working on, the tools you’re using, and the PPE you need to wear.

• Temperature As a rule, electricity likes colder temperatures; solar modules can produce more current when it’s cold. But even when there’s cloud cover, it’s dangerous to assume that the system is at anything less than maximum potential until you verify it yourself.

• Wind No universally-followed standard exists for stopping work under windy conditions. Most facilities use some system of wind advisories because high winds pose a danger not only to workers, but to the solar panels themselves.

• Wildlife On an established solar facility, all kinds of wildlife — including endangered and dangerous species — will return and thrive if given the chance. In some parts of the country, weed abatement is a critical means of wildlife control. In the high desert of California, black widow spiders and Mojave green rattlesnakes are a common hazard; in the southeastern U.S., alligators often lay claim to the territory beneath a solar array. Wasps can nest on or in cabinets. Understand the species you may encounter where you’re working; be observant as you move and before you start work. And stay aware of your surroundings at all times.

Remember, safety procedures are only as good as the people who keep them.

When it comes to solar, “the people” are you. Make safety your default. Taking time to be safe now saves time in the long run. It may even save your life.

Stephen San Juan is the co-founder and a managing member at Rise Renewable Energy, LLC, located in Tehachapi, California.

After a career in the U.S. Navy, he pursued his interest in renewable energy, starting with the industry’s largest solar inverter manufacturer as a Field Service Engineer. He went on to help create a qualified electrical worker training program that has certified over 800 employees, supporting the rapidly growing industry by providing new technicians with a mindset for safety.

Stephen began his own company in 2021 to start giving back to the industry that continues to give so much to him.

Sean Silvey is a Product Specialist at Fluke Corporation. Fluke provides testing and troubleshooting capabilities for everything from industrial electronic installation, maintenance and service, to precision measurement and quality control.

Fluke /// www.fluke.com

Water and electricity — and PPE — don’t mix. Know how the situation will affect your tools and your work.

(Photo courtesy Stephen San Juan) North American Clean Energy

15

solar energy

Is a Module Shortage on the Horizon?

by Robert Benedict

NOW THAT WE SEE NEW POLYSILICON

upon the PV market in the second half of 2020, global module demand reached above 115 GW by year-end.

In a post-COVID-19 world, all signs indicate a bright future for solar. Predictions indicate growth of global module demand to 145 GW in 2021, up 15 percent from 2020. On top of that, nearly 20 countries will reach the GW scale this year. Among these, China, the U.S., and Europe will lead the solar growth. India was expected to be a part of the growth but has experienced an advanced COVID presence. Together, these countries represent more than 70 percent of global market demand.

China, due to enter the grid parity era under the 14th FiveYear Plan, is expected to see 20 percent growth. Europe, which is committed to the Paris Agreement, will see continued strong demand. Driven by a step-down of the ITC and the renewable target set by each state, the U.S. predicts growth of more than 30 percent. Though ravaged by the pandemic, the Indian market is forecast to bounce back from its virus slump, with 60 percent growth expected.

These developments will push module demand toward 100 GW. Traditional markets aside, emerging markets are also worth noting. The Asian Pacific region will maintain stable growth, while Latin America (where electricity cost is low), and the Middle East (where utilityscale projects are underway), will witness 30-60 percent growth, further contributing to the solar boom by the end of the year 2021. It is necessary to provide more details on challenges and opportunities facing the renewables industry in the post-COVID-19 era. The solar industry's core seeks to bring together industry Withstands HVHZ winds up to Cat 5 (depending on roof type) professionals, manufacturers, and endDesigned for island style roofs, SSMR, single-ply and asphalt users renewables to explore new solar and 860-773-4150 energy storage opportunities.

production lines coming online in modest numbers, the question facing the solar industry is: Will be a module shortage, or will mono-Si wafer supply exceeding demand, leading to another round of price competition? Polysilicon may become the focus in the upstream sector as a result of a shortage; Chinese polysilicon capacity expects to exceed 85 percent of the global polysilicon market in 2021, with Xinjiang housing more than 50 percent Chinas total.

The polysilicon sector was hit with industrial accidents that sent ripple effects across the PV supply chain, and the continued China and U.S. dispute over a forced labor issue in Xinjiang may lead to yet another episode of polysilicon shortage. After the outbreak of coronavirus forced the world into lockdowns and caused major delays in projects, COVID-19-induced impacts on the solar sector have gradually subsided. As high season fell

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The evolution of the energy sector over the past 25 years has surpassed every expectation, and today, energy forms a key pillar of political and social strategies in many of the world's economies. Given the continuous development and advancement of new technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality, the next 25 years should yield some big surprises.

Watch for the following five key trends over the next quarter-century: 1. It will be the consumer's decision to no longer be a passive buyer of energy, but an active participant in the energy sector, as well as a member of the energy community.

2. Renewables will make demandside flexibility necessary to grid management and, therefore, of the utmost urgency.

3. Artificial Intelligence will enable the integration of renewables and grid optimization.

4. Regulations on global and local levels regarding new technologies and sustainable resources will be of prime importance. Investment in these new technologies will drive us into the future.

5. The grid's resilience will also be a focal point of the energy sector in the years to come.

In light of China’s denial of human rights abuse allegations, A Biden administration report will likely draw additional scrutiny to the country’s outsized role in the global solar power industry. China has anywhere from 71 to 97 percent of the world's capacity for various solar panel components.

Xinjiang alone produces nearly half of the world's solar-grade polysilicon, and is home to factories for some of the industry's most prominent players.

Meanwhile, many countries are betting on solar as a necessary form of renewable energy as they work to transition away from more polluting power sources.

According to an October report from the International Energy Agency, renewable

energy - led by solar power - could make up 80 percent of the growth in electricity generation over the next decade.

The industry is nothing if not resilient; every time solar has run into headwinds, it finds a way to go over, under, around, or through to continue its upward trajectory. Despite the possibility of a looming module shortage, it’s a smart bet that solar will rebound with newer, smarter technology and increased production closer to home.

Robert Benedict is Chairman/CMO of Unicorn Solar Development, a California-based company comprised of team that offers more than 30 years of industry experience in PV module procurement, project management, business development, solar financing, residential and commercial solar project installations, and management consulting.

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17

solar energy

Dangers of Cross-Mating

PV cable connectors aren’t always a match

by Brian Mills

The generation of safe and clean electrical power relies on high safety standards and high-quality components that guarantee reliable performance.

Solar connectors are designed for twenty to thirty years of service life, and are expected to perform without fail during that lifespan. Designing products to safely meet such demanding requirements takes years of experience, and dedication to quality and rigorous validation standards. The smallest product issue or deficiency, or a mistake made during assembly or deployment, can have very dire consequences.

One of the most common errors seen in residential PV systems is the cross-mating of connector products from different manufacturers. Cross-mating is the practice of plugging together connector products from two different suppliers. It’s easy to understand how this happens: most of them look very similar, and are all too often marketed as compatible with other connectors. This can even be stated in the actual product manual of modules and MLPE’s.

This is a very dangerous marketing tactic, since the makers of those two different connectors almost certainly did not collaborate on their product designs.

The fact is, one tried to copy the other by guessing and mimicking materials, dimensions, compatible seals, etc. When you take a moment to consider that these connections are expected to last 20+ years (outside in all conceivable types of weather conditions), and protect an inordinately high level of DC energy (typical residential PV string inverter circuits are rated for >6kW), you can see how leaving the safety of these connections to a collection of guesses and estimations creates a dangerous situation.

This is precisely why you cannot get a connector certification for products from two different manufactures unless those companies agree to a joint certification . . . and it is VERY rare for such a situation to exist.

In some cases, these connections survive without any appreciable effect on the system. In most cases, however, they cause nuisance issues like blown fuses, excessive power losses due to high heat generation, as well as creating repeated faults in the inverter (and even premature failure). Too often, these failures end up causing catastrophic issues, including electrical arcing and fires.

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

DC solid state contactors

Nominal Controls Inc. has released their new Mach-1 DC Contactors. This release extends the company's DC solid state switching capability to the 100 to 400ADC range. Mach-1 DC contactors incorporate the latest semiconductor technology in an industry-standard panel mount solid state relay package. They can handle high current, high voltage, and high frequency applications operating at up to 400A nominal (1200A inrush), 1500VDC, and 10kHz. Mach-1 DC solid state contactors enable new feasibility with retrofitting higher voltage electro-mechanical contactors, interrupting current in <20μs for down-line protection, fine-tuning DC power with PWM up to 10kHz, and supporting direct CMOS/TTL inputs from computers, Arduino and Raspberry Pi devices. Mach-1 DC solid state contactors include no moving parts, they are arc-free and noise-free, MTBF >3million hours, or 50-300 million cycles, DC controlled with diagnostic LED indicator, optional NC/NO auxiliary output for advanced models, patent pending high-reliability construction, made in Canada with semiconductors from the USA.

Nominal Controls /// www.nominalcontrols.com

Why Have Solar Pros Been Switching to Chilicon Power?

This is where a small oversight has very dire consequences. Because the NEC code requires that installers use equipment certified for its intended use (and cross-mating connectors is rarely if ever certified), an installer cross-mating these connectors is inadvertently commissioning a system that is not code-compliant. They must be sure that all the connections made in the system are products from the same manufacturer. Not only is this essential for safety, it also satisfies the warranty for parts used in the installation. It’s best practice to follow the installation guides from the manufacturer, and not risk failure by cross-mating products that are not intended for such use.

While connectors may seem like an afterthought, they play a significant role in the success of any solar project. Help maintain the PV industry’s reputation for safety and reliability by spreading the word about the dangers of crossmating. The safest and most reliable habit is to only mate connectors from the same manufacturer.

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Single and Duo Microinverter Brian Mills is Product Manager Alternative Energy - North America at Stäubli Electrical Connectors. He is responsible for management of all PV related projects, safety standards compliance for developed PV products, design and specifications oversight for all new PV products, and a member of several UL standards technical committees.

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solar energy

Cloud Clean Energy

by Daniel Peña

The nonstop growth of renewable energy has created a need for methods and equipment to manage and distribute this power in the most efficient way possible. While little known, cloud technology has successfully met this challenge.

What is Cloud Clean Energy?

To fully optimize energy production, modern renewable energy systems rely on data.

Data allows producers to know who needs how much energy over the course of days, months, and years, so they can determine how to store and distribute electricity intelligently and efficiently. Accurate historical data as well as real-time data are also necessary in order to make informed and proactive decisions.

PV solar panels serve the purpose of producing renewable electricity that greatly reduces monthly energy bills. Employing solar trackers results in greater optimization.

Single Axis Trackers, for example, increase production 15 to 20 percent. Not only can this boost profits, but it helps developers significantly reduce their environmental impact. Combining tracking with Clean Cloud computing makes is possible to further optimize site, portfolio, and performance.

Benefits of Cloud Clean Energy

One of the main objectives of complementing renewable energies with Cloud technology is sustainability. Implementing both can result in benefits such as: • Completely reduce the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions • Achieve a cleaner energy production, but at the same time more efficient • Reduce reliance on energy-intensive practices through offsite data transfer • Prevent computers from being idle for extended periods • Achieve more sustainable business practices while saving money due to cloud connectivity and intelligent energy use Building a solar panel system is no small investment. The growth of Cloud Clean Energy can help to realize sizable cost savings, which further increases when applied to a portfolio that include numerous PV sites.

Cloud technology in the Circular Economy

The circular economy concept is garnering a lot of attention as the world becomes more cognizant of the need to produce, distribute, and consume renewable energy. A key principle of the circular economy is to decouple physical assets from the services they provide. What does this mean?

It means consolidating monitoring/ computing hardware in a single location instead of having the redundant computing hardware at multiple sites.

Cloud technology is the key to having a consolidated hardware site while remotely monitoring multiple sites. The consolidated site allows users to optimize the hardware and computing power for the best efficiency and power production.

One example is the ability schedule power intensive calculations at night when electricity is the least expensive, Those who count on wind or solar power systems to run their businesses, homes − while doing lower consumption activities during the peak rate times. and lifestyles − turn to Crown for renewable power storage solutions. We’ve been

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Other key benefits of Cloud Clean Energy include:

• Hardware designs selected to maximize energy efficiency and service capacity • Consolidated data center hardware to avoid on-site installations, reducing the amount of hardware • Increased hardware utilization when used across multiple sites

Daniel Peña is Chief Technology Officer at P4Q Suntrack Services- Subsidiary of P4Q Electronics- providing comprehensive custom support and after-sales services for individual PV Solar projects worldwide.

Suntrack by p4q /// suntrack.p4q.com

• Upfront consideration of equipment’s end of life means that reuse and recyclability significantly improved - less hardware is also a significant benefit • Maximum resource utilization thanks to the visibility and control of the system for continuous capacity planning and increase utilization densities • Predictive and preventive maintenance to guarantee maximum site availability at the lowest cost

QB2

The role of automation in solar energy

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are adapting to the needs of solar energy users. For instance, an automated system can monitor energy consumption in a data center and point to appropriate ways to reduce electricity use.

Similarly, the automation of a solar energy system allows access to information remotely through its cloudbased data center, making it easy to manage sites from anywhere in the world.

Through machine learning, the cloud-based system can learn about this same interaction to conserve energy when data isn't in use or doesn't need to be transferred.

Another use of automation in Cloud Clean Energy is consideration of electricity and weather patterns, where the systems know when to conserve energy during cloudy or windless days. By increasing the net production for the site, maximum production is maintained at all times.

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A few companies have already adopted and continue to push development of this technology. In 2017, Google became the first company to match 100 percent its electricity consumption with renewable energy. Yet its goal is much more ambitious, as it seeks to run its business on carbon-free energy everywhere and at all times, which means they're looking to always have their data centers powered by clean energy through the cloud. Encouraging more companies to adopt clean energy management through the cloud opens up a greater opportunity for sustainability and profitability.

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solar energy Hard shell, smart core

The robust commercial inverter from Austrian provider Fronius provides low overall operating costs and high yields based on a combination of smart product design, a high degree of flexibility, resistance to any environmental conditions, and fast servicing. The new inverter is available as a Tauro and Tauro ECO. Both variants have been optimized for use in a centralized and decentralized system design. The Fronius Tauro is available in the 50kW power category. It has three MPP trackers and an extremely wide input voltage range, which is particularly advantageous for demanding PV scenarios. The Tauro ECO has one MPP tracker, is optimized for cost and efficiency and is available in the 50, 99, and 100kW power categories.

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The new REC Alpha Pure Black solar panel, from REC Group, offers leadfree production and a substantial gain in power output. The REC Alpha Pure Black will start production in June 2021 at REC’s fully automated manufacturing facility in Singapore, with first deliveries expected in July. With half-cut heterojunction cells in a gapless layout, the REC Alpha Pure Black delivers up to 405Wp. At 219W per square meter, the panel offers high power density, helping homeowners and businesses benefit from optimum use of space and savings on energy bills. The new REC Alpha Pure Black Series is eligible for the REC ProTrust warranty package, which offers up to 25-years coverage on product, performance and labor, with guaranteed power of at least 92% in year 25 of operation. Thanks to a temperature coefficient of -0.26 %/°C, the REC Alpha Pure Black offers performance in both mild and hot conditions. A strong frame gives extra protection against extreme weather events and allows the REC Alpha to withstand snow loads of 7000Pa. REC has eliminated lead from all panel components, including cell connections, cross connectors, and junction box soldering. This means the panel meets the European RoHS regulation. This innovation is a testament to REC’s continued commitment to clean solar energy while saving on natural resources, reducing waste, and eliminating hazardous components. The gapless layout efficiently uses every millimeter of the panel surface by avoiding typical gaps between cells. Because aesthetics play a role in rooftop solar applications, this gapless layout, combined with a black backsheet, gives the REC Alpha Pure Black Series a seamless appearance, which alongside its lead-free construction and high power, makes it a compelling solar panel choice for both residential and commercial rooftops.

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Training Key to Meeting Explosive Solar Demand in the Coming Decade

By Bri Bruce, Director of Marketing, RP Construction Services, Inc.

A

CCORDING TO THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL SOLAR JOBS CENSUS, The Solar Foundation’s annual comprehensive study on the U.S. solar workforce, the solar industry employed just over 231,000 workers in 2020, a 6.7 percent drop from the previous year. Nevertheless, the solar industry continued to support hundreds of thousands of jobs across all 50 states, and with construction workers deemed essential, companies were largely able to keep workers on the job.

President Biden has pledged to make the United States a leader in clean energy and speed up renewables’ adoption, setting a target of reducing the U.S.’s carbon footprint in half by 2035 through retrofitting for and deploying innovative clean technology, reducing emissions, and generating power from renewable sources.

In order to meet Biden’s clean energy target, the solar workforce must exceed 900,000 by 2035, more than quadruple the current number. At the current rate, the industry is on track to employ only 400,000 workers by 2030.

TRAINING STRATEGIES

Since 2018, RPCS has grown its workforce 267 percent, despite the labor shortage, helping the company achieve a more than 480 percent increase in the number of megawatts completed.

Programs like the RPCS Academy aim to standardize installation processes and techniques that coincide with RPCS’ values of safety, quality, and production. “A key piece to our training is uniformity,” says RPCS Safety Director Keith DeCarlo, who is helping spearhead the standardization of the company’s installation processes. “It’s not my way or your way; we are building the RPCS way.”

The company’s Second Chance program offers employment opportunities for former criminal offenders and a chance to transform their lives while providing an opportunity to work in an exciting, growing industry.

TECH ENABLEMENT

To effectively design, procure, and build dozens of projects spread all over the country, RPCS developed and deployed a custom mobile and desktop application specifically built to streamline job site reporting and to monitor progress. With this custom app, RPCS site leadership and project management teams can effectively oversee projects in real time while ensuring schedules are being met and safety and quality are maintained.

EQUIPMENT & MAINTENANCE The first logical step is to hire the workforce needed to meet the surge in solar demand. But once hires have been made, how does the industry deploy the solar energy needed to meet the clean energy target?

The key to achieving the current administration’s target, RPCS believes, is training.

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF ENERGY

The core of RPCS’ business lies in serving the utility-scale solar sector, providing turnkey design, installation, supply, and specialty services to developers, EPCs, and municipal utilities. RPCS saw the trend towards larger and larger projects, and continues to innovate visionary ways to accommodate the solar boom in construction, logistics, and internal business practices.

TRAINING PRACTICES PAVE THE WAY FOR MORE EFFICIENT, HIGHER QUALITY SOLAR DEPLOYMENT RPCS employs individuals from diverse backgrounds, including military veterans, farm workers, and former first responders, focusing on those with transferable skills, not just those with solar industry experience. An important quality the company is looking for in a candidate is trainability.

“When it comes to recruiting,” says RPCS Director of Human Resources Andrew Sanders, “attitude, drive, and commitment are all important in a candidate, but trainability is huge. Our goal is to train employees to build safely with quality and proficiency so we can be successful.”

RPCS is unique in that its focus is on a single product: the DuraTrack HZ v3 single-axis solar tracker by Array Technologies. Not only is RPCS Array’s trusted partner and the market’s expert when it comes to the mechanical installation of the Array tracker, but its workforce is more than familiar with the specific tools and equipment needed to install the tracker safely and to the highest degree of quality.

Each site is equipped with a toolbox containing all the tools needed to install and QA/QC a project.

Upon the completion of a project, toolboxes are shipped back to RPCS’ logistics facility for

thorough inventory, maintenance, and any necessary repairs or replacements before being sent back out to a new project.

SAFETY

Safety is paramount to RPCS’s operations and plays a large role in proper training.

RPCS provides each project with a site-specific safety and health manual that outlines plans and procedures for safe installation as well as proper on-the-job conduct.

Training is built into the company culture, which fosters an environment of collaboration, teamwork, and personal development. “Honesty, integrity, and self-discipline are secondary focal points in our training,” DeCarlo explains. “These are key areas. We can’t hit our safety and quality focal points without building these into our culture.”

INVESTING IN TRAINING IS SECRET TO SUCCESS

RPCS has built a world-class team by hiring people, not positions.

RPCS is a firm advocate of proper planning on all business operation levels, especially training.

Training advances workforce performance, while also ensuring safe work practices and the proper use of equipment, all for the end goal of quality installation and service.

“It’s all about setting yourself up for success, investing in your employees and creating more value for your customers,” RPCS’ Vice President of Operations, Dave Mead states. “Investing in your employees with experiential training and hands-on learning in an environment that rewards effort is the winning combination for building an effective and profitable workforce.”

With innovative training approaches, strategies, and tools, RPCS is leading the way to a clean energy future.

RP Construction Services, Inc. (RPCS) provides turnkey design, structural engineering, procurement/supply, mechanical installation, and specialty services to EPC contractors, developers, and municipal utilities. As one of the nation's leading solar contractors and single-axis tracker expert, RPCS has completed more than 700 projects, totaling over 2.5GW, and helps customers meet their renewable energy goals with simple, seamless project execution.

Connect with RPCS on LinkedIn or learn more at www.rpcs.com.

North American Clean Energy

23

solar energy Double row 1P tracker

Soltec’s SFOne, is a new solar tracker with a double row 1P configuration. SFOne includes Dy-Wind technology, which features advanced methodology for the design of wind-resistant tracking structures, and the optimization of the Diffuse Booster system for low-light conditions. SFOne provides ease of installation, making the plant construction process fast, reducing development time invested by 75%. The SFOne is a structure of low height, which helps reduce the visual impact of the plants where this new product is installed. Additionally, with SFOne, Soltec offers the option of minimizing imported components for manufacture in each country where the projects are developed, through Soltec's factories, thus reducing the carbon footprint.

New traceability protocol

Soltec Power Holdings /// www.soltec.com

STOP BY

BOOTH #3013 www.ftcsolar.com

MEET WITH FTC SOLAR AT SPI To schedule a meeting with a team member, email info@ftcsolar.com SEPTEMBER 20 - 23 9 AM - 6 PM

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a new tool to increase supply chain transparency and help ensure all solar components are made ethically throughout the solar value chain. The Solar Supply Chain Traceability Protocol is a set of guidelines designed to help solar companies meet compliance obligations and, importantly, provide customers with assurances that their solar products are free of unethical labor practices.

As manufacturers begin using the traceability protocol, it will be regularly reviewed and updated to improve its usability and effectiveness. It is important to point out that the protocol by itself will not stamp out forced labor, companies need to go through the steps laid out by the protocol. In addition to the new traceability protocol, SEIA has finalized a comprehensive update to its Solar Commitment, which defines common labor, health and safety, environmental, and ethical standards and expectations for solar companies. The update modernizes the standard and now covers an expansive list of topics, including guidance on workplace safety and ethical labor practices. The standard now features recycling and refurbishment best practices, information on energy consumption tracking, procedures companies can follow to avoid the use of conflict minerals in solar products, and additional guidance that companies can follow to hold their suppliers to all of these standards. The Commitment is an important document that recognizes the need for companies to increasingly take responsibility for every aspect of the solar supply chain from upstream materials to recycling and disposition. SEIA is also releasing a Solar Buyers’ Guide on Traceability, which summarizes the protocol and offers key questions that customers, developers, financiers, and other stakeholders should ask suppliers about products in the solar + storage value chain.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) /// www.seia.org

24

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Self-flashing mounting base

RT-MINI II is Roof Tech’s self-flashing mounting base designed to attach conventional rail mounting systems for any sloped roofs consisting of metal, EPDM, TPO, and asphalt. The RT-MINI II has more mounting options for rafters and also combining rafter and deck attachments. The optional RT 5 x 90mm stainless wood screws (rafter only) can provide a wider span, and the offset rafter mounting adds more options on any style of roof and pitch. The new design uses less aluminum, making it an efficient design that reduces raw materials and decreases logistic expenses. RT-MINI II is engineered to withstand wind speeds up to 180mph and ground snow up to 90PSF. RT-MINI II quick to install because it is fastened with wood screws, eliminating the need for pilot holes. As a result, there is no damage to the seal on asphalt shingles. RT-MINI II is fully waterproof and certified by the International Code Council (ICC-ESR 3575). Stamped PE letters are available for 40 states in the U.S. and five provinces in Canada.

Roof Tech /// www.roof-tech.us

Cable hanger family for solar applications

Hubbell BURNDY introduces the Wiley Cable Hanger (WCH) family; a range of solutions providing steel bundle securement for solar photovoltaic (PV) applications. The new design provides cable support with fast and easy one-step hook installation. The Wiley WCH family offers two hanging options: looped through wire management holes or secured around a tracker bolt via their cotter pin hook design which is set at a 90° angle to align with torque tubes. Both are easy to install, suitable for use with both monoand bi-facial panels, and compatible with all common module frame geometries.

Intended for outdoor use, the round cross-section of WCH hangers ensures the cable insulation is protected from chafing in high wind or tracker movement.

The product family is manufactured in galvanized or stainless steel to provide outstanding durability in all environments.

These hangers should last the lifetime of the installation. Offering bundle diameters up to 2", WCH cable hangers hold runs of up to 20 8mm diameter wires. They are UL1565 Listed and provide a solution for keeping PV installations neat, clean, and free from ground hazards. WCH hangers can be used in small-scale residential applications, medium-scale commercial applications such as malls or big box stores, and large-scale PV utility applications.

Hubbell Wiley /// www.hubbell.com/wiley

5% DISCOUNT

AT CHECKOUT WITH CODE

NACE5

North American Clean Energy Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ridge Tool Company or RIGID, Inc.

25

solar energy High power output solar panels

REC Group announced the launch of the REC TwinPeak 4 Series, the fourth generation of its solar panels for residential and commercial rooftop installations. The latest REC TwinPeak features a new cell structure design and higher power output than its predecessor. Like all REC panels, it is eligible for the comprehensive REC ProTrust warranty package.

The new REC TwinPeak 4 is available in both white and black backsheet variants, and features a newly designed cell structure, multi-busbar connection, as well as improved nominal power output of up to 375 watt-peak from its 120 half-cut monocrystalline p-type cells. With the same 30mm frame and support bars already proven in the REC N-Peak and REC Alpha solar panels, the latest REC TwinPeak can now withstand higher loads of +7000 Pa, enabling it to offer high performance in tough rooftop conditions. The REC TwinPeak 4 Series is eligible for the comprehensive REC ProTrust warranty package, including 25-year warranty on the product, performance, and labor, subject to conditions. In addition, the new solar panel comes with an improved power warranty of just 2% maximum power degradation in the first year of operation and 0.5% per year thereafter until year 25.

REC Group /// www.recgroup.com

Quick connection technology

HIGH PERFORMANCE CERAMIC COMPOSITE

RSLE-57 AS SOLAR THERMAL SHIELDING

Refractory sheet board RSLE-57 is a low expansion high strength reinforced silica matrix composite for concentrated solar equipment and structure protection • • • • •

Exceptional flexural and compressive strengths Resistant to high temperatures Stable in exterior freeze thaw and heat cycles Excellent thermal shock resistance Used as protective shielding from solar spillage

ZIRCAR Refractory Composites, Inc.

P.O. Box 489, Florida, NY 10921 Phone: 845-651-2200 Fax: 845-651-1515 e-mail: sales@zrci.com

Visit our home page at www.zrci.com

26

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Quick Fitting announces that its ProBite+ push-to-connect fitting delivers fast and easy installation in solar applications with safety and efficiency for installers.

Removable, reusable, and repositionable ProBite+ is guaranteed to make a perfect connection every time. With its pushto-connect fitting, installation is easy and without any soldering, gluing, or crimping required, safety is greater, risks are lowered, and installation is quick, all of which provide economic benefits to end users. With no open flames, no chemical exposure, and reduced risk of tool accidents or errors, pipe connection projects are safe and easy with ProBite+.

The connection’s lead-free design also improves health and safety. The ProBite+ installs wet or dry, which simplifies installation in solar applications, users can connect and move on without being completely dry. Quick Fitting’s special grip ring technology is manufactured in the US and provides the right combination of flexibility, strength, and shape memory to enable users to remove and reuse a fitting multiple times without losing any connecting capability. Additionally, the ring is replaceable, so connections can be repaired. Quick Fitting is a professionalgrade quick connection company that builds products and programs to support customers. ProBite+ is available with a special professional contractor 75-year warranty program that covers repairs in the event of a leak.

Quick Fitting Holding Company, LLC /// www.quickfitting.com

High mobility airfield lighting system

Avlite has released their new expeditionary airfield lighting system, AV-HMALS. It introduces a raft of new military-focused products and incorporates them into a customizable and configurable system. AV-HMALS (High Mobility Airfield Lighting System) is a portable system consisting of trailers housing their new military product range. Options for the AV-HMALS are tailored to the user’s specific needs and include: trailers systems with roadworthy and high-density options, runway and taxiway lighting featuring a new range of military lights, approach lighting configurable to the user’s exacting specifications, control options for all system sizes, and accessories and add-ons to make sure the system is fit for purpose. AV-HMALS can be used anywhere, including areas that are difficult to access or expensive to install and operate. It can also be utilized as an auxiliary airfield lighting is necessary.

All products are available in visible and IR lighting modes and can operate via solar, AC with battery backup, or AC with battery backup and solar.

Avlite /// www.avlite.com

Simple, fast, and safe wiring of current and voltage transformers

Weidmuller’s TTB measuring transformer terminal block series meet all the connection requirements of critical transformer (current/voltage) protection and measurement functions.

The series is approved according to IEC 60947-7-1 Annex D – safety-relevant components captively connected to the modular terminal block. North American approvals UL/CSA (cURus) are available as well. The measuring transformer terminals of the TTB series have been developed for use in secondary circuits of measuring transformers. For safe application when disconnecting or isolating protection of measuring devices, the terminal short-circuits the current transformer and prevents high voltages from occurring in the secondary winding. The "close-beforeopen" contact for up to four connections ensures the current transformer within the terminal is short-circuited before it is disconnected from the rest of the transformer circuit. This prevents the voltage at the current transformer from running up and protects it from damage or destruction. After short-circuiting the current transformer (CT) side and simultaneously disconnecting the primary side, the meter can be easily and safely checked via relay test or replaced.

The combination of a disconnecting lever and short-circuit bridge in a single system provides the possibility of forced short-circuit functionality to guarantee simple and safe wiring. The TTB series carries an electrical rating of 300-600V/5-30A/AWG 22-8.

Weidmuller /// www.weidmuller.com

North American Clean Energy

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solar energy

High efficiency modules

Panasonic has introduced four new EverVolt modules featuring higher efficiency and enhanced performance, even in high temperatures, as well as exceptional degradation rates. The new modules are also backed by Panasonic’s TripleGuard and AllGuard 25-year warranties. EverVolt Solar Module Series 380W / 370W modules, features efficiency rating of 21.7% and 21.2%, respectively, and provides maximum power output for residential solar systems. EverVolt Solar Module Black Series 370W /360W modules, features efficiency rating of 21.2% and 20.6%, respectively, with a sleek all-black aesthetic design. When installed by a Panasonic Authorized, Premium, or Elite installer and registered through the Panasonic website, homeowners will have peace of mind with the following EverVolt warranty options. The Panasonic TripleGuard Warranty covers EverVolt panels for performance, product, parts, and labor for 25 years. The Panasonic AllGuard Warranty covers labor to replace and repair all major components in an EverVolt system. Applicable to Panasonic AC modules, this warranty covers solar modules combined with microinverters sold by Panasonic, and approved racking for 25 years and the monitoring hardware for five years. Modules installed by merchants outside of the Panasonic Installer Program receive a 25-year warranty on performance and product only.

Panasonic /// www.panasonic.com

Sockets for testing and measuring solutions

A new range of panel-mount sockets with a unique profile will supplement the existing assortment of measuring solutions on offer with Stäubli Electrical Connectors. If a user decides to fit a socket by punching out a hole instead of using a (round head) drill bit, a double D type thread will act as an anti-twist safeguard, thus simplifying the process.

A standard round hole with current dimensions can also still be used as normal. Orange has been made available as an additional standard color for use within the e-mobility industry. The new sockets are 100% compatible with the current portfolio. A new and improved material is now also being used for Stäubli sockets and will bear the UL classification V0 as opposed to the HB-rated material used to date. Fitting sockets made of V0 classified materials will also make the UL certification process easier for the whole device. A new selection of sockets with shorter contact pins has also been made available for use with measuring devices where installation space is limited. These sockets do not have an additional solder hole at the end of the contact, and are 5.5mm shorter than current models.

Stäubli Electrical Connectors /// www.staubli.com

High current terminal blocks

The new A2C 50/70 and A2C 95/120 versions are suitable for cross-sections from 10 to 120 mm² and feature the innovative PUSH IN-Power connection technology.

This means operators can use a single convenient connection system for the entire cross-section range and have consistent access to the wide range of accessories of the Klippon Connect A series.

Weidmuller /// www.weidmuller.com

28

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Wind gusts forecasting service in photovoltaic plants

Suntrack Services, a company of the P4Q Group, adds specific warning notifications for upcoming weather conditions and events in PV plants.

Taking further steps in their range of predictive and preventive solutions, they now provide its customers an early alert and warning wind gust forecasting service, which complements their current offer with a more comprehensive weather forecast. Given these are factors that can affect the safety, availability, and level of energy generation in photovoltaic plants, Suntrack Services wind gust alert system, continually analyzes upcoming weather conditions associated to customized and uniquely predefined parameters and alarm thresholds set for each PV site. This service is complimentary to all their users who have the monitoring services active in their photovoltaic plants. Users can easily manage and view their forecasting data using their interface on the customer portal.

Suntrack by P4Q /// www.suntrack.p4q.com

Build Your Solar Farm with Gatorshield® Triple coated galvanized tube from Allied Tube & Conduit® has been manufactured with a unique combination of strength and advanced corrosion protection for over 40 years. Our tube can be easily fabricated including bending, swaging and flattening without damaging the triple layer of corrosion protection.

Clear Organic Coating (Qwick-Coat®)

Secure remote working toolkit

Ardexa has expanded its feature set with a secure and fast remote working toolkit for renewable energy operations.

Ardexa has a simplified toolkit, enabling granular access management and full portfolio oversight, including event audit logs. In addition, the new Ardexa Remote solution only requires an inexpensive edge computer at the plant, significantly reducing hardware costs. Most importantly, security is significantly enhanced. Ardexa Remote relies on a Public Key Infrastructure (digital certificates, authentication, encryption) and enables two connection methods, tunnel and VPN. Ardexa Tunnel allows highly secure access to a specified machine and significantly reduces the risk of malware. Ardexa VPN allows access to the entire machine network. This broader access method, while very efficient, should only be used when simultaneous connections to multiple machines in a single network are required. Additional security benefits are gained by not allowing open ports and ensuring connections to the tunnel are closed automatically when the session is finished. Granular access control to networks and plants, down to the machine level, can be set using the Ardexa cloud platform. Remote access can be immediately revoked by the account administrator, as required and all activities are stored in an immutable security log, enabling forensic analysis of all events.

Ardexa /// www.ardexa.com

Conversation Coating

Uniform Galvanized Zinc Coating

High-Strength Cold-Formed Steel 90% Zinc Organic Interior Coating

For more information about Gatorshield steel tubing or our secondary fabrication services please visit: Atkore.com/atcm

GROUND SCREWS? HELICAL ANCHORS? REFUSAL HOLES? Rock Drilling Attachments Get the Job Done.

FIND US AT BOOTH #2268

wordrockdrills.com | 1.336.584.6700 North American Clean Energy

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solar energy

Asset management services

Why stop at rapid shutdown when you can improve ROI with optimization?

TM

Sage Energy Consulting has launched a new suite of asset management services to supplement their existing services in energy planning and project management. These new services include quantitative savings analysis, utility tariff optimization, solar performance management, renewable energy credit (REC) management, existing solar inspections, and O&M subcontractor management.

These new offerings will help solar stakeholders justify the expense of going solar by delivering quantitative analysis of energy and financial savings, maximizing savings through performance optimization and utility tariff analysis, providing independent oversight of third-party solar providers, and bringing additional revenue through previously untapped RECs.

Sage Energy Consulting /// www.sagerenew.com

Financing options for solar developers and landowners

SolaREIT, a solar real estate investment fund, is introducing their Pre-Paid Lease allowing solar developers to provide landowners with up-front payment for up to 30-years of lease payments. With SolaREIT’s Pre-Paid Lease, landowners can pull forward 10 to 30 years of payments.

The new option expands the choices for financing real estate holdings for both developers and landowners to speed solar development. Solar is a land-intensive technology; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that solar panels will cover 3 million acres by 2030.

The majority of solar projects are on leased property, and the Prepaid Lease allows landowners to maintain ownership of their land while getting paid upfront for the use of their property for solar. Flexible financing solutions such as SolaREIT’s PrePaid Lease can reduce the operating costs for projects and expand the number of landowners open to hosting solar projects.

SolaREIT /// www.solareit.com

The Most Advanced PV Mounting Featuring Roof Tech’s AlphaSeal™ Technology

Utility paralleling systems

Installs on any Sloped Roofs Metal EPDM/TPO Asphalt

Slide-In Mounting One Step Leveling Universal Clamping 30-46mm Integrated Flexible Flashing RT-APEX Estimator Free Digital Design Tool

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www.roof-tech.us | info@roof-tech.us | (858) 935-6064

30

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Russelectric, a Siemens Business, offers its Paralleling System, suitable for ensuring critical loads experience no interruption when transferring between all power source assets in renewable energy installations. The system can be configured for peak shaving and utility-sponsored load curtailment programs. The Paralleling System also offers high resiliency, power continuity, and security for critical renewable energy installations. Russelectric Paralleling Systems incorporate dual, redundant, hot synchronized programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for system control. Discrete switches, meters, and control devices are standard to allow manual control capability in the event that both system PLCs fail. With the Russelectric Paralleling System, users get soft loading transfer and phase lock synchronizing when paralleling with the utility, which reduces transients and controls the loading to the engine generators.

Russelectric provides basic or custom SCADA for local or remote monitoring of all power system functions. Custom SCADA systems allow users to monitor system operation, acknowledge alarms, and review PLC setpoints. Realistic training simulators are also available. All Paralleling Systems are UL listed. Selector switches are provided for open/closed transition, automatic/manual paralleling of generators and utility sources, and automatic/manual retransfer between both sources of power.

The Paralleling System offers a choice of either momentary paralleling with the utility or sustained paralleling for soft loading. Also available is paralleling of generator sets with the utility upon return of the utility source after power interruption. System operation begins with testing in closed-transition mode with no interruption of the load. Generators are then paralleled with the utility and the load is transferred to them. Upon completion of testing, the load is retransferred through closed-transition to the utility source without disturbance.

Russelectric, a Siemens Business /// www.russelectric.com

Reliable, cost-effective, and easy-to-use weather monitoring

OTT HydroMet’s new ISO & IEC compliant WS50PV is a compact all-in-one weather sensor for C&I application with active ventilation and integrated heating, and is designed to measure the most critical parameters. Correlating meteorological parameters with panel temperature and power output enhances performance analysis, allowing operators determine if output variances are due to changing weather conditions or a developing system fault. WS50PV helps validate solar plant performance with comprehensive weather sensing technology to enable accurate predictions of energy production and recognize system faults faster. It is a reliable solution with a lifetime expectancy greater than 10 years. Five parameters combine in one housing, mount, and cable with a single digital output to any Modbus RTU-ready data acquisition system and operators can easily add a precipitation or back of module temperature sensor to the same Modbus ID. Providing accuracy, a digital interface based on an enhanced Modbus protocol, and integrated ventilation and heating, the robust WS50PV enables operators to enhance performance affordably.

OTT HydroMet /// www.otthydromet.com

Sensor and Actuator Connectors and Cables

Altech Corporation introduces the Cx Family of sensor and actuator connectors and cables. The Cx Family includes Altech's CB Series of molded sensor and actuator cables, CN Series fieldwired connectors, and CP Series panel feed-through connectors. Overall the Cx Family includes M8, M12 connectors, cable assemblies, and cordsets as well as bulkhead connectors, 3-, 4-, 5-, 8-, and 12-pole versions, male and female connectors, custom cable lengths, PVC cables, or PUR and TPE cables. B-coded cables and connectors for Fieldbus applications: Profibus, CANbus, and DeviceNet as well as D and X-coded cables and connectors for Ethernet and high-speed 10GB connections are included in the Cx Family. The CB Series specifically features female connector to flying lead, straight and angled connectors, 3- and 4-pole connectors, 1, 2, 5, and 10m standard cable lengths and custom lengths. The CN Series features female and male versions, M8 and M12 choices, straight and angled connectors, M8: 3-, 4-pole, M12: 4-, 5- and 8-pole, screw or solder terminals and A coding.

The CP Series features female and male versions, M8 and M12 choices, frontand rear-mount connectors, M8: 3- and 4-pole, M12: 4-, 5-, 8-, and 12-pole, custom cable lengths, and A Coding.

Altech Corporation /// www.altechcorp.com

North American Clean Energy

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solar energy

EMP hardened engineered technology

Trachte LLC has launched EMP Hardened technology for protective electrical control houses, which have been engineered to securely shield critical systems and instrumentation from the hazardous impacts of electromagnetic pulses. Commonly known as EMP, these pulses occur naturally from events like solar flares or can be manmade. EMPs have the potential to severely damage electronic equipment, which can disable systems and shut down communication and electrical grids. Among other engineered shielding solutions, Trachte EMP-protection systems include hardened points of entry for all facility components, including HVAC, exhausts intakes, cable and conductors, doors, vents, and antennae.

Trachte, LLC /// www.trachteusa.com

EXCITING NEWS!

Services oriented medium voltage drive

Schneider Electric is strengthening its medium voltage portfolio with the addition of Altivar Process ATV6000. An EcoStruxure-enabled drive, ATV6000 delivers applicationspecific solutions across a range of industries to help businesses achieve greater process optimization, improved energy management, and enhanced asset management, using Internet of Things (IIoT) and embedded intelligence innovation. Equipped with EcoStruxure Asset Advisor, a cloud-enabled remote monitoring service, ATV6000 converts data into valuable insights to help businesses run their operations efficiently, safely, and with high returns on profit. Offering preventive and predictive management based on real-time assessments and analytics, ATV6000 provides users with continuous health monitoring of assets, risk evaluation, and risk mitigation to help identify potential failures, reduce downtime, and effectively manage costs. When customers select ATV6000, they receive a customized end-to-end solution that encompasses the entire lifecycle of the product, from planning, commissioning, and optimizing to 24/7 access to servicing.

Schneider Electric /// www.se.com

The Best for Less

20 Year Factory Warranty New breakthroughs in the science of making (LiFePO4) lithium batteries have allowed us to offer wall-mounted and floor-mounted packs made from cells by the world’s biggest lithium battery manufacturer. These battery packs come with a 20-year factory warranty in sizes from 5 kWh up through one megawatt all at historically low prices.

Energetech Solar

energetechsolar.com

Strong, durable, and visible enclosures

Stahlin Enclosures’ new Safety Yellow PushButton Enclosures are available in one and two hole configurations with either 22mm or 30mm diameter holes. These polycarbonate enclosures feature a yellow cover and black base, are rated NEMA Type 1, 3, 4X, 6P, 12, and are cULus listed. They have been designed and produced to meet international industry requirements for emergency stop (E-Stop) applications. The new Safety Yellow PushButton Enclosures have a high-visibility yellow background ensuring compliance with ISO standards and increase user safety especially in areas with low levels of lighting. Colors molded-in to the polycarbonate material increase durability, help eliminate loss of color from chipping or scraping, and prevent need for frequent replacement. They are supplied with standard captive polymer cover screws, lift-off cover, and memory retaining seamless polyurethane gasket and offer environmental protection and corrosion resistance. The PushButton Series from Stahlin Enclosures is designed for general-purpose electrical and electronic applications and control stations. Easily adaptable for most common push button and indicator lights, the series is useful for compact portable control systems or for use as an operator interface in both indoor and outdoor environments. The rugged and durable design, either in-line or multi-hole, allows use in many MRO and OEM applications. They are constructed from rugged fiberglass reinforced polyester or polycarbonate and feature a continuous polyurethane gasket that provides a complete environmental seal.

Stahlin Enclosures /// www.stahlin.com

RPM ROLLFORMED METAL PRODUCTS

QUALITY | COST | DELIVERY | DEVELOPMENT

• Forming Steel-Stainless-Aluminum-Copper-Brass • Custom Profiles and Standard Shapes for Solar Racking • Take Advantage of the Strong US Dollar www.rpmsteel.com

877-665-7655 32

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Controllers with fiber optic option

WAGO is adding three new IIot-enabled Generation 2 PFC200 controllers to their 750 series. These include a standard version for factory applications and two XTR versions for work in harsh environments. Each of these PLCs come with two standard RJ45 Ethernet ports and two 100 Mbit/s SFP slots for fiber optic modules. These configurable ports can be used as a switch or with individual IP addresses and support MODBUS TCP/UDP, EtherNet/IP, OPCUA protocols with additional licenses supporting EtherCAT and Sparkplug. The fiber optic ports are beneficial to renewable energy generation where distance networking may play a factor. In addition, our 750-8211/040-001 XTR controller can be used for SMARTGrid applications for energy and utility applications.

WAGO /// www.wago.us

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

Utility-Scale, Commercial, & Residential Inverters

An integral part of any energy system, inverters convert the power generated from the sun into functional energy for grid and off-grid use. With technology offering ever-more efficient and reliable power generation, herein we highlight the latest in utility-scale, commercial, industrial, and residential inverters…

SOLAR SEE AD ON PAGE 41

SEE AD ON PAGE 35

TMEIC Corporation Product: Solar Ware Ninja Series PV PCS

COTEK Electronic Industrial Co. Ltd.

Primary Market: Solar Application: Utility-scale Continuous Output Power: 800kW - 880kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98% Peak Efficiency: 98.72% DC Voltage Operating Range: 875V to 1300V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-25°C to 50°C) Dimensions: 43.3" x 43.3" x 74.8" (1100mm x 1100mm x 1900mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, UL174SA, IEEE1547, NEC2017, IEC62109-1,2, IEC610006-2,4, IEC61727, IEC62116, IEC61400, BDEW, IEC61683, IEC60068

Warranty: 5-year warranty, extended warranty options available Key Features: • •

>Up to 6 Solar Ware Ninja units on the same skid; PV and/or ESS combination available;

•

Latest generation of Smart Inverter controls platform;

•

Outdoor rated enclosure;

•

UL or IEC certified global design.

www.tmeic.com

Product: SD3500 12V/24V/48V Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, industrial Continuous Output Power: 3.5kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 90% Peak Efficiency: 91% DC Voltage Operating Range: 10V-16V; 20V-32V; 40V-64V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C)

Dimensions: 11.14" x 5.04" x 19.53" (283mm x 128mm x 496mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL458, EN60950-1 Warranty: 2-year warranty Key Features: •

Available in 1500W, 2500W, 3500W;

•

Parallel configuration for 1P3W and 3P4W output;

•

Built-in AC transfer switch;

•

Available in 12V, 24V, and 48V models.

www.cotek.ca

Yaskawa Solectria Solar Product: XGI 1500-250-600, XGI 1500-200480 Primary Market: Solar Application: Utility-scale Continuous Output Power: 250kW (600Vac), 200kW (480Vac) Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5% Peak Efficiency: 99% DC Voltage Operating Range: 860V to 1450V Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 140°F (-40°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 44.3" x 29.5" x 15.4" (1125mm x 750mm x 390mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741SA, UL 1998, IEEE 1547 Warranty: 5-year standard warranty with 10year option www.solectria.com

North American Clean Energy

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solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

SOLAR SEE AD ON PAGE 37

SEE AD ON PAGE 31

Ingeteam

Ampner

Product: INGECON SUN Inverter Station

Product: Ampner ACE 300 PV

Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial

Warranty: 5-year warranty

Continuous Output Power: 261kW to 333kW

Key Features:

Peak Efficiency: 99.0% DC Voltage Operating Range: 850V to 1500V

•

Maximum power of 333kW at 690Vac output;

•

Corrosion resistant aluminum design for outdoor use;

Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 140°F (-40°C to 60°C)

•

Operational up to 13,000ft (4000m) above sea level;

Dimensions: 43.3" x 37.4" x 15" (1100mm x 950mm x 380mm)

•

Up to 48 MC4 string inputs, or 1-4 combiner inputs;

•

Full reactive power generation capability.

Certifications/Approvals: CE marking, UKCA marking, IEC/EN/UL 62109-1, IEC/EN 62109-2, UL 1741, UL1988, CSA C22.2 No. 107.1, CSA C22.2 No. 62109-1:16, UL 1741.SA, IEEE 1547, G99, IEC/EN 62920, CISPR 11, FCC Part 15 Class A, IEC/EN 61683, EN 50530, CEC listing

Continuous Output Power: 1170 to 7400

Warranty: 5-year standard warranty, with extended warranty options up to 20 years

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

Key Features:

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial

Certifications/Approvals: Inverter Grid connection standards: IEC62116 IEC 62116, UL1741SA, IEEE1547, IEEE1547.1, NEC CODE, Rule 21, Rule 14H, CSA22.2 No107

www.ampner.com

Peak Efficiency: 98.9%

•

DC Voltage Operating Range: Up to 1500V, MPPT voltage range from 645V to 1300V up to 978V to 1300V

Medium voltage full turnkey skid solution;

•

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 131°F (-20°C to 55°C), expandable down to -40°F (-40°C)

Integrates all the devices required for a system of up to 7.4MVA into a single skid platform;

•

Compact and customizable;

•

Easy to transport and install; plug & play;

•

+21GW PV deployed worldwide.

Dimensions: 448.4" x 82.7" x 96.9" (11.38m x 2.1m x 2.46m)

www.ingeteam.com

SEE AD ON PAGE 40

Product: SureSine Inverter

Warranty: 2-year warranty

Primary Market: Solar

Key Features: •

Continuous Output Power: 300W @ 77°F (25°C) Peak Efficiency: 600W @ 77°F (25°C)

Pure Sine Wave provides quality AC equivalent to grid power;

•

Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 113°F (-40°C to 45°C)

Automatically protects against faults and user mistakes;

•

No Internal cooling fan;

Dimensions: 8.4" x 6" x 4.1" (213mm x 152mm x 105mm)

•

Remote On/Off;

Certifications/Approvals: CE and REACH Compliant • ETL Listed (UL 458) - 115V version ONLY • FCC Title 47 (CFR), Part 15 Subpart B for Class B Device Compliant • EN 60950-1+A11:2001, rev. 4/4/04 • Manufactured in a Certified ISO 9001 Facility

•

Four DIP switches provide easy adjustability.

DC Voltage Operating Range: 10V to 15.5V

34

Schneider Electric

Product: Q1200 1200W Solar Microinverter

Product: XW Pro Hybrid Inverter

Application: Commercial, residential

Morningstar Corporation

Application: Residential, industrial

SPARQ Systems

www.morningstarcorp.com

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Continuous Output Power: 1.2kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5% Peak Efficiency: 97% DC Voltage Operating Range: 22V to 40V per channel Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C) Dimensions: 1.25" x 7.3" x 11.2" (32mm x 185mm x 284mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, UL1741 SA/Rule 21/HECO/Rule 14H, IEEE1547, IEEE1547.1, CSA22.2 No. 107.1, FCC Part 15-Class B Warranty: 25-year limited warranty www.sparqsys.com

Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, residential Continuous Output Power: 6.8kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 94.1% Peak Efficiency: 95.1% DC Voltage Operating Range: 40V to 64V, 48V nominal Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 158°F (-25°C to 70°C) Dimensions: 23" x 16" x 9" (58cm x 41cm x 23cm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, CSA 107.1, IEEE 1547, UL 1741-SA, Rule 21, Rule 14H, PREPA, and CSA 107.1 www.solar-schneider-electric.com

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

SOLAR SEE AD ON PAGE 36

SEE AD ON PAGE 19

Chilicon Power Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd. Product: Solis-(75-100)K-5G-US Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial Continuous Output Power: 72kW to 100kW

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741, IEEE 1547, UL 1699B, UL 1998, FCC, UL 1741SA, California Rule 21

Product: CP-720

Warranty: 25-year warranty

Primary Market: Solar

Key Features:

Application: Commercial, residential

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.1%

Key Features:

Peak Efficiency: 96.7%

•

>150% DC/AC ratio;

DC Voltage Operating Range: 47V to 82V

Peak Efficiency: 98.9%

•

Night SVG function;

DC Voltage Operating Range: 180V to 1000V

•

Compatible with bifacial modules;

Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C)

•

Intelligent string monitoring, smart I-V curve scan;

•

Built-in PID recovery for high module performance.

Dimensions: 41.9" x 22.3" x 13.6" (1065mm x 567mm x 344.5mm)

www.ginlong.com

Supports high wattage modules (430W);

•

Single SKU for 60-, 72-, 96-, and 128-cell 240V or 208V;

•

Robust PLC communication (range >500ft);

•

Up to 20 modules per branch circuit;

•

Reliable design with no electrolytic components.

Continuous Output Power: 720W

Warranty: 10-year standard warranty, extendable to 20-years

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.2%

Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C)

•

Dimensions: 10" x 8" x 1.8" (254mm x 203mm x 46mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741/SA, IEEE Std 15472018, IEEE std c62.41.2, CSA C22.2 NO. 107.1 CISPR 22 Class B; HECO Rule14H (Advanced Inverter), HECO Rule 22 (Self-Supply); NEC 690.12 Rapid Shutdown

www.chiliconpower.com

COTEK SC Series Pure Sine Inverters Chargers Canadian Solar Product: CSI-100K-T480 Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial Continuous Output Power: 100kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5% Peak Efficiency: 99.0% DC Voltage Operating Range: 180V to 1000V Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 41.9" x 22.3" x 13.6" (1065mm x 567mm x 344.5mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741 SA, UL1998, CSA-C22.2 No. 107.1-01, IEEE1547, FCC PART 15, Rule 21 Phase I&II&III Warranty: 10-year warranty, available extension up to 20-years www.canadiansolar.com

KEY FEATURES: Available in 1200W and 2000W Bi-directional with 5 in 1 operating modes Built-in 3 stage battery charger and AC transfer switch Temperature compensated charging option -5o~105oF full load operation with derating up to 140oF UL458 and UL1741 certified for mobile and residential Lightweight high frequency design Adjustable power saving options The new SC bi-directional inverter charger takes advantage of the most recent technology to provide features such as Power Sharing, Power Generation and Current Limiting. Unique multi input capability allows for seamless switching and control of both AC and DC. Multiple inputs can be combined to satisfy larger power requirements or limited to match your unique application. The SC provides an array of advanced features in a light weight and cost effective package.

COTEK The Americas - now serving Latin America!

North American Clean Energy

35

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

SOLAR SEE AD ON PAGE 35

SEE AD ON PAGE 19

Chilicon Power COTEK Electronic Industrial Co. Ltd. Product: SC2000 Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, residential, industrial

Certifications/Approvals: UL458, UL1741 Warranty: 2-year warranty Key Features:

Continuous Output Power: 2kW

•

Available in 1200W and 2000W;

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 89%

•

Bi-directional with 5 in 1 operating modes;

•

Built-in 3 stage battery charger and AC transfer switch;

•

Temperature compensated charging option.

Peak Efficiency: 90% DC Voltage Operating Range: 10.5V-16.5V; 21V-33V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 9.88" x 4.57" x 17.83" (251mm x 116mm x 453mm)

www.cotek.ca

Product: CP-250E

Warranty: 25-year warranty

Primary Market: Solar

Key Features:

Application: Commercial, residential

•

Supports high wattage modules (430W);

•

Single SKU for 60- or 72-cell 240V or 208V;

•

Robust PLC communication (range >500ft);

•

Up to 20 modules per branch circuit;

•

Reliable design with no electrolytic components.

Continuous Output Power: 289W Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96% Peak Efficiency: 96.6% DC Voltage Operating Range: 18V to 38.5V Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C) Dimensions: 10" x 8" x 1.8" (254mm x 203mm x 46mm)

www.chiliconpower.com

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741/SA, IEEE Std 1547-2018, IEEE std c62.41.2, CSA C22.2 NO. 107.1 CISPR 22 Class B; HECO Rule14H (Advanced Inverter), HECO Rule 22 (Self-Supply); NEC 690.12 Rapid Shutdown

Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc.

Northern Electric and Power, Inc.

Product: Regenerative Grid Simulators 9kVA-15kVA

DC Voltage Operating Range:

Product: Microinverter

Operating Temperature Range (°F and °C):

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, industrial

Dimensions LxWxH (" and mm):

Continuous Output Power: 580W

Continuous Output Power (kW):

Certifications/Approvals:

Weighted CEC Efficiency:

Warranty: www.chromausa.com

Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C) Dimensions: 10.91" x 5.20" x 1.97" (277mm x 132mm x 50mm)

Application: Commercial, residential

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5%

Warranty: 10- or 25-year warranty

Peak Efficiency: 97.3% DC Voltage Operating Range: 22V to 60V

www.northernep.com

Peak Efficiency:

CPS America Product: CPS SCH275KTL-DO/US-800 Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial

Secure Your Energy Future Solis Residential Storage Hybrid Inverter RHI-1P(5-10)K-HVES-5G Bankable. Reliable. Local w: solisinverters.com e: ussales@solisinverters.com | t: (+1) 866 438 8408

Continuous Output Power: 275kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5% Peak Efficiency: 99% DC Voltage Operating Range: 500V to 1500V Operating Temperature Range: -22°F to 140°F (-30°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 15.7" x 41.3" x 26.8" (400mm x 1050mm x 680mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741SA-2018, CSA-22.2 NO.107.1-01, IEEE1547-2018, FCC PART15 Warranty: 5-year standard warranty www.chintpowersystems.com

36

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

SOLAR SEE AD ON PAGE 39

SEE AD ON PAGE 38

Sol-Ark Product: Sol-Ark 8K

FIMER Renewable Energy Solutions

Primary Market: Solar

Product: UNO-DM-TL-PLUS-US-Q

Application: Residential

Primary Market: Solar Application: Residential Continuous Output Power: 3kW to 6kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97% Peak Efficiency: 97.4% DC Voltage Operating Range: 0.7Vdc to 580Vdc Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 8.7" x 16.4" x 34" (222mm x 418mm x 863mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741 SA, IEEE1547.1, Rule 21, Rule 14 (Hawaii), CSA-C22.2 N. 107.1-01, UL1998, UL

1699B-2018, FCC Part 15 Class B, SunSpec, WiFi Integrated Warranty: 10-year warranty Key Features: Free secure lifetime monitoring with integrated WiFi;

•

Easy commissioning via QR code 4-step procedures;

•

Integrated Rapid Shutdown PLC transmitter (receiver agnostic);

•

Optimization with FIMER’s PowerGain software and DC boosting hardware; 100% made in Italy.

www.fimer.com

Key Features: •

Grid-tied mode to sell power to the grid;

•

Meter zero mode to zero whole home power;

DC Voltage Operating Range: 150V to 500V

•

Operating Temperature Range: 50°F to 113°F (-10°C to 45°C), Derates >113°F (45°C)

Programmable loads for high power off-grid items to save battery capacity;

•

AC coupling adds up to 7kW backup power to existing grid-tie installs;

Dimensions: 18.3" x 10" x 30" (465mm x 254mm x 762mm)

•

Time of use/peak shaving allows use of batteries to avoid costly power and reduces peak demand charges.

Continuous Output Power: 8kW/9kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5% Peak Efficiency: 97.5%

•

•

Warranty: 5-year standard warranty, optional 10-year warranty available

Certifications/Approvals: Electronics certified by SGS labs, UL1741, UL1741SA, IEEE1547, FCC 15 class B, UL1699B, MILSTD461G, MIL-STD-188-125-1 (Independently tested May 2018), Rule 21, HECO

www.sol-ark.com

For the most demanding sites on the globe

APsystems Product: APsystems QS1 microinverter

Ampner ACE™ 300 PV/ES

Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, residential, industrial

●

Continuous Output Power: 1.2kW (0.3kW per channel)

●

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5%

●

Peak Efficiency: 96.5%

●

DC Voltage Operating Range: 16V to 55V Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C)

● ●

Dimensions: 11.1" x 9.1" x 1.6" (282mm x 231mm x 40.6mm)

●

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, CSAC22.2No.107.1-01, UL 1741, SA/Rule 21 compliant (240V version only), FCC Part15, ANSIC63.4, ICES-003, IEEE1547, meets NEC 2014/2017 690.12

●

Warranty: 10-year standard warranty, extendable to 25-years usa.apsystems.com

●

●

1500 Vdc string inverter for PV and Energy Storage applications Highest rated power on the market Maximum power of 333 kW at 690 Vac output Ambient temperature from -40°C to +60°C (-40°F to 140°F) Corrosion resistant aluminium design for outdoor use Operational up to 4000 m (13 000 ft) above sea level Up to 48 MC4 string inputs, or 1-4 combiner inputs Inbuilt DC main switch, optional AC main switch IEC and UL/CSA certified Available for deliveries from Q3/2021 onwards

INVERTERS | POWER STATION SOLUTIONS | EXPERT SERVICES ON CONNECTING RENEWABLES TO THE GRID

ampner.com

North American Clean Energy

37

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

ENERGY STORAGE SEE AD ON PAGE 41

SEE AD ON PAGE 31

Ingeteam Product: INGECON SUN STORAGE 3Power C series inverter

TMEIC Corporation Product: Solar Ware Ninja Series (ESS PCS) Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Utility-scale Continuous Output Power: 640kW 840kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98% (preliminary specification) Peak Efficiency: 98.72% DC Voltage Operating Range: 710V to 1300V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-25°C to 50°C ) Dimensions: 43.3" x 43.3" x 74.8" (1100mm x 1100mm x 1900mm)

Primary Market: Energy storage Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, UL174SA, IEEE1547, NEC2017, IEC621091,2, IEC61000-6-2,4, IEC61727, IEC62116, IEC61400, BDEW, IEC61683, IEC60068

Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial

Warranty: 5-year warranty, extended warranty options available Key Features:

Key Features: •

Flexible design with various active and reactive power related functionalities;

Peak Efficiency: 98.9%

•

DC Voltage Operating Range: 618V to 1300V up to 1019V to 1300V

An extra thermal stability and high power density;

•

Advanced battery control technology which extends the life of the storage system;

Continuous Output Power: 1965 to 3383 Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

•

Customizable block; up to 6 Solar Ware Ninja units on the same skid;

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 131°F (-20°C to 55°C), expandable down to -40°F (-40°C)

•

DC Zone monitoring is standard;

•

•

Latest generation of Smart Inverter controls platform;

Dimensions: 137.8" x 41.3" x 83.3" (3500mm x 1050mm x 2115mm)

+550MWh energy storage supplied worldwide;

•

•

UL or IEC certified global design;

Can be supplied with Power Plant Controller and SCADA systems.

•

Outdoor rated enclosure.

Certifications/Approvals: Inverter EMC and Security standards: UL9540, UL1741, FCC Part 15, IEEE C37.90.1, IEEE C37.90.2, CSA22.2 No107; Grid connection standards: IEC 62116, UL1741SA, IEEE 1547, IEEE 1547.1, NEC CODE, Rule 21, Rule 14H, CSA22.2 No107

www.tmeic.com

Sensata Technologies

Product: AC Assisted Off-Grid CyboInverter

Product: MSH-RE Inverter/Charger

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Commercial, residential, industrial

Application: Residential

Continuous Output Power: 1.25kW

Continuous Output Power: 4kW

Peak Efficiency: 96%

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 92%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 15V to 58V

Peak Efficiency: 93.7%

Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C )

DC Voltage Operating Range: 18V to 34V

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, IEEE1547, CSA107.1, FCC, NEMA2017 690.12 Warranty: 3-year warranty with extended warranty available www.cyboenergy.com

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

www.ingeteam.com

CyboEnergy

Dimensions: 12.5" x 9.5" x 2.3" (32cm x 24cm x 5.8cm)

38

Warranty: 5-year standard warranty, with extended warranty options up to 20 years

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 13.75" x 12.65" x 8.0" (34.9cm x 32.1cm x 20.3cm) Certifications/Approvals: UL/cUL 1741, CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-01 Warranty: 3-year parts and labor warranty www.magnum-dimensions.com

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

ENERGY STORAGE SEE AD ON PAGE 26

SEE AD ON PAGE 37

Sinexcel, Inc. Product: Modular bi-directional storage inverter Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Commercial Continuous Output Power: 62.5kW to 500kW

Certifications/Approvals: ETL listed conforming to UL1741, CSA22.2, IEEE1547, CPUC RULE 21 CE EMC: IEC61000, CE LVD: IEC62477, G59, AS4777 Key Features: •

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97.5% Peak Efficiency: 98.2% DC Voltage Operating Range: 600V to 900V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C)

The modular and ETL certified bidirectional inverter, with optional multi-strings-battery tech and same size of PCS cabinet;

•

Utility-interactive mode (P-Q mode), and stand-alone mode (off-grid mode, or V-F mode);

•

The external isolation transformer can offer 480Vac or 400Vac 3P4W connection to the distribution system or load for grid-forming operation;

Dimensions: 43" x 31.5" x 85" (1100mm x 800mm x 2160mm) •

Ampner Product: Ampner ACE 300 ES Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial Continuous Output Power: 222kW to 333kW Peak Efficiency: 99.0%

SMA America Product: Sunny Boy-US with ShadeFix Optimization

Primary Market: Solar Application: Residential Continuous Output Power: 3kW to 11.4kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.0% Peak Efficiency: 98.5% DC Voltage Operating Range: 50V to 550V Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 15.74" x 7.36" x 25.12" (400mm x 187mm x 638mm) Certifications/Approvals: IEEE1547, CA Rule 21, Rule 14, FCC Part15 Class B, UL1741, UL1741SA, CSA C22.2, UL1699B, UL1741 CRD Warranty: 10-year warranty www.growatt-america.com

Primary Market: Solar Application: Residential Continuous Output Power: 3kW to 7.7kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97%

Key Features: Power ratings from 222kW to 333kW;

•

Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 140°F (-40°C to 60°C)

Corrosion resistant aluminum design for outdoor use;

•

Dimensions: 43.3" x 37.4" x 15" (1100mm x 950mm x 380mm)

Easy field handling and assembly in two parts;

•

Full reactive power generation capability;

•

Suitable for all common battery energy storage applications.

www.sinexcel.us

Product: MIN 3000-11400TL-XH-US

Warranty: 5-year warranty

•

DC Voltage Operating Range: 723V to 1500V

Optional NEMA3R enclosure.

Growatt USA, inc.

Certifications/Approvals: CE marking, UKCA marking, IEC/EN 62477-1, UL 1741, UL 1998, UL 9540, CSA C22.2 No. 107.1, UL 1741 SA, IEEE 1547, G99, CISPR 11, IEC/EN 62920, FCC Part 15 Class A

www.ampner.com

UNIVERSAL 10|4 10 kwh battery, 4 kw inverter and essentials included Stackable, 10-year warranted LFP battery Peace of mind, on and off grid

Peak Efficiency: 97.9% DC Voltage Operating Range: 100V to 550V Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 21.1" x 28.5" x 7.8" (536mm x 724mm x 198mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741, UL 1741 SA incl. CA Rule 21 RSD, UL 1998, UL 1699B Ed. 1, IEEE1547, FCC Part 15 (Class A & B), CAN/CSA V22.2 107.1-1, HECO Rule 14H, PV Rapid Shutdown System Equipment Warranty: Up to 20-year warranty options www.sma-america.com

AC Couple with FIMER’s UNO-DMPLUS Inverter

California Rule 21 and SGIP Approved

Engineered, Assembled and Stocked in the USA

FOR MORE INFO: CALL 877-261-1374 EMAIL US-SOLAR-SALES@FIMER.COM North American Clean Energy

39

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

ENERGY STORAGE SEE AD ON PAGE 26

SEE AD ON PAGE 32

Sinexcel, Inc. Product: Wall-mounted bi-directional storage inverter Primary Market: Energy storage

Certifications/Approvals: ETL listed conforming to UL1741, UL1741SA, CPUC RULE 21, IEEE1547 Key Features:

Application: Commercial Continuous Output Power: 30kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5% Peak Efficiency: 97.3% DC Voltage Operating Range: 200V to 750V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 6.95" x 18.5" x 26" (176mm x 470mm x 660mm)

Energetech Solar Product: Hybrid 6kW 48V Off Grid Inverter Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Commercial, residential

•

30kVA high power density;

•

Wall-mounted, making small footprint;

•

Split-phase supported by different firmware; Utility-interactive mode (P-Q mode), and stand-alone mode (off-grid mode, or V-F mode supported.

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 125°F (-20°C to 51°C)

•

Continuous Output Power: 1.5kW to 12kW

Dimensions: 21.3" x 14.2" x 8.6" (54cm x 36cm x 21.8cm) Warranty: 3-year warranty Key Features: •

120V/240V split phase outputs;

Peak Efficiency: 95%

•

DC Voltage Operating Range: 40V to 58V

Smart battery charger and built-in automatic transfer switch;

•

Lithium or lead acid battery;

•

Compatible transformer based 80A MPPT charge controller.

www.energetechsolar.com

www.sinexcel.us

Renogy Product: Renogy 48V Solar Inverter Charger Primary Market: Solar Application: Off-grid, backup Continuous Output Power: 3.5kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 93% Peak Efficiency: 95% DC Voltage Operating Range: Battery Input 40 to 60V, PV Input 40 to 145V

Operating Temperature Range: 5°F to 131°F (-15°C to 55°C) Dimensions: 17" x 12.7" x 5" (43.18cm x 32.26cm x 12.7cm) Certifications/Approvals: FCC, ROHS Warranty: 1-year warranty

Dynapower

www.renogy.com

Product: CPS-3000 Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Utility-scale Continuous Output Power: 3000kVA (@600V0), 2400kVA (@480V) Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98% Peak Efficiency: 98.5% DC Voltage Operating Range: 740V to 1500V Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C) Derated above 113°F (45°C) Dimensions: 81" x 55" x 33" (206cm x 140cm x 84cm) Indoor; 102" x 96" x 118" (259cm x 244cm x 300cm) Outdoor Certifications/Approvals: IEEE 1547, UL 1741 SA Warranty: 5-year standard warranty, 1020-year extended warranty available www.dynapower.com

40

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

ENERGY STORAGE SEE AD ON PAGE 38

Sol-Ark Product: Sol-Ark 12K Primary Market: Energy storage

Warranty: 10-year warranty

Application: Commercial, residential

Key Features:

Continuous Output Power: 9kW

•

Hybrid inverter works on and offgrid;

•

High efficiency and power;

•

Battery-agnostic;

•

Outdoor-rated;

•

Wireless Fleet Management Software included.

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5% Peak Efficiency: 97.5% DC Voltage Operating Range: 150V to 500V Operating Temperature Range: 50°F to 113°F (-10°C to 45°C), Derates >113°F (45°C) Dimensions: 18.3" x 10" x 30" (465mm x 254mm x 762mm)

www.sol-ark.com

Certifications/Approvals: NEC 690.11/UL1699B, MIL-STD-461G, NEC 690.12, NEC 690.5, NEC 240.15, NEC 690.4B, NEC 705.4/6, UL17412010/2018, IEEE1547a-2003/2014, FCC 15 class B, UL1741SA, CA Rule 21, HECO Rule14H

The next generation in PV Inverters

Yotta Energy

Rhombus Energy Solutions

Product: Yotta Dual-Power Inverter

Product: Rhombus 30/60 Site Inverter System

Primary Market: Energy storage

Primary Market: Energy storage

Application: Commercial, industrial

Application: Commercial, industrial

Continuous Output Power: 1.1kW

Continuous Output Power: 30kW continuous output per stage (two stage option)

Peak Efficiency: 96.5% DC Voltage Operating Range: 16V to 55V Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to 65°C)

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 94%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 270V to 875V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 40°C)

Certifications/Approvals: Safety & EMC Compliance: FCC Part 15; ANSI C63.4; ICES003 Certificate & Compliance: UL 1741-SA; CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-01 Grid Connection Compliance: IEEE 1547 Rapid Shutdown: Exceeds NEC 2014/2017/2020 690.12

Dimensions: 31" x 23" x 70" (787m x 584mm x 1178mm)

www.yottaenergy.com

Pictured here: Solar Ware Ninja™ – Ninja-5 Solution

Peak Efficiency: 97%

Dimensions: 1.6" x 11.1" x 9.1" (40.6mm x 282mm x 231mm)

Warranty: 10-year standard warranty, extendable to 25-years

TMEIC’s modular Ninja solution is available for PV, PV+Storage, or Stand-Alone Storage.

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741 SA, UL2202, UL2231 Certified, NEMA 3R and SunSpec compliant Warranty: 2-year standard warranty with extended option available www.rhombusenergy.com

WWW.TMEIC.COM +1-540-283-2000 2060 Cook Drive Salem, Virginia 24153 U.S.A. JAPAN | NORTH AMERICA | SOUTH AMERICA | EUROPE | SOUTHEAST ASIA | INDIA | CHINA | MIDDLE EAST | AUSTRALIA

North American Clean Energy

41

solar and energy storage spotlight: utility-scale, commercial, & residential inverters

ENERGY STORAGE SEE AD ON PAGE 36

SEE AD ON PAGE 39

FIMER Renewable Energy Solutions Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd.

Product: Universal 10|4

Product: RHI-1P(5-10)K-HVES-5G

Primary Market: Energy storage

Application: Residential

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741 CRD, IEEE 1547, UL 1699B, UL 1998, UL 9540, CAN/CSA C22.2.107.1-1, FCC, Part 15 Class B, SRD-UL1741

Continuous Output Power: 5kW to 10 kW

Warranty: 10-year standard warranty, extendable to 20-years

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97.5%

Key Features:

Primary Market: Energy storage

Peak Efficiency: 98%

•

All inclusive, single enclosure with pre-wired 48V LFP 10kwh battery, hybrid 4kW inverter, charge controller, control panel, and AC/DC breakers for an easy to commission solution;

•

Operating Temperature Range: 14°F to 113°F (-10°C to 45°C)

Easy generators, off/on grid connections, dual AC and DC coupling;

•

Dimensions: 13" x 37" x 47" (330mm x 940mm x 1194mm)

Stackable for up to 20kwh and 8kw of power;

•

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741, UL 1741 SA,CSA 22.2 No 107.1-01, FCC Part 15 Class B, California Rule 21, California SGIP, HECO, PREPA, CEC

Guaranteed continued operation without grid power with FIMER's UNO DM+ Inverter;

•

Made in the USA through partnership with Humless.

Continuous Output Power: 3800kW (for 10kWh storage)

Peak Efficiency: 95%

Select the electricity consumption mode in real time according to the market price;

Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C)

•

Can be operated out of the power grid;

Dimensions: 20.2" x 28.1" x 8.18" (539mm x 717mm x 250mm)

•

International brand components provide high efficiency;

•

Is less than 10ms from the grid.

www.ginlong.com

Key Features:

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 92%

•

DC Voltage Operating Range: 120V to 500V

Application: Residential, off-grid

Warranty: 10-year warranty (battery), 5-year warranty (all internal components)

DC Voltage Operating Range: 24V to 64V

www.fimer.com

1500 Volt 30 Amp I-V Curves Solmetric PV Analyzer Highest accuracy and throughput Largest display with best array troubleshooong features Database of 50,000 PV modules Measures up to 1500V at 30A 3000 wireless sensor range Sophisscated Data Analysis Tool Sophi sooware Version 5 DAT now available!

Phocos Americas, Inc. Product: Any-Grid Hybrid Inverter Charger (PSW-H-3kW-120/24 V) Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Commercial, residential, industrial Continuous Output Power: 3kW Peak Efficiency: 96% DC Voltage Operating Range: 21-32V Battery / up to 250V PV Operating Temperature Range: 14°F to 122°F (-10°C to 50°C) Dimensions: 18.8" x 12.2" x 5.6" (478mm x 309mm x 143mm) Certifications/Approvals: CE and RoHS Compliant Warranty: 2-year warranty

Expert tools Beeer solar

www.solmetric.com 42

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

www.phocos.com

solar product spotlight: rapid shutdown systems

ENERGY STORAGE

Rapid Shutdown Systems

Rapid shutdown systems are necessary to provide an easy way to deenergize a solar array’s DC conductors during emergency situations including fires. These systems help reduce fires and improve the safety of first responders on the roof during a fire. First included in the National Electric Code (NEC) in 2014, Rapid Shutdown Systems must be installed on buildings to reduce the shock hazard for emergency responders in accordance with 690.12(A) through (D). Here are some of the systems available on the market...

SEE AD ON PAGE 30

SolaX Power Co., Ltd. Product: A1-ESS Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Residential Continuous Output Power: 6.0kW, 7.0kW, 7.6kW, 8.6kW DC Voltage Operating Range: 105V to 500V Operating Temperature Range: 4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 36" x 22" x 109" (913mm x 560mm x 276mm) Warranty: 5-year warranty, 10-year optional warranty www.solaxpower.com

Tigo Energy Product: TS4-A-F (700W) Weight: 1lb (490g) Output connector: MC4 standard Output wire length: 3.9ft (1.2m) standard Input connector: MC4, EVO2, Amphenol, MC4 compatible Operating temperature: -22°F to 185°F (-30°C to 70°C)

Dimensions: 5.4" x 5.5" x 0.9" (138.4mm x 139.7mm x 22.9mm)

Key Features:

Warranty: 25-year warranty Input DC input power: 700W Max short circuit current: 15A Max system voltage: 80V Output Max output current: 15A Output voltage range: 0 to 90V Control signal method: PLC

•

Up to 700W modules;

•

Dozens of inverters with integrated Tigo RSS Transmitter;

•

UL PVRSS certified with hundreds of inverters;

•

No ground wire required;

•

Clips to module frame in seconds with no bolts or screws required.

www.tigoenergy.com

Darfon America Corp.

Product: Darfon H5001 Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Residential Continuous Output Power: 5.5kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 95.5% Peak Efficiency: 96% DC Voltage Operating Range: 120V to 500V Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C) Dimensions: 39" x 17.6" x 5.9" (990mm x 448mm x 150mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741 SA, CSA C22.2, IEEE 1547A, IEEE 1547.1, FCC Class B Warranty: 5-year warranty www.darfonsolar.com

Enteligent Product: SolarUp RSD with Optimization (Dual Input)

IMO Automation

Weight: 1.65lbs (750g)

Dimensions: 4.4" x 5.1" x 1.6" (112mm x 130mm x 41mm)

Output connector: 12AWG, MC4

Protection rating: NEMA Type 6P/ IP68

Output wire length: 3.93ft (1.2m)

Warranty: 25-year warranty

Input connector: Input one 4.7" (0.12m,) input two - 9.45" (0.24m) Operating temperature: -40°F to 185°F (-40°C to 85°C) Storage temperature: -40°F to 185°F (-40°C to 85°C) Relative humidity: 0 to 100% Max operating altitude: 4000m

Input DC input power: 450W per channel Operation voltage range: 20W to 80W Input voltage range: 80V Max short circuit current: 15A Max system voltage: 1000V Max efficiency: 99.8% Output Output power range: 900W Max output current: 12.5A Control signal method: PLC

Product: FireRaptor RSD Weight: 0.88lbs (400g) Output connector: Multicontact MC4 Output wire length: 5.8ft (1.78m) nominal Input connector: Multicontact MC4 Operating temperature: -22°F to 203°F (-30°C to 95°C) Storage temperature: -40°F to 203°F (-40°C to +95°C) Relative humidity: 95% Max operating altitude: 6562ft (2000m)

Dimensions: 5.82" x 3.93" x 1.22" (148mm x 100mm x 31mm) including mounting bracket, excluding cables Protection rating: >IP68 / Nema 4X Warranty: 20-year warranty Input DC input power: 700W Input voltage range: 150VDC Max short circuit current: 12A Max system voltage: 150VDC Output Output power range: 700W Max output current: 12A www.imoautomation.com

www.enteligent.com

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43

solar spotlight: performance monitoring

Performance Monitoring

Solar performance monitoring systems are necessary to verify the components within a solar system are performing and producing the energy they should. Here, we highlight some of the performance monitoring systems available on the market today.

SEE AD ON PAGE 19

SEE AD ON PAGE 27

Chilicon Power Product: CP-100

Key Features:

Voltage: 120V- to 240V

•

Current: <60mA Power: <7W

•

Frequency: 132kHz PLC plus WiFi and Z-Wave Logging Values: Production plus 19 other micro status indicators Measurement Range: Up to 255 microinverters Output: 800x480 pixel touchscreen display

Warranty: 3-year warranty

Enables onsite array configuration and mapping;

Solar Operations Solutions Product: myPV ClearSky Interconnection

Robust PLC: >500ft connectivity;

Current: 600A

•

Allows for production/consumption monitoring and zero export;

Power: 0.5W

•

Easily integrates into AC coupled battery or generator augmented systems; Connects to Z-Wave link compatible smart home devices.

www.chiliconpower.com

Certifications: UL, FCC15 part B, CISPR 22 Class

Key Features: •

Time and money saving modular interconnection solution with builtin monitoring and control;

•

Arrives pre-configured, factorytested ,and ready-to-work;

•

Accelerates commissioning and de-risks witness testing;

•

Immediate data visibility upon energization;

•

Easily-accessible data for owners, investors, 3rd party engineers, O&M teams, and asset managers.

Voltage: 0V to 35,000V

•

•

Sensitivity: +/- 2.5%

Auto detection of up to 255 attached micros - single or 3 phase systems;

Frequency: 50 to 60Hz Logging Values: Metering, protective relay Measurement Range: Power, energy, voltage, amperage, frequency, PF, harmonics Warranty: 1-year warranty Certifications: ASTM, IEEE, NEMA, UL

www.mypv.pro

WATTNODE METER ENCLOSURES ®

Multi-Circuit Energy Meter New ct! u Prod

OTT HydroMet

Verify Energy, Inc.

Product: WS50PV Compact All-inOne Weather Sensor

Product: PowerFly

Voltage: 12Vdc, 24Vdc, max consumption 24Vdc ± 10%, 20VA Current: 85mA, 140mA Output: 1 min Warranty: 1-year warranty

Modular design up to 84 CT points Revenue-grade, ANSI C12.20 Modbus RTU or TCP/IP Designed for all utility services 100-600 Vac NEMA 4 enclosure options

1-888-WattNode (928-8663) • ctlsys.com

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

www.otthydromet.com

Voltage: 80Vac to 305Vac voltage input Current: 2A Power: 15W Frequency: 60Hz Logging Values: Any MODBUS inverter or meter values Warranty: 5-year warranty www.verifyenergy.com

Eppley Laboratory Product: GPP Class A Pyranometer Logging Values: .1 W/m² Spectral Range: 285 to 2800 nm Measurement Range: 0 to 2800 W/m² Output: 0 to 10 mV Analog or Modbus Digital Output Sensitivity: 8 μV / W/m² Warranty: 1-year warranty Certifications: Calibrated to World Radiation Reference (WRR) www.eppleylab.com

solar spotlight: performance monitoring SEE AD ON PAGE 36

SEE AD ON PAGE 47

EKO Instruments USA Product: MS-80S Pyranometer

Key Features:

Voltage: 5V to 30V

Voltage: DC 5V Current: 200mA to 300mA Power: 9600bps (adjustable: 1200-57600 bps) Frequency: 2.412 GHz to 2.484 GHz Logging Values: 10% to 90% Relative humidity, no condensation Spectral Range: 5 minutes (adjustable: 1- to 20 minutes) Measurement Range: 100m in outdoor open area without obstruction

Super-Fast Response (<0.5s) for always accurate measurements, even during rapidly changing irradiance conditions;

•

Record low non-stability (<0.5%) over 5-years for confidence between calibrations, proven through NREL MIDC;

•

High reliability and low cost of ownership, with Level A EMI/ EMC Electronics Surge Filter and Protection, 5 years recommended recalibration interval and a 5-year warranty;

•

Internal diagnostics provide remote visibility over temperature, humidity, tilt, and roll angle, ensuring optimum performance with fewer physical checks;

•

Quick installation and easy integration, regardless of DAQ system, with a selectable Modbus 485 RTU, SDI-12, 0-1V, and 4-20Ma multi-output interface.

Current: Digital output < 0.04A, Analog output: < 0.09A

Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd. Product: Data Logging Stick

•

Output: 802.11b: +20dBm (max) 802.11g: +18dBm (max) 802.11n: +15dBm (max) configurable by users Sensitivity: 802.11b:-89dBm 802.11g:81dBm 802.11n:-71dBm Warranty: 2-year warranty Certifications: FCC, CEKey Key Features:

Power: DIgital output < 0.2W, Analog output : < 0.7W Logging Values: Solar irradiance, Internal temperature/humidity, Tilt/Role angle through PC software "hibi" Spectral Range: 285 to 3000nm (50% points) Measurement Range: 0 to 4000 W/m²

•

Quick installation and easy operation enabling local and remote monitoring;

Output: MODBUS 485 RTU, SDI-12, 4-20mA, configurable 0-10mA / 0-1V with external optional 100Ω precision shunt resistor

•

Mobile APP installation for Android and IOS;

Sensitivity: Approx. 10 (µV/W/m²)

•

Flexible outdoor rated Wi-Fi connection.

www.solisinverters.com

Warranty: 5-year warranty and recommended recalibration Certifications: ISO 9060: 2018 Fast response and Spectrally Flat Class A, ISO/ IEC 17025 certified calibration

www.eko-usa.com

Weather Monitoring Solutions for Cutting-Edge Solar Power Generation The RainWise PVMet™ line of weather stations offers the widest range of configuration options for solar power monitoring on the market. Gain insights into the efficiency and status of your PV system with accurate, bankable data.

Solar Data Systems, Inc. Product: ArrayMeter Voltage: 12V to 480V Current: 320A; 200A Frequency: 50/60Hz +/- 5%

»

Completely customizable with a wide range of sensor options

»

System integration via MODBUS RTU and TCP

»

SunSpec certified or compliant

»

Durable; weather and UV resistant

»

Industry best 2-Year Warranty

Logging Values: kWh

Contact us for a personalized experience.

Measurement Range: Up to 320A

Sales@rainwise.com

Output: LCD display; 4G/LTE Cellular Sensitivity: Accuracy Class +/0.2% Warranty: 2-year warranty Certifications: ANSI C12.18, C12.19, C12.20, C37.90.1 Compliant, UL Approved

www.rainwise.com

www.solardatasystems.com PVmet 75 PVmet 100

PVmet 150

PVmet 200

PVmet 330

PVmet 500

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45

solar spotlight: performance monitoring

SEE AD ON PAGE 45

SEE AD ON THE OBC

Shoals Technologies Group

RainWise, Inc. Product: PVMet 500 Output: Modbus RTU Warranty: 2-year warranty

Key Features:

Product: Big Lead Monitor

•

Customizable, multi-point PV weather station;

Voltage: Systems up to 1500V

•

Shipped fully assembled and factory calibrated for rapid installation with standard MODBUS RTU interface;

Current: 12A Isc

•

SunSpec compliant;

Warranty: 5-year warranty

•

Supports up to 3 irradiance sensors (global or plane-of-array);

Certifications: UL

•

Supports up to 3 back-of-panel temperature sensors.

Certifications: CE, FCC

Power: Parasitic

Key Features: •

Continuously monitor for underperforming panels;

•

String current, panel voltage, and I-V performance monitoring;

•

No need to run cables, easy installation via integrated connectors;

•

Wireless communication and parasitic power.

www.shoals.com

www.rainwise.com

Apogee Instruments Product: Silicon-cell Pyranometer SP-110 Voltage: 0 to 250mV

Dynamic Ratings

GroundWork Renewables

Spectral Range: 360 to 1120 nm

Product: B100 Electronic Temperature Monitor with Hydrogen

Product: MET System

Warranty: 4-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship Certifications: ISO 9060:2018 Class C

Voltage: 48Vdc to 240Vdc or 110Vac to 240Vac

www.apogeeinstruments.com

Current: 250mA Power: 28W Frequency: 50/60Hz Logging Values: 1-year Measurement Range: 2 temperature inputs, 3 current inputs, H2 monitoring

Voltage: 100Vac to 240Vac @ 50/60Hz nominal current Current: 2.1A @ 110Vac Power: Autonomous, 5 days battery only Sensitivity: Irradiance: Secondary Standard Warranty: 5-year warranty Certifications: UL 508A, IEC 61724 1: 2017, CAISO, SCE, PG&E www.grndwork.com

Output: Modbus, DNP, IEC61850, 4-20mA, 0-10V, USB, ethernet, system alarm relay output, 6 assignable relay outputs Warranty: 5-year warranty Certifications: IP66, NEMA 4 www.dynamicratings.com

LI-COR Biosciences Product: LI-200R Pyranometer Warranty: 1-year parts and labor warranty Logging Values: W/m-2 Certifications: Calibrated against an Eppley Precision Spectral Pyranometer (PSP) under natural daylight conditions. www.licor.com/solar

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solar spotlight: performance monitoring

SEE AD ON PAGE 42

SEE AD ON PAGE 44

Continental Control Systems Solmetric Product: PV Analyzer I-V Curve Tracer Voltage: 1500V

Key Features:

Warranty: 1-year warranty Certifications: TUV

Wireless interface to irradiance sensor with 300ft range;

Power: 2W

•

Highest measurement throughput;

•

Large, easy-to-use user interface.

Hukseflux

Product: Acuvim II Series

Product: SR30-M2-D1 digital pyranometer

Voltage: Voltage V1, V2, V3, Vlnavg, V12, V23, V31, Vllavg

Voltage: 5V to 30V

Logging Values: F, V1/2/3/lnavg, V12/23/13/ lavg, I1/2/3/n/avg, P1/2/3/sum, Q1/2/3/sum, S1/2/3/sum, PF1/2/3, PF, U_unbl, I_unbl, Load Type, Ep_imp, Ep_exp, Ep_total, Ep_net, Eq_ imp, Eq_exp, Eq_total, Eq_net, Es, Epa_imp, Epa_exp, Epb_imp,Epb_ exp, Epc_imp, Epc_ exp, Eqa_imp, Eqa_exp, Eqb_imp, Eqb_exp, Eqc_imp, Eqc_exp, Esa, Esb, Esc, THD_V1/2/3/ avg, THD_I1/2/3/avg, Harmonics 2nd to 63rd, Crest Factor, THFF, K Factor, Sequence and Phase Angles, DI Counter, AI, AO, Dmd P/Q/S, Dmd I1/2/3

Certifications: ANSI C12.20, Sunspec

•

Accuenergy (Canada) Inc.

Power: P1, P2, P3, Psum

Voltage: 100-600Vac, wye and delta, singlephase, and three-phase

Measure I-V curves up to 1500V at 30A;

www.solmetric.com

Current: Current I1, I2, I3, In, Iavg

Warranty: 5-year warranty

•

Current: 30A Power: 45kW

Product: Multi-Circuit Meter for Modbus

Current: 5A to 6000A

Key Features: •

Modular design up to 84 measurement points;

Frequency: 50/60Hz

•

Revenue-grade accuracy;

Output: Requires 0.333Vac current transformers

•

ANSI C12.20 Modbus RTU or TCP/IP;

•

Designed for all utility services;

•

100-600Vac NEMA 4 enclosure options.

Sensitivity: 0.5 % when used with 0.3% current transformers

www.ctlsys.com

Current: 8.3 to 175 mA @ 12 VDC Power: 0.1 to 2.3W Logging values: W/m² (GHI, POA, DIFF) Warranty: 5-year warranty Certifications: ISO 9060 spectrally flat Class-A www.hukseflux.com

Warranty: 5-year warranty Certifications: Revenue grade ANSI C12.20 class 0.2 & IEC 62053-22 class 0.2s www.accuenergy.com/meter

North American Clean Energy

47

solar spotlight: software

Software

Solar-specific software systems have the ability to help users improve accuracy, organize customer management, prepare sales proposals, design systems, reduce costs, and streamline their operations. Here, we highlight some of the solar software options available on the market today.

SEE AD ON PAGE 50

SEE AD ON PAGE 51

Raptor Maps, Inc. Product: Solar Lifecycle Management Software Application: Utility, C&I

Key Features: •

Software category: Energy management Description: Raptor Maps' Solar Lifecycle Management Software powers the parties involved in every phase of a PV assets life.

They service the full solar stack and enable efficiency for all counter parties involved during a PV system's inception and design, through construction, commissioning, and its operating life. The software provides accurate, collaboration-enabled, system analytics and reports that identify and localize issues affecting energy production enabling solar companies to increase performance, reduce costs, and standardize and compare solar PV assets across a portfolio.

•

Auditable warranty claim evidence accepted by Tier 1 manufacturers; Identified, localized, and prioritized issues to maximize IRR;

•

System- and portfolio-specific access levels to collaborate with counterparties;

•

Benchmarking dashboard to compare analytics to 40GW of PV systems;

•

Developer-friendly APIs to plug into the software stack.

www.raptormaps.com

Ellume Solar, Inc. Product: Ellume 360

Key Features:

Application: Utility-scale, C&I solar power plants

•

Software category: Remote monitoring, asset management, DAS

MW to GW scale portfolio management;

•

Real-time analytics;

•

Asset management and ticketing system;

•

Custom branding on dashboard;

•

Reporting and communication.

Description: Ellume 360 is an integrated solution designed for centralized management of solar power plants with strong emphasis on data visualization, analysis, and performance reporting. This cloud based, secure, and scalable infrastructure allows users to manage multiple solar power plants globally from a central location. The ticketing and asset management module makes it a complete solution for any device monitoring, reports, analytics for EPC, O&M service providers, IPP, and C&I end users.

Detailed status messages help with accurate error detection and analysis. The platform is device agnostic thus ready to configure instantaneously with most devices.

www.ellume.net

RatedPower

Trimark Associates, Inc.

PV Complete

Cachelan

Product: pvDesign

Product: Vantage

Product: Mega Suite

Product: SolarVu Monitoring Portal

Application: Utility-scale

Application: Utility-scale PV monitoring, C&I, DAS

Application: Utility-scale

Application: Commercial, utility, residential portfolios, energy storage, SCADA

Software category: PV plant design Description: RatedPower presents pvDesign 3.0, the software that maximizes the potential of utility-scale solar PV plants. As the result of a year of developments and in-depth work, a 3D Layout Model, an enhanced CAPEX calculation and the Earthworks calculation tool are being released on their journey to increasing efficiency of PV engineering teams. www.ratedpower.com

Software category: Monitoring Description: Trimark Vantage is a scalable, flexible visualization tool that helps users determine if their PV sites are performing as expected. Vantage provides real-time SCADA information from numerous devices, including inverters, weather stations, meters, and more.

Intuitive, customizable dashboards can display the performance of a single device, or an entire site. www.trimarkassoc.com

Software category: Proposal, system design Description: PVComplete’s Mega Suite delivers the power, precision, and speed that designers, engineers, and developers need to accelerate multi-megawatt timelines and boost ROI. PVSketch Mega is a web-based utilityscale early site assessment and optimization tool. PVCAD Mega is a utility-scale solar design software built in the AutoCAD environment featuring topography, full pier schedules, and PVSyst integration. The Mega Suite works seamlessly together to deliver an unmatched utility-scale solar project software platform for developers, engineers, and installers. www.pvcomplete.com

Software Category: Monitoring Description: Cachelan is a solar monitoring solutions company that provides SCADA and DAS systems to help with O&M and Asset Management of solar and storage portfolios via their SolarVu platform. Manage portfolios of residential, commercial/industrial, and utility sized projects in one place. Receive high fidelity alerts of equipment issues and connect weather sensors, meters, site cameras. Easily compare inverter and string level performance.

Cachelan interfaces with all major inverter and equipment manufacturers, and design to minimize their customer’s cost. www.cachelan.com

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solar spotlight: software SEE AD ON PAGE 9

SEE AD ON PAGE 27

Sunfig Product: Sunfig Instant Feasibility Tool (SIFT)

Key Features: •

Application: Utility Software category: System design Description: Sunfig, a Gibraltar Industries company, provides smart performance and financial modeling software up front in the project development cycle, improving returns on solar investments. The Sunfig Instant Feasibility Tool (SIFT) is a design, performance, and financial modeling solution that is used early in the project development cycle to optimize systems and maximize rates of return. Sunfig’s powerful SIFT platform streamlines complex projects, resulting in more profitable solar investments.

•

SIFT delivers a 5% to 15% increase in project returns for utility solar developers and asset owners; SIFT enables both small and large developers to make smart decisions up-front to reduce risks and save time;

•

SIFT models hundreds of layouts, conditions, performance goals, and financial scenarios in 30 seconds;

•

SIFT platform uses a modern cloud architecture to enable fast computing;

•

SIFT offers a complete IRR financial model.

Solar Operations Solutions Product: myPV IQ Monitoring & Control

Key Features:

Application: Utility-scale

•

Software category: Monitoring, SCADA, power plant controller, energy management system

Simplified integration and improved overall system awareness;

•

Easy management of 100’s of string inverters, independent tracker row systems, and energy storage with realtime battery control;

•

Users own their data, software resides on user’s site for secure and reliable data connection;

•

Install on new facilities or retrofit on legacy systems;

•

Designed and tested by O&M professionals for real world use.

Description: Redefining SCADA for today’s solar and energy storage projects! myPV IQ is a complete solution for utilityclass control and realtime data at a price that competes with most monitoringonly systems. Easily manage a site with visualizations, realtime data viewing, trending, alarming, tracker, battery and inverter controls, reporting, and API integration for third-party access.

www.mypv.pro

www.sunfig.com

GreenLancer

FUERGY

geothinQ

Product: GreenLancer Marketplace

Application: Commercial, residential, utility

Product: geothinQ

Application: Commercial, residential, utility

Software category: Energy management

Application: Commercial

Software category: System design, proposal, operations

Description: FUERGY’s unique software development platform is powered by artificial intelligence, enabling users to build applications for various energy optimization operations such as management of BESS and renewables, energy dispatch systems, or automated energy trading. All the existing applications are highly scalable and customizable upon the special needs of each individual client in order to achieve the best financial and operational results. Thanks to the mutual complementarity of all applications, FUERGY offers all-in-one solutions for complex energy issues. Clients can choose between both the cloud-based and local server implementation options.

Software category: GIS (Geographic Information System)

Description: GreenLancer is an online marketplace for solar installers to get standardized, quality permit design and engineering solutions with speed, scale, and reliability. The platform allows for batch project management, in-app communication, and a team of support specialists to help solar businesses save time and money. www.greenlancer.com

Description: geothinQ is a GIS platform that powers smart, data-driven real estate decisions for land development professionals and property stakeholders. Backed by robust land mapping technology, geothinQ provides on-demand access to property data across the country including environmental, demographic, and topographic information. The platform creates a fast and visual land evaluation process resulting in sustainable projects that produce a positive ROI for developers. www.geothinq.com

www.fuergy.com

EagleView Product: Inform Advanced Application: Commercial, residential Software category: System design Description: EagleView Inform Advanced for solar delivers a complete data set, with precise and consistent property measurements, 3D models, and solar access values through high-resolution aerial imagery and computer vision so solar installation companies can gain operational efficiency, better satisfy customers, and grow their business. www.eagleview.com

North American Clean Energy

49

solar spotlight: software SEE AD ON PAGE 15

SEE AD ON PAGE 49

Fischer Block, Inc. Product: wave iQ

Key Features:

Application: Commercial

•

Advanced PQ monitoring platforms;

Software category: Compliance, predictive analytics

•

AI & predictive analytics;

•

Alert notifications;

•

Certified provider program;

•

New revenue stream.

Description: Advanced, cloud-based online power quality monitoring platform, helping solar farm operators improve quality through machine learning and predictive analytical techniques. Includes compliance module, and a rich suite of remote notification alerts, insights, and daily reports. Available to end customers and certified service providers.

www.fischerblock.com

Aegean Energy Group Product: Maps to Megawatts

Key Features:

Application: Commercial

•

Software category: CRM, System design, operations, energy management, training, aerial imagery, site selection

Renewable energy project development services;

•

Construction management;

•

Drone services;

•

Land support.

Description: Aegean Energy Group provides services for renewable energy projects including development services, construction management, drone capture, and land services, while hosting customers’ projects on their software system, Maps to Megawatts.

www.aegeanenergygroup.com

OpenSolar

Q CELLS Geli

Enphase Energy Canada

HOMER Energy by UL

Product: OpenSolar

Product: Geli Software

Product: Solargraf

Product: HOMER Software

Application: Residential, commercial

Application: Commercial

Application: Commercial, residential

Software category: CRM, system design, proposal, finance, operations, energy management, training

Software category: System design, automation

Software category: System design, proposal

Application: Microgrid, distributed generation, utility-scale hybrid power

Description: OpenSolar is a free-to-use, fullservice platform that brings together 3D solar design, a digital sales toolkit, and partners and services into a single white-label application. www.opensolar.com

Description: Geli’s platform supports the entire project lifecycle, from design and automation to ongoing monitoring and management. Designed to operate any type of hardware for any size project, Geli software adapts to meet the diverse needs of different markets. www.geli.net

Description: Solargraf is a solar software that can reduce a typical 90-day process to under 30 days and the quoting process from 3 hours to 3 minutes with features including simple financing, permit and stamp orders, e-signatures, and robust project/team management capabilities.

Solargraf uses HD imagery to generate comprehensive quotes in a few simple clicks with shading analysis data and a proprietary AutoPitch algorithm. SolarGraf allows users to negotiate in real-time and offer up to three quotes in one with good, better, best options to up-sell on every proposal.

Software category: Feasibility studies Description: HOMER software optimizes the value of microgrid, hybrid power, and energy storage whether the system is standalone, gridconnected, behind- or in front-of-the-meter.

Products include HOMER Pro for determining the best, least-cost solution for standalone microgrids; HOMER Grid for designing behindthe-meter, grid-connected systems that save on electricity bill, reduce peak loads, and lower carbon footprints; and HOMER Front to maximize project IRR in utility-scale hybrid systems. www.homerenergy.com

www.solargraf.com

Scanifly Product: Scanifly Application: Commercial, residential, small-scale utility Software category: System design Description: Scanifly’s drone-based, 3D-modeling software streamlines the solar development workflow with an easy-to-use site surveying solution and design software catered to the solar space. The platform reduces on-site survey time by up to 90%, while increasing contractor safety and providing perfect accuracy for each design. Scanifly software helps organizations of all sizes scale their operations and can be used for any project, including residential, commercial, and small utility-scale projects across rooftops, ground mounts, canopies, and carports. www.scanifly.com

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solar spotlight: software

Stem, Inc.

NH Research (NHR)

RenuLogix

Bodhi

Product: Athena Smart Energy Software

Product: Enerlab Battery Test Lab Management Software

Product: RenuLogix cloud-based solar platform

Product: Bodhi

Software category: Energy management

Application: Residential

Description: Enerlab 2.0 lab management software is a top level enterprise software solution that monitors, controls and manages battery test stations using Enerchron. Enerlab empowers the executive, manager and engineer to improve productivity, utilization, and efficiency while ensuring safety by having real-time access and control to important lab and test information, anywhere at any time. Key capabilities range from live camera views to full control of test programs, and customizable dashboards and reporting tools. Enerchron is a powerful but easy to use test executive created for battery testing to simplify and accelerate test automation.

Software category: CRM, system design, proposal, finance, operations, training, marketing

Application: C&I, utility, co-ops, IPPs (nonresidential), enterprise, project developers, solar EPCs, asset owners, federal Software category: System design, operations, energy management Description: With Athena smart energy software, Stem’s Utility Bill Optimization solution identifies the optimal times to store and release energy and then manages consumption to reduce utility bills. Fortune 500 companies and commercial and industrial (C&I) businesses save money by using energy storage to reduce demand charges and shift energy use to low-cost times. By learning facilities’ usage patterns and optimizing against tariffs and system peaks, Stem’s Athena software helps businesses achieve utility bill savings of up to 30%.

Application: Residential Software category: Customer experience Description: Bodhi is the solar industry’s customer experience platform. By automating communication and personalizing the homeowners’ experience, Bodhi empowers growing solar companies to focus on what they do best, executing projects, making more sales, and transforming communities around energy.

Description: RenuLogix cloud-based platform-as-a-service empowers solar installation companies to boost revenue, lower costs, and optimize profitability. RenuLogix does this through series of powerful yet easy to use digital tools and services.

www.bodhi.solar

renulogix.com

www.nhresearch.com

www.stem.com

Pylon Product: Solar Design & CRM Application: Residential Software category: CRM, proposal, system design, finance, marketing

BluWave-ai

Valentin Software

Product: AI-enabled energy prediction and optimization platform

Product: PV*SOL premium

Application: Utilities, microgrids, electric vehicle fleet operations

Application: Commercial, residential Software category: System design

Description: The BluWave-ai AI-enabled platform delivers low operational costs and emissions for utilities, and effectively mitigates the operational risks related to distributed energy resources (DERs). It is utility-proven for renewables prediction using their trademark predictive optimization with control of behindthe-meter DERs linked to real-time energy costs and renewable generation. Their solution helps balance utility-scale generation and storage with demand, tackling peak smoothing in systems with high renewable penetration. The benefits are reduced net energy costs, increased use of renewable energy, and low harmful emissions.

Description: PV*SOL premium is a dynamic simulation program with 3D visualization and detailed shading analysis for the calculation of photovoltaic systems in combination with appliances, battery systems and electric vehicles. Users can visualize all common types of systems in 3D, whether roof-integrated or roof-mounted, on small angled roofs, large industrial halls or open spaces, and calculate the shading based on 3D objects. They can generate high-quality project reports for their customers that can be configured and edited as required. Circuit diagrams with the necessary safety devices can also be created. A trial version of PV*SOL premium can be downloaded from the Valentin Software website.

www.bluwave-ai.com

www.valentin-software.com

Software category: Energy management

Description: Pylon a solar design software providing premium features with no monthly fees. Hi-Res Imagery is included, along with an Advanced 3D Solar Shading feature, interval analysis, and a design studio that works on iPad just as well as desktop. Pylon allows customers to have unlimited users on their team and charges a low per-project-fee. Pylon users can sign up and make their first project in 2 minutes. www.getpylon.com

MANAGE YOUR SOLAR ASSETS UTILITY SCALE, C&I PV MONITORING PLATFORM

Plant 1

Plant 2

Extensible Energy Product: DemandX

Plant 1

Application: Commercial

Plant 2

Software category: Energy management Description: DemandEx is a software that can save building owners up to 30% on demand and time-of-use (TOU) charges. DemandEx delivers these savings by monitoring PV production and intelligently and automatically shifting the time of use of flexible loads, such as HVAC and batteries. DemandEx's gateway can be installed in less than a day and requires no permitting, extra wiring, or expensive hardware. After a brief building energy analysis period, DemandEx uses the historical and real-time energy data to optimize the solar building's flexible loads for demand and TOU savings. DemandEx also can also help to reduce the size and cost of batteries used for resiliency purposes. www.extensibleenergy.com

PORTFOLIO

ASSET

MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT

REPORTING

&

REAL-TIME

TICKETING

CUSTOM

ANALYTICS

SYSTEM

BRANDING

COMMUNICATION

www.ellume.net

+1 716 430 7617

North American Clean Energy

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NABCEP 2021 CONTINUING EDUCATION CONFERENCE August 9th-12th, 2021 Knoxville, TN Convention Center Knoxville, TN

www.nabcep.org

show in print

The advanced-level content presented at the annual NABCEP CE Conference is geared toward PV industry professionals who have experience with PV installation, solar + storage, technical sales, design, O&M, or system inspection. This event allows NABCEP Board Certified Professionals to obtain as many as 21 hours of continuing education units needed to recertify. PV Associates can obtain 12 continuing education units needed to renew. Noncertified renewable energy professionals seeking to advance their career can earn up to 18 hours towards becoming NABCEP Board Certified by attending the CE Conference.

Features just some of the companies and technologies attendees will see at this year’s show.

Dependable, long-lasting batteries

Rolls line of Renewable Energy flooded deep cycle lead-acid models are constructed with heavy-duty thick plate structure and proprietary Advanced NAM carbon additive for improved charge efficiency, reducing charge times, and increasing partial-state-of-charge (PSOC) performance in off-grid applications. Available in 2, 4, 6, and 12-volt options and 80-5054 Amp-Hour capacities for small to large-scale residential and commercial installs, the Series 4000, 4500, and 5000 Renewable Energy lineup is backed by 3, 4, and 5-year full replacement warranties.

Rolls Battery Engineering www.rollsbattery.com

Versatile, long lasting battery

Fortress Power’s eFlex 5.4kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate battery is designed for multiple project scenarios. From wall mount to rack mount, this battery covers applications in public utilities, transit, telecom, and mobile. It is stackable and has closed-loop communication with popular hybrid inverters. With its IP65 Dust and Water Proof design, installation of this battery is accessible in areas other batteries cannot handle. Fortress Power’s BMS battery maximizes reliability and longevity, offering a 10year Warranty (6000 cycles).

Fortress Power

www.fortresspower.com

Heterojunction cell technology with half-cut cells

Panasonic’s EverVolt line of modules includes modules with advanced efficiency, exceptional degradation rates, and 25-year warranties. Now available nationwide, the EverVolt Solar Module Series 370W / 360W feature efficiencies of 21.2% and 20.6% respectively, and the Black Series 360W / 350W modules feature efficiencies of 20.6% and 20%, respectively, packaged in a sleek all-black aesthetic. EverVolt Solar Module Series 380W / 370W offer efficiency ratings of 21.7% and 21.2%, respectively, and the EverVolt Solar Module Black Series 370W /360W feature all-black aesthetics and offer efficiency ratings of 21.2% and 20.6%, respectively. All eight modules feature heterojunction cell technology with half-cut cells, temperature coefficients at 0.26%/°C; and a low annual degradation rate, operating at 92% after 25 years. When installed by an Authorized, Premium, or Elite Installer, the Panasonic AllGuard and TripleGuard warranties cover EverVolt panels for performance, product, parts and labor for 25 years.

Panasonic Life Solutions Company of America na.panasonic.com

Increasing energy output

The Tigo TS4-A-O optimizer increases energy output from solar installations by minimizing the impact of shade, soiling, mixed orientations, and other forms of mismatch. In addition to increasing energy production, the TS4-A-O meets US NEC rapid shutdown requirements and enables module level monitoring.

The device installs in seconds and works at any scale, from residential to utility, with hundreds of different string inverters and solar modules. The TS4-A-O provides optimized, monitored, and PV safe systems to protect the user’s investment, and deliver consistent ROI for the lifetime of the renewable energy projects.

Tigo Energy

www.tigoenergy.com

Outdoor rated inverter

The now outdoor rated, Sol-Ark 12K makes solar storage affordable due to efficiency and integration.

Installers appreciate Sol-Ark’s easy-to-install plug and play all-in-one design. Key features include: standard 10-year warranty, dual 500V MPPTs generate up to 12kW of PV power to Grid/UPS loads/batteries simultaneously, TOU applications, automatic On/ Off Grid, parallel stacking up to 9 systems for 81kW of continuous AC output and up to 117kW of connected PV. 120V/240V/208V with one or more units, rapid shutdown NEC2014/2017/2020 compliance, DC coupling, and AC coupling all in one system.

Sol-Ark

www.sol-ark.com

Integrated grounding cable management

CAB Solar’s new above ground integrated grounding cable management system offerings include lower cost #3 equivalent and higher capacity #2 equivalent grounding messenger wires, as well as new hangers always being developed. CAB products continue to provide cost-saving solutions for large scale projects.

CAB Solar

www.cabproducts.com/solar

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Simple yet effective roof attachments

The Splice Foot X and XL are roof attachments with a simple design loaded with problem solving features to make installing solar easy. With two rail channel slots built into the mount, the Splice Foot acts as a standard attachment to the rail and can also act as a structural splice attaching two rails when needed. The K2 FlexFlash installed on the base uses waterproofing technology that has been tested for rain, water submersion, salt spray, extreme temperature variations, age simulation, and much more. The structural mounting screws that are included with the mount are a 5mm selftapping screw that requires no pre-drilling and is designed to pull the butyl into the rafter connection, eliminating the need to add sealant to the penetration. The Splice Foot is optimized for the complete CrossRail system and provides a low profile and sleek look.

K2 Systems LLC

Lead battery solutions

MK Battery features an extensive line of high quality, technologically advanced energy storage batteries designed for demanding renewable energy applications. The Deka Solar Gel Monobloc series, tested to IEC61427-1 and exposed to over 250 QC checks in an ISO9001-certified facility, offers long service life, even in extreme environments. For low maintenance, flooded battery solutions, the Deka Solar 2-Volt Maintenance Saver product, available as a single cell or complete system offers reliable, power for deep cycle applications, as do the robust Deka Solar Flooded Monobloc Batteries. For renewable/energy storage UPS and telecom applications, the Deka Unigy II line of 2-Volt batteries allows for flexible voltage platforms in a wide range of capacities, with ratings from 91-2000Ah @ C8 to 1.75 v.p.c.

Optimized solar carport structures

PLP carports are engineered and optimized to site-specific applications and PV solar installation. The modular structures feature a simplified design and integrated PV module mounting system designed to provide fast assembly rates and labor savings on every project.

These solar support structures feature tilt angles that offer 0°, 5°, and 10° positions and an optional gasket sealing solution.

PLP’s unique module clamping system offers 50% fewer components than traditional systems and has built-in ¾" spacing. This system offers 4-high or 7-high in portrait module mounting for single row or double row car parking with built-in wire management channels.

Versatile, easy to use mounting technology

QuickBOLT’s QB2 with Microflashing is now available with a Split-Top L-Foot for compatibility with saddle attachments and increased versatility.

The Split-Top speeds up installation time further, making it easy to drop in rails. QB2 is simple and easy to use with only 3 parts, 15 seconds to mount, and no sealant required to achieve a watertight seal. QuickBOLT’s patented BoltSeal technology creates a mechanical compression-seal as the bolt is driven.

This mount comes in black for a sleek appearance that blends right into the roof.

QuickBOLT

www.quickbolt.com

Preformed Line Products www.preformed.com

MK Battery

www.mkbattery.com

www.k2-systems.com

Solar surface lot and garage structures

RBI Solar is a provider of solar carport systems in the U.S. Specializing in both surface lot and garage structures, RBI’s systems are engineered with the design flexibility to meet any site-specific requirements. RBI Solar’s team assists their customers and end users throughout the entire project planning process.

RBI Solar

www.rbisolar.com

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wind power

Subsea Solutions for US Offshore Wind

by Martin Dronfield

GIVEN THE RENEWED INTEREST FROM

developers to establish a U.S. offshore wind supply chain, and the limited domestic experience, many European suppliers are now looking for the right moment to make their market entry.

There are clear benefits for the US in leveraging European expertise and critical factors the industry must get right.

The United States already has many of the skills needed to develop offshore wind projects; the electricians, the welders, and the marine vessel crews in place simply have not been focused on that purpose. Experience will come quickly with the right European supervision, which must align with the requirements of each state and their respective project pipelines, the supply chain, and the workforce already available locally. Only then should European expertise be used to help bridge the gaps.

Noise attenuation is one such opportunity. Noise attenuation refers to the dampening of sound to protect marine life. European suppliers, in particular, have unusual experience dealing with unexploded ordnance (UXO) experience that can help protect the US’s diverse marine life. The eastern seaboard is a prime location for fixed bottom offshore wind. It’s also home to several threatened or endangered species such as the blue whale, leatherback turtle, and the giant manta ray1, all of which must be given due consideration to protect them from construction noise.

Noise attenuation and unexploded ordnance expertise

The use of explosive weapons in the first and second world wars, and the government munitions dumping programs that followed, created a complex challenge for any offshore wind developer seeking to construct a project in the North Sea. From phosphorus bombs to torpedoes, there are millions of tons of munitions littered across the sea floor. They pose a problem for any offshore development – communications

Composite Tooling for Windmill Blades

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www.janicki.com 360.856.5143

54

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

An unexploded ordnance located using WROV forward imaging sonar. Noise attenuation technologies such as bubble curtains can be deployed to minimize the impact of unexploded ordnance disposal on local marine life. cables, oil and gas platforms, and offshore wind projects – as each must be detected and carefully neutralized before work can begin. With the need to ensure these detonations do not distress, displace, or disrupt local marine life, Europe became a leader in noise attenuation technologies.

This comes as good news for US project developers who will face similar challenges. Up until 1970, unknown quantities of munitions were disposed of off the US coast in both documented and undocumented locations. While most munitions were dumped in depths far beyond those reached by offshore wind infrastructure, munitions regularly wash ashore or are dredged up by fishing activities. As such, all US offshore wind projects, including developers and regulators, will need to factor in UXO identification and disposal to ensure project activities will not accidentally trigger an explosion or cause a chemical leak.

Responding to the need to operate more sensitively offshore, industry experts have developed a specialized bubble curtain technology that pumps class zero (medical grade) air through a perforated ring (mounted to the seabed) that encircles the construction zone or unexploded ordnance in a ring of air bubbles. The use of a bubble curtain could halve the sound intensity of pile driving2 for east coast offshore wind projects.

A typical bubble curtain project might require 20 to 26 compressors, in groups of five, to feed air through each filtration system, which cleans and conditions the compressed air to ensure it is oil-free before it goes into the sea. To further improve the design, the team innovated a new generation of compressors that have a smaller footprint and are stackable. This stackability means a greater number of compressors can be fitted on deck without compromising power output or risking heat build-up. Not only does this save deck space, it also allows smaller vessels to be used for the job, which positively impacts project costs.

Further innovations are currently being trialed at Taiwan’s largest offshore wind farm, where the team is doubling up the curtains to provide a thicker sound barrier to reduce the impact of the installation of the project’s monopiles. The double curtain will be created using a dedicated ‘noise mitigation vessel’ to create a large bubble curtain around the monopile site. A smaller set up onboard the pile driving vessel will provide a smaller bubble curtain directly around the monopile for additional noise attenuation during the installation of the foundations.

Coupled with the use of pinging or soft-start pile driving, bubble curtains can significantly reduce the potential for distress, displacement, and disruption to local marine life along the east coast.

The US offshore wind market has reached a pivotal moment in its history. With an administration that is committed to driving climate action and a wealth of experience to draw from on both sides of the Atlantic, being at the starting line of a new offshore wind market has never looked more exciting. With careful execution and European expertise to lean on, the east coast could be well on the way to having a fully competent and equipped domestic offshore wind supply chain in the next three to five years; an incredible time savings on the decades it took Europe to develop these same competencies.

By helping the US to leapfrog many of the offshore wind industry’s challenges from the past, not only will US projects benefit from smooth execution, they can also ensure things get done right first time, reducing the risk for both man and the environment.

A dedicated noise mitigation vessel (left) encircles the pile driving vessel (right) in a curtain of bubbles to provide noise attenuation during the installation of monopiles for an offshore wind farm.

Martin Dronfield is Special Advisor to James Fisher Renewables, which specializes in the delivery of niche topside and subsea marine operations, engineering solutions, and software systems for the installation and commissioning, operations, and maintenance for new and existing offshore wind farms.

James Fisher Renewables /// jamesfisherrenewables.com

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species-directory/ threatened-endangered?title=&species_category=any&species_ status=any&regions=1000001111&items_per_page=25&sort= 2 https://www.actu-environnement.com/media/pdf/news22257-etude-uicn.pdf 1

OVER 100,000 MWs CHOOSE CASTROL OPTIGEAR SYNTHETIC CT 320.

WE HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN.

For top performance, leading wind turbine OEMs turn to Castrol® as an exclusive first fill.

Castrol Optigear® CT 320 is the first carbon-neutral gear oil in the wind industry.

With a service life that’ll make your head spin — thirteen years without an oil change.

Small wonder it’s approved and supported by all major wind turbine and gearbox OEMs. Castrol Optigear CT 320. When it comes to performance, we’re there at every turn.

www.castrol.com/windenergy/us

North American Clean Energy

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wind power

After the Fall Why just wearing fall protection isn’t enough

by Colin Holland

At great heights, maintenance technicians across the US ensure that wind turbines reliably deliver energy to households and industry. According to OSHA standards, employees cannot do without fall protection. In most cases, a rescue device stored on a wind energy plant is also indispensable for their safety. If an accident occurs, personnel with specialist training in rescuing accidents victims may be required.

When maintenance or repair work has to be carried out on wind turbines, workers are required to wear fall protection. This is essential in order to protect oneself from the risk of a fatal fall from height when climbing onto wind energy plants, or when working in the nacelle or on the high external surface. When it comes to occupational safety, however, it is not only the employees who are called upon. Rather, the manufacturers, owners or operators of wind energy plants or wind farms or their service companies are responsible for the safety of their employees. This also applies to emergencies – such as when a person has to leave the turbine building quickly at a height of several hundred meters to bring himself and other colleagues to safety.

Rescue and abseiling devices are often used for the self-evacuation and rescue of injured persons. The models equipped with a centrifugal brake have proven their worth by allowing for safe abseiling at a constant speed. Solutions from leading manufacturers allow two employees to abseil simultaneously from great heights outside the tower - up to 500 meters - when a descent inside is no longer possible.

Some rescue devices are stored in a sealed aluminum box directly in the turbine building. If inspected regularly, they be used for up to 15 years. The annually prescribed inspection by an authorized inspector is facilitated by the fact that a moisture indicator on the outside of the vacuum packaging reliably indicates the condition of the device and additionally welded equipment. If this © SKYLOTEC GmbH

56

is faultless, the inspector seals the metal box again with a new seal and notes the month and year of the next inspection on it. This procedure is more efficient than sending the rescue device to the manufacturer for annual inspection. If the rescue devices on the wind turbine were to be removed from the plant for inspection, the company responsible for occupational safety would have to provide a replacement rescue device - without rescue equipment, employees are not allowed to enter the plant and work comes to a standstill.

Previously, the service life of rescue devices stored in aluminum boxes was limited to ten years (under optimal conditions), after which they had to be replaced. For companies needing to equip ten or more wind energy plants with this equipment, this ends up costing quite a bit. For this reason, leading manufacturers now offer the possibility to extend the service life for another 15 years without logistical complications and the following conditions: The equipment must be tested and partially replaced by the manufacturer or by one of the worldwide certified service partners; After the inspection, the aluminum box containing the vacuumed rescue device is resealed and can then be used for another 15 years. Very few manufacturers are working on solutions that should make it possible to store rescue devices for almost 30 years, corresponding to the usual service life of a wind turbine.

However, when it comes to dealing with fall protection, regular inspections and their complete documentation are not the only decisive factors. Employers are obliged to develop rescue plans that enable the fastest possible response to any emergency situation. This is essential because wind turbines are usually found in remote locations, making it extremely unlikely that external rescue teams or fire fighters would reach the site in time.

Therefore, each company must ensure that accident victims can be rescued by its on-site personnel. The ability to reach accident victims using rescue devices must be mastered by every employee on a wind turbine. For all companies, this is the minimum requirement in terms of their basic rescue concept, which should be based on a risk assessment. Anyone wanting to work as a maintenance

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

© SKYLOTEC GmbH

technician on wind turbines must therefore also have the necessary knowledge to respond properly in an emergency.

For the employees of wind farm operators or companies commissioned to maintain wind turbines, there is no room for compromise: Only personnel who have completed a training course that meets the standards set out by the "Global Wind Organisation" (GWO) should be permitted to work at height in a wind turbine environment. These training courses are provided by training companies or manufacturers of fall protection equipment.

In many cases, a basic rescue concept is no longer sufficient. On wind turbines, employees are required to work in the hub, on a blade, or other places where freedom of movement is limited. These areas are among the most hazardous in terms of occupational safety. If an accident occurs, it may be difficult or impossible for the victim’s colleagues to reach him. To make matters worse, there is often no direct line of sight to the casualty. At that point, a rescue team with special equipment and skills must be deployed. In the field of wind energy, some companies have already realised that a basic rescue concept is insufficient if they want to offer the highest possible level of safety to employees working at height – and, therefore, have a need for special training. The GWO has long been tackling the issue of “advanced rescue training” and developed a training course that meets their standards and is certified accordingly. This course is only delivered by a few independent providers. Among other things, this training focuses on scenarios involved in the use of specialist equipment such as pulley systems, fall arrest blocks, and rescue stretchers, without which it would simply not be possible to carry out an advanced rescue.

Colin Holland is a Specialist at Skylotec North America LP, part of a worldwide company that manufactures Personal Fall Protection Equipment and safety systems for sports and industry. Skylotec also offers an international training program from the Vertical Rescue College.

Skylotec /// www.skylotec.com

MARKET LEADING SOLUTIONS FOR THE WIND INDUSTRY Next generation wind turbine lubricants, greases and services designed to maximize wind turbine performance and increase uptime.

SHELL OMALA S5 WIND 320 NOW CARBON NEUTRAL

Product lifecycle CO2 emissions are compensated for through Shell’s global portfolio of naturebased solutions. Nature-based solutions comprise all activities related to the protection, or redevelopment, of natural ecosystems such as forests, grasslands and wetlands. These solutions can help contribute to your businesses’ voluntary emissions targets.

Learn more about Shell’s Sustainability efforts at shell.com/sustainability

OEM APPROVALS: n

n

Shell Omala S5 Wind 320 gear oil is approved by every major wind gearbox OEM. Shell supplies various wind turbine lubricants to all major wind turbine OEMs.

10-YEAR OIL LIFE WARRANTY* To learn more visit Shell.us/windpower

*Shell Lubricants warrants that Shell Omala S5 Wind 320 gear oil (i) meets Shell Lubricant’s then current specifications at the time of product manufacture, and (ii) will remain suitable for use in the main gearbox of a wind turbine for 10 years from the filling date of the main gearbox, provided all warranty conditions are met in full.

Upon a valid warranty claim, Shell Lubricants will (i) replace Shell Omala S5 Wind 320 gear oil, and (ii) pay costs to repair eligible main gearbox damage proven to have been directly caused by Shell Omala S5 Wind 320 gear oil. Terms and conditions apply. See your Shell Lubricants representative for complete details.

North American Clean Energy

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wind power

Dual Scanning Lidar Increases Coverage, Accuracy and Efficiency in Offshore Wind Assessments

by Elvira Aliverdieva

WITH AN INCREASING NUMBER OF COUNTRIES

pursuing carbon neutrality in the next few decades, investment in renewable energy sources that can be used to produce electricity with fewer environmental impacts is skyrocketing. As advances in technology deliver performance and cost improvements, one of the most promising sources of renewable energy — offshore wind — is maturing rapidly, and poised to play an important role in the future of electricity generation.

In spite of the industry’s incredible growth, offshore wind farms open the door for a new set of challenges that make understanding wind resources in offshore environments increasingly burdensome. To combat these challenges, offshore developers and operators are looking at innovations in lidar technology and new ways to use current technology to enhance data, reduce costs and expedite their projects.

Leveraging Lidar to Understand What the Wind is Doing

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

From more expansive wind farms located in deeper waters at greater distances from the shore to the ever-increasing size of offshore turbines and project costs, the constantly evolving nature of the offshore wind energy sector makes it especially difficult to determine where the abundant wind resources exist, understand their characteristics and validate their quality.

Consequently, accurate wind data is critical to a bankable Wind Resource Assessment (WRA) because inaccurate measurements can result in unfavorable financing conditions or the selection of the wrong type of equipment, which can lead to underperformance or failures. If the wind availability and characteristics cannot be proven to a high degree of certainty, constructing a sound financial model for a wind project investment will be a major challenge.

Scanning lidar technology measures the full wind regime and characteristics of the wind flow, including wind speed, wind direction, and turbulence, to provide complete, spatial wind data at ranges up to 15 kilometers. Increasingly supported by growing acceptance among major independent experts, developers, financiers and regulatory bodies, scanning lidar is being deployed more frequently for offshore WRAs. Mountable on existing offshore platforms or placed onshore at the coastline, scanning lidars decrease uncertainty by providing the spatial resolution to analyze bigger areas, which improves project bankability and increases operational continuity and efficiency.

Enter dual scanning lidar.

Dual Lidar: Increased Data Quantity and Quality

While a single scanning lidar provides rich data from one strategically chosen vantage point, dual scanning lidar enables developers and operators to increase the coverage, accuracy and efficiency of offshore wind assessments in areas with difficult-to-assess wind phenomena. By observing an offshore location from several positions, a dual scanning lidar approach provides an even more comprehensive picture of the wind resource profiles.

Utilizing two scanning lidar instruments delivers accurate wind mapping with ranges up to nearly 15 kilometers from several positions at once. By simultaneously providing complete, spatial wind data from several strategically selected positions, dual scanning

Photo by: J. Schneemann for University of Oldenburg

OCI, A CARBEX AB REPRESENTATIVE WITHIN WIND POWER INDUSTRY

lidar significantly increases the quantity and dramatically improves the quality of wind data in a cost-efficient way.

Leveraging intersecting beams at multiple locations, the dual scanning lidar approach provides a dense network of measurement points, delivering better coverage and accuracy, which reduces vertical and horizontal uncertainty and enables fine assessment of turbulence intensity for turbine suitability. Plus, even when two lidar units are deployed, offshore campaigns tend to be less expensive than other assessment methods; the shore-based scanning lidars can be more easily accessed, moved, maintained and repurposed at each phase throughout the lifecycle of an offshore project.

While assessing and characterizing available wind resources is crucial in the development, positioning and operation of an offshore wind farm, new techniques and technologies are becoming available to ensure that turbine and wind farm performance meets expectations and contractual obligations. Despite the evolving challenges surrounding accurate wind measurement as offshore projects grow larger and turbines taller, dual scanning lidar delivers a myriad of benefits that ultimately increase the coverage, accuracy and efficiency of offshore campaigns.

Elvira Aliverdieva is a product and marketing specialist for Leosphere, a Vaisala company. She participates in the evolution of the company’s onshore and offshore wind product strategy, with a primary focus on the booming offshore market.

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North American Clean Energy

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wind power

The ‘Cost’ of Wind

by Eduardo Estelles

2020 was a record year for the global wind industry. With a 53 per cent year-on-year increase, the wind energy industry is set for continued growth in the next five years, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With this growth, the spotlight is increasingly focused on safety. Most incidents in the life-cycle of a wind turbine occur during the construction and maintenance stage (rather than during operation). In terms of causality, research points to strong wind and lightning strikes.

Without live weather data on site and at crane height during construction, the cost of wind - in terms of safety - is greatly underestimated.

Accurate and continuous data is essential in programming and planning lifts, to allow immediate decisions to be made in good time.

Access to this recorded data is also essential for claims should there be dispute.

Wind risk in construction

Building a wind turbine requires some of the largest lifting equipment in use today, handling components in excess of 80 tons to heights of over 90 meters (almost 300 feet). Gusts can start in seconds, exerting forces on a crane and any load suspended from it. Ground level measurements at the construction site do not reflect actual conditions at crane height, where wind speeds are considerably greater. Operators must calculate permissible wind speed based on accurate data.

Let’s say an operator decides to stop work when the wind reaches 35mph for 30 percent of the day. The wind may be steadily below 30mph when a quick 40mph gust blows in enough to create a panic situation or, worse, an accident. The operator must account for allowable wind speed during rigging/ de‐rigging, which is invariably lower than the maximum in-service wind speed.

Performing a lift without knowledge of the expected wind forces and the actual sail area of the load can lead to a failure of components

60

and/or tipping of the crane, with potentially fatal consequences.

In planning lifts, consideration must be given to: • Anticipated wind speeds from site and height specific forecasts • Different types of crane activity and the maximum wind speed for each • Weight of load, its geometric form, and its air drag factor • Sufficient margin to cover wind induced additional loading • Wind data accuracy to show 3‐second wind gust at the highest point of the boom system

How should wind speed be monitored?

It is not sufficient to rely solely on meteorological office data.

Each crane must be fitted with anemometers or other windspeed monitoring devices. The sensor of the indicator should be positioned so that it can measure air flow uninterrupted by the crane or adjacent structures (often on the highest point of the crane). Devices located on other parts of the site will not give an accurate wind-speed.

The display must be located in clear view of the crane operator.

Live data and constant monitoring and alerts are essential, giving early warning of rising wind speeds and enabling the operator to act before the limiting wind speed is reached.

Remote access to wind data by all key site personnel greatly improves the lines of communication. For example, considering the time it takes to lower/raise a crane boom, if a boom is left raised overnight and conditions change, speedy action must be taken.

What is the ‘cost’ of wind?

Strong winds pose significant risks and when an accident occurs, the cost to contractors is high.

Direct costs to employers of accidents in construction have been calculated as £433.22 ($613.39) per employee per annum; a contractor with only 30 employees would be liable for direct costs of £12,996 ($18,400) per annum due to health and safety incidents.

Often under-calculated are the indirect costs; the time to deal with the consequences of the accident, replacement staff, investigation, and corrective measures. These far outweigh direct costs by more than 2 to 1 (as a conservative estimate):

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Direct costs due to an accident end up doubling in indirect costs.

Construction requires a continuous balance between safety and program. Winded off activities slow down work and increase costs; a typical 250-750 ton crane installed on site for wind turbine construction costs between £3,000 and £8,000 ($4247 and $11,327) per day.

A UK study of the impact of weather on general construction concluded that inclement weather - low temperatures, precipitation, and wind gusts in excess of 30 mph - is likely to cause an extension to project durations by an average of 21.6 percent.

To put this into context, wind data collected from 100 cranes in the UK monitored by windcrane.com shows the percentage of cranes per day of the year where wind gusted higher than 30mph and 35mph.

Over the course of a full year, cranes are exposed to higher winds of 30mph or more for 42 percent of the time. For 27 percent of the time, the wind was between 30mph and 35mph.

That 27 percent will be within the control of the company with the most credible data set. Small changes in interpretations of wind data can have a huge impact.

But this goes further: Accurate recorded data can be made to work for a contractor. Records are essential to back up any claim, such as demonstrating that X hours of wind above a certain level/ in a certain month is “exceptional”.

Safety and financial risk reduction are critical. Live and recorded weather monitoring at crane height is essential for lift planning, for all key personnel, and for records in order to address claims. Savvy companies recognize that controlling wind data is being “weather smart” – giving them an edge with the unique foresight and oversight, control, and competitive advantage in a rapidly growing industry.

Eduardo Estelles is Founder and CEO of WINDCRANE, and has been involved in the wind industry since early 2000, developing remote data acquisitions systems for wind energy forecasting and performance. In 2007, he founded Logic Energy, the company behind WINDCRANE, to specialize in the Internet of Things [IoT] for wind power and meteorological applications. WINDCRANE started in 2014 as a brand name specifically for the construction sector to help raise the standards of wind speed measurement, wind safety, and help improve lifting planning for cranes.

Sources: GWEC Global Wind Report 2021- https://gwec.net/global-windreport-2021/ US National Safety Council THE BUSINESS CASE FOR INVESTMENT IN SAFETY – A GUIDE FOR EXECUTIVES https://www.nsc.org/Portals/0/Documents/JSEWorkplaceDocuments/ Journey-to-Safety-Excellence-Safety-Business-Case-Executives.pdf University of Wolverhampton: Development of cost benefit analysis model of accident prevention on construction projects https://core.ac.uk/display/1933108

Cost performance and risk in the construction of offshore and onshore wind farms - Sussex University 2017 http://sro.sussex.ac.uk Incorporating the effect of weather in construction scheduling and management with sine wave curves: application in the United Kingdom - Pablo Ballesteros-Pérez , Stefán Thor Smith , Josephine Gwen Lloyd-Papworth & Peter Cookecost. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01446193.2018.1478109 Occupational Safety and health in the wind energy sector - European Risk Observatory report https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/occupational-safety-and-health-in-thewind-energy-sector

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North American Clean Energy

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wind power

Milling About

Achieving better blade-to-generator connections with orbital milling machines

by Mick Handsley

RECENT BREAKTHROUGHS ARE FINALLY ALLOWING MAJOR

commercial offshore wind farms to be built in the United States. In May, the federal government approved areas off the coast of California and Massachusetts to be developed for wind turbines, and many more projects are up for review. The wind industry is not just growing in terms of the number of towers being built, the turbines themselves are becoming larger in size. Safely constructing wind towers would not be possible without a key step in the turbine blade manufacturing process - orbital milling.

When wind turbine rotor blades are manufactured, the mold can create small, half joint steps on the surface where the blade connects to the generator. When bolting the two together during tower construction, joint integrity is dependent upon achieving a flatness tolerance to make a secure connection. Otherwise, the rotor blade could vibrate and affect performance - in a worst-case scenario, the blade’s constructed integrity could be impaired.

Often, the engineering team behind the rotor blade will set the flatness tolerance in conjunction with the generator manufacturer. The team will then work with vendors who can help them achieve the accuracy needed, which is measured during the testing and inspection phase. Commonly accepted tolerances in the industry are a global flatness of 0.3mm around the diameter, and a local flatness of 0.05mm along a 300mm radial path or across 3off steel inserts within the route diameter.

Many wind turbine manufacturers have found these tolerances difficult to achieve Einpart is your one stop shop supplier of onshore and offshore wind with a traditional grinding machine. Thanks to new technology available in orbital farm construction and O&M products, including Vestas, Gamesa, milling machines, the job can now be completed quickly, safely, and accurately.

GE, Suzlon, Mitsubishi, Nordex, Micon, and other turbine OEM’s.

Orbital milling machines can also tackle the larger rotor blades that are becoming • Major components, new and refurb • Spare and replacement parts increasingly common in the industry.

• Pitch and yaw gear Orbital milling machines are designed to deliver fast material removal while • Nitrogen fill systems achieving high accuracy across large flange diameters. The machines use a rotating • Testing and calibration equipment • Certified lifting bags table, are affixed to the end of the rotor blade, and hooked up to a hydraulic power • Climbing and PPE gear pack with hoses. The combined orbital milling machine and hydraulic base are set • FAA lights withing the commissioning period to achieve the specified machining tolerances.

• Lifting and rigging equipment • Heaters and heating blankets The combined assembly will repeat and • Grease pumps achieve the required tolerances blade • Motors • Lubricants after blade; the process for an average size • Consumables rotor blade takes just 30 minutes.

• Hand tools In addition to speed, orbital milling • Torque tools • Hydraulic pumps, tensioners, and wrenches machines also improve worker health (purchase or rental) and safety because the debris produced • Electric torque wrenches can be better controlled. Compared to • Crimping tools • Stud bolt setters a grinding head that generates a lot of • Bolts and bolt cleaners dust and other hot material moving at a • Oil filtration systems fast velocity, a milling machine creates • Generator Alignment Kits metal chips that can be contained with Please contact us today to request a quote. an optional vacuum system. Additionally, the rigid, independent bases on orbital milling machines provide ultimate worker

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Making wind power more sustainable

safety, ensuring maximum performance each time they are used.

Another benefit of orbital milling machines is maneuverability. The large size of turbine blades makes them hard to move around a factory. Rather than depending on the facility crane to bring the rotor blades to a machine to be worked on one by one, an orbital milling machine can be moved around the factory to each rotor blade. Some units come equipped with an installation trolley that holds the machine along with the hydraulic power pack and optional vacuum; this gives workers greater flexibility to move from blade to blade throughout the manufacturing plant.

To accommodate the growth in the size of turbine rotor blades (from small 18-meter models, to the newer 107-meter models), there are a range of machines available to service each size. Models are based upon the inside diameter, or ID, of the face to the machine.

Today’s orbital milling machines are both simple and easy to use. Traditionally, an operator would rely in large part on their instinct - listening and feeling for vibration to gauge progress. Even though the machine itself is quite large, it’s simple to operate. It uses standard tooling available worldwide, and can be operated completely manually, though customers are beginning to ask about PC-controlled milling machines to be used as an aid. Such information-based machines can provide early warnings such as notifying the operator when the cutters wear, or alerting them if there is any movement that is unacceptable.

As the wind industry continues to progress toward even larger wind turbines, customers are already beginning to inquire about orbital milling machines capable of handling a potential 120-meter rotor blade. Whether the future is larger turbines or lighter materials, orbital milling machine providers are busy creating a family of products for wherever the wind blows next.

Mick Handsley is a technical support manager for Mirage machines at Enerpac, a global provider of high-pressure hydraulic tools, controlled force products, portable machining, on-site services and solutions for precise positioning of heavy loads. He can be reached at mick. handsley@miragemachines.com

Enerpac /// www.enerpac.com

CORROSION and Amphibious Energy announced the launch of the new ICCP-POD, an environmentally friendly alternative to using diesel generators to supply energy during the construction phase of wind turbines, and sacrificial anodes to protect turbine foundations against corrosion. The ICCP-POD combines two advanced technologies. The EnergyPod, developed by Amphibious Energy, is an easy-to-transport autonomous energy plant that uses sun, wind, batteries, and intelligent electronics to provide sustainable energy during the 18-month construction of wind turbines, meaning costly and environmentally unfriendly diesel generators are no longer required. To protect against corrosion during this construction phrase, CORROSION developed compact ICCP (Impressed Current Cathodic Protection) units. By using an electronic current supplied by the EnergyPod, these represent an innovative eco-friendly alternative to sacrificial anodes, which discharge large quantities of metals and heavy metals into the water. When the wind turbines are installed and grid-connected, the energy supply for the ICCP system is switched from the EnergyPod to the wind turbine itself. The ICCP-POD delivers substantial cost savings by installing uncoated foundations, foundations with a single base coat, or utilizing less carbon steel (corrosion allowance), depending on customer needs and design boundaries. CORROSION's ICCP unit discharge approximately 1.5 million times less aluminum into the sea that traditional sacrificial anodes. The EnergyPod is also completely recyclable and can be re-used several times over a period of 5 to 10 years, so the costs will decrease even further.

Amphibious Energy /// www.amphibiousenergy.com CORROSION /// www.corrosion.nl

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Our in-house manufacturing product capabilities include: ■ hex-bolting M 12 to M 100 for tower and nacelle applications ■ waisted shank studs together with mating barrel nuts for blade installation ■ double ended studs for nacelle and hub/rotor assembly ■ double ended anchor studs for foundation cages ■ M72 Transition Piece bolts & studs All of this is backed by tangible quality and an extensive industry accredited product range.

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North American Clean Energy

63

wind power

Harmonic Mitigation

A critical element to wind farm profitability

by Gregory Wolfe

You’ve secured the land, obtained all necessary permits, negotiated utility contracts, secured capital funds, established the operations team, your maintenance contract is in place and the turbines have been erected. Now it’s time to throw the switch!

How do you best manage your investment, nurture it, eliminate risk, maximize availability, and help ensure your wind turbines exceed their forecasted life?

More and more wind farm operations are realizing that the key to long term profitability is managing their harmonic levels. By doing so, they are able to minimize undue stress on drive-train components - this not only can improve production availability, but also can significantly increase the operational life of the wind turbines.

What is harmonic distortion?

Based on physics, the output signal of any rotating electric generator (including a wind turbine) has a sinusoidal shape, alternating, up-and-down, at a frequency of 50 or 60 times per second (depending on the country in which it is designed to operate). In a perfect world, this signal would be very smooth in shape, with all sub-components working together in perfect harmony, each contributing to a perfectly and uniformly rotating system. In the real world, however, the output of a typical wind turbine generator is not smooth at all, but distorted in shape. In some cases, severely distorted. The magnitude of this distortion is known as the system’s harmonic distortion.

What causes harmonic distortion in a generator?

How bad is bad when it comes to harmonic distortion?

Harmonic distortion can be thought of as the measure of stress on a system.

For a wind turbine generator, the electrical output signal is the result of thousands of pounds of magnetic force applied to high-speed rotating equipment (upwards of 3600 RPM in some cases); any distortion in the output signal is actually an opposing force, not only against the rotating magnetic field, but against every sub-component working to keep the system in perfect rotation. Therefore, as the harmonic distortion of the system increases, the stress on each sub-component increases as well, not only on the subcomponents within the wind generator, but also on components downstream (pad mount transformers as well as grid components outside the wind farm).

Excessive harmonic distortion creates undue stress on all system components, leading to poor reliability and a reduction in the operational life of the equipment and components involved. It is for this reason that IEEE519 was recently revised to redefine harmonic distortion acceptability limits and how harmonic levels should be calculated. These new requirements are making their way into an increasing number of Agreements between wind farm operators and grid operators in the territories in which the wind farms reside. Wind farm operators face stiff penalties for non-compliance.

Within a rotating generator, there are numerous sub-components, each playing a specific role in helping the generator rotate in a uniform fashion, and each having its own specific operating frequency. Interestingly, most system sub-components have operating frequencies which are very different from the overall system operating frequency. For example, while the system operating frequency of the generator may be 60 hertz (rotating at a multiple of 60 times per second), the operating frequency of a critical sub-component (such as a gear tooth or winding flux interface) could be 432 Hertz. Even in newly commissioned wind turbines, all sub-components have imperfections; these imperfections each distort the output signal of the generator, the cumulative effect of which comprises the total harmonic distortion. Over time, as components degrade, these imperfections get worse, and the total harmonic distortion of the system increases accordingly.

Shown above: an ideal generator output (void of distortion)

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Shown above: distorted generator output (indicative of degrading internal components – reducing the life of the wind turbine asset)

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Turning it into a positive

As a sub-component degrades in health, its contribution to the overall distortion of the output signal increases proportionately. These contributions can be isolated and tracked over time for each specific sub-component, so that preventative action can be taken.

Monitoring harmonic distortion levels between the contributions of the various subcomponents can be used as a source of actionable insight for proactive maintenance programs; this can help avoid costly unplanned outage, prevent undue stress on system components, improve availability, and increase the operational life of the wind assets.

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A specific example

A common source of failure of a wind turbine generator system is a degrading wye-ring joint. Such a condition can lead to catastrophic failure at worst; at best it can lead to an unplanned outage, loss in availability, and an overall reduction in the life of the wind asset. This degradation is typically caused by a 6th harmonic pulsating torque within the generator, which causes isolated stress on the wye-ring joints. Interestingly, a 6th harmonic pulsating torque is typically caused by excessive 5th and 7th harmonic signals (resulting from a mis-match in capacitor compensation). Thus, an early warning sign of a pending wye-ring failure is excessive 5th and 7th harmonic content. In advanced stages of wye-ring degradation, harmonic distortion around the system operating frequency is observed, equally spaced above/below the fundamental frequency, separated by sidebands located at twice the slip-frequency of the system.

In traditional monitoring systems, this type of wye-ring degradation would typically go undetected because those systems primarily focus on mechanical vibrations. Harmonic distortions are electrical in nature. They provide insight into both mechanical and electrical health conditions, including those which do not show on a vibration spectrum.

Comprehensive monitoring of individual components helps wind operators make more accurate decisions to keep their turbines running longer and more efficiently.

Gregory Wolfe, CEO/CTO and Co-Founder of Fischer Block, Inc. He began designing missile guidance systems for the United States Air Force, and later obtained certification as a black-belt in Six-Sigma statistical techniques, all while holding leadership positions within the electrical power industry, running operations in both the United States and in Europe, before co-founding Fischer Block, Inc.

Fischer Block, Inc. /// fischerblock.com

Visualize degradation and validate repairs North American Clean Energy

65

wind power

Identifying Faults in Wind Power Through Electrical Signature Analysis

by Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP

EVERY WIND TURBINE OPERATES ON A ROTATING

electrical and mechanical system. Wind farms employ one of two generator systems, either Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG) or Singly Fed Induction Generator (SFIG). Most newer turbines tend to use DFIG, but both can suffer two major electrical faults: wye ring failures in the rotors; and, transformer failures due to high gassing.

While there have been a few theories as to the root-causes of these failures (along with a number of approaches to mitigate, or ignore the fault), Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA) data has identified the possibility of ferroresonance in the transformers or SubSynchronous Resonance (SSR) in the generators; and that they occur in tandem.

The application of ESA in wind generation involves the collection of both voltage and current between the tower’s transformer and generator stator. For the values necessary to identify these conditions, a high sample rate is required as well as high resolution for spectral analysis. When the transformer is downtower, the data is normally collected at the base of the tower. The first case in question involves data collected at the generator connection box uptower (Figure 1) using a 3:1 CT ratio (further away from the rotor control).

Voltage and current were collected across 240 seconds, starting with the close of CB1 in order to observe conditions following the close of K1. Data was collected at a wind speed of 5.8 m/s (13 mph) with gusts to 8 m/s (18 mph) at 52oF, which has the generator on the lower end of the tower power curve and the control Figure 1: Current clamps and compensating for power factor through output to the voltage clips connected in the rotor. The Voltage and current associated with the start generator connection box. and 240 seconds are found in Figure 2.

In Figure 2, the turbine is yawed into position, comes up to speed, and CB1 closes (1) followed by the closing of K1 (2) at which point the current spikes and oscillates before settling down and increasing.

In the case of the current in this image, the variations are due to wind gusts. The spectra were evaluated at each point, as noted in Figures 3 and 4.

As has been observed in over 2500 datasets of DFIG and SFIG generators, the rotor inverter frequency and harmonic and the resonance frequency vary based upon the wind speed, load, and distance the wind farm is from larger loads. The conditions in Figures 2, 3, and 4 relate to effects with the transformer, as current appears to have a higher value in dB. A view of the rotor voltage and frequency (Figure 5) on the rotor of a similar turbine at 4.9 m/s (11 mph) and 75oF, taken from the base of the tower on the rotor side of the inverter, identifies the voltage sent to the rotor and the conditions resembling the example above in the load (rotor) current.

These conditions appear similar to the projected signatures of a number of the papers reviewed as part

66

Figure 2: Voltage (bottom) and current (top) on the generator across 240 seconds starting with the close of CB1(1) then K1(2) represents all three phases.

of the literature search. As noted in the literature, the resonances and harmonics (both synchronous and subsynchronous) associated with the transformer will generate heating and gassing.

As noted on Figure 6, which was operating with a Figure 5: Similar turbine at a different location. Rotor data in fractured wye ring at 75oF voltage and current of one phase. Data collected downtower. and a wind speed of 4.9 m/s, predicted ~+/-16 Hz (in a 60 Hz output) sidebands around line frequency in current at this wind speed is a classic value of SSR for a DFIG, as identified in the literature. As the output frequency of a DFIG is controlled by the rotor inverter, when the rotor physical speed is super-synchronous, a counter Figure 6: Similar turbine with inconsistent line frequency, rotating field is generated in fractured wye ring, and +/- 16.2 Hz sidebands around line order to simulate synchronous frequency. Data collected downtower. speed and 60 (or 50) Hz. When filter capacitances are included in the circuit in addition to voltage conditioning in the transmission and distribution system, literature predicts that ferroresonance in transformers and SSR in the generator will occur. Each academic study focuses on one condition or the other. However, field data indicates that both conditions may exist as identified in each type of study.

The conditions surrounding both also are found in post-mortem evaluations of the failed equipment, including the types of fatigue failures in the rotor wye rings and high levels of explosive gasses in wind transformers. The result of a self-feeding, nonsynchronous resonance between generator components and transformer is, of course, flexing of the rotor windings, potentially causing torsional fatigue failures elsewhere in the powertrain. It is important to recognize that the SSR does not have to be a speedrelated oscillation (ie: oscillating rotor shaft) but is a torque-related phenomenon. Once identified and confirmed, mitigation can be developed to improve the reliability of both the wind turbine and transformers.

Howard W Penrose, Ph.D., CMRP, is the president of MotorDoc LLC, a consulting and research company and supporting the EMPATH line of ESA data collection and continuous monitoring systems. He is former chair of the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and serves on IEEE and ACP technical and standards committees. Dr. Penrose is a leading field applications researcher in static and dynamic testing methods for rotating electrical and mechanical systems. He can be reached at hpenrose@motordocllc.com.

Figure 3: Closer view of after CB1 closes (1) and the oscillation immediately after K1 closes. The firing frequency of the DFIG rotor inverter (3) and a harmonic (4) exist as well as a resonance between (5).

Figure 4: At the sample location 3 of Figure 2, the levels drop as shown in the primary inverter frequency (1), harmonic (2), and resonance (3).

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

MotorDoc LLC /// empathcms.com References: R. Langella, A. Testa and A. E. Emanuel, "On the effects of subsynchronous interharmonic voltages on power transformers: Three phase units," 2009 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting, 2009, pp. 1-1, doi: 10.1109/PES.2009.5275647.

M. K. Siahpoosh, D. Dorrell and L. Li, "Ferroresonance assessment in a case study wind farm with 8 units of 2 MVA DFIG wind turbines," 2017 20th International Conference on Electrical Machines and Systems (ICEMS), 2017, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/ICEMS.2017.8056530.

M. L. Zhang, H. T. Liu and X. B. Wang, "Research overview of sub-synchronous oscillation in DFIGBASED wind farms connected to grid," 12th IET

International Conference on AC and DC Power Transmission (ACDC 2016), 2016, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1049/cp.2016.0411.

J. Samanes, E. Gubia, J. Lopez and R. Burgos, "Sub-Synchronous Resonance Damping Control Strategy for DFIG Wind Turbines," in IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 223359-223372, 2020, doi: 10.1109/ ACCESS.2020.3043818.

X. Dong, J. Hou, Z. Wang, J. Pi, X. Tian and Y. Jin, "Study on the subsynchronous resonance mechanism of DFIG based on the analysis of stator and rotor torques," 2016 China International Conference on Electricity Distribution (CICED), 2016, pp. 1-6, doi: 10.1109/CICED.2016.7576188.

wind product spotlight: lubricants and greases

Lubricants and Greases

An important part of the planned maintenance of a wind turbine, proper lubrication will help keep the machinery working well for years. Keeping a wind turbine’s gearbox properly lubricated is essential to extending the life of the turbine. Herein we highlight some of the solutions available on the market today…

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Product: SYN-Nth Gear Oil Application: SYN-Nth Gear Oil maximizes gearbox reliability. Its protection against gear scuffing and micropitting has been documented with FZG testing and field-proven in wind turbines. Its high oxidation stability extends drain intervals. Guaranteed ISO 4406 cleanliness: 16/14/11. cSt @ 40°C: 390 cSt cSt @ 100°C: 43.6 cSt Viscosity Index: 167 www.hydrotexlube.com

Product: HARNEX 320 Wind Turbine Gear Oil Application: HARNEX 320 Wind Turbine Gear Oil is specially formulated for lubricating wind turbine gearboxes for reduced downtime and less maintenance.

HARNEX 320 has GE service fill approval for 1.x and 2.x platforms with Winergy gearboxes. In addition, HARNEX 320 meets the technical requirements of Shanghai Electric, and is approved for use in any gearbox on a Shanghai Electric wind turbine. cSt @ 40°C: 323 cSt cSt @ 100°C: 34.9 cSt Viscosity Index: 153

Klüber Lubrication NA LP

Pour Point: -44°F (-42°C)

Product: Klübersynth family of gear oil

Viscosity Index:

www.lubricants.petro-canada.com

Application: Offering high levels of protection against wear, corrosion, air release, hydrolysis, and viscosity drops.

Flash Point: (°F and °C)

cSt @ 40°C:

NLGI Grade:

cSt @ 100°C:

Guarantee:

Pour Point: (°F and °C)

Product: Tribol GR SW 460-1

NLGI Grade: NLGI Grade 1

Application: Tribol GR SW 460-1 is recommended for tough industrial applications especially as encountered in wind turbine main bearings, pitch, and yaw bearings. It gives bearing protection under high loads at low to moderate speeds and in applications where water resistance is critical.

Key Features:

Viscosity Index: 460 Oil Type: Synthetic Thickener Type: Lithium complex

•

Proprietary Microflux Trans additive system has yielded bearing life extension;

•

High performance in standardized testing;

•

Excellent compatibility allows simplified conversion;

•

Designed specifically for wind turbine bearings.

www.castrol.com/windenergy/us

AMSOIL, Inc.

Fuchs Lubricants

Product: Synthetic Power Transmission EP Gear Lubricants

Product: Gleitmo 585K

Application: AMSOIL PT Series Synthetic Power Transmission EP Gear Lubes are designed to provide protection for wind turbine and other industrial gearboxes requiring EP protection, such as those found in the textile, paper, steel, cement, plastic, and lumber industries. AMSOIL PT Series Gear Lubes are formulated to meet the listed standards and requirements.

Application: Gleitmo 585K is used in Pitch and Yaw Bearing in Wind turbines. It provides the much needed protection from wear and micropitting that is evident in the modern pitch bearing systems. cSt @ 40°C: 50 cSt Temperature Range: -49°F to 284°F (-45°C to 140°C) Dropping Point: >356°F (>180°C)

cSt @ 40°C: 326.7 cSt

Oil Type: Synthetic

cSt @ 100°C: 34.8 cSt

Thickener Type: Lithium

Viscosity Index: 151

NLGI Grade: NLGI #2

Pour Point: -36°F (-38°C)

Oil Separation (40°C for 40 days): <5%

Flash Point: 473°F (245°C) www.amsoilwind.com

www.fuchsus.com

Flash Point: 459°F (237°C)

Soap Type: PAO: (Synthetic, mineral based)

www.kluber.com

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service spotlight: drones

Drones

Ensuring the continual performance of renewable energy assets requires a systematic approach to maintenance, repair, and monitoring. In order to prepare a comprehensive maintenance plan, inspections must be performed to determine faults and failures, whether through sensing technology, photographic evidence, or human interface.

Advances in technology are rapidly changing the way the industry conducts this business. The evolution of drones and artificial intelligence technology have developed into increasingly accurate methods of inspecting equipment, analyzing, and reporting generated data to produce actionable planning for scheduled maintenance, effective budgeting, and reducing urgent repairs.

SEE AD ON PAGE 49

Aegean Energy Group Product: Maps to Megawatts Description: Aegean Energy Group provides services for renewable energy projects including development services, construction management, drone capture, and land services, while hosting customers’ projects on their software system, Maps to Megawatts.

Industries: Wind, solar, commercial, T&D Services: Inspection, maintenance, design, Drone-as-a-Service Pilot: FAA Part 107 exam Autonomous: Intelligent pathing Flight features: Hover capability

Safety features: Geofencing, GPS redundancy, collision-tolerant, emergency landing Software: 3D mapping, modeling, interactive Data analysis: Consultants, analysts, AI (predictive analytics), customer-led Key Features: •

Maps to Megawatts software system;

•

Renewable energy project development services;

•

Construction management;

•

Drone services;

•

Land support.

FlyGuys

Civ Robotics

Product: Nationwide Drone Collection

Product: CivDot

Description: FlyGuys is a nationwide drone services company that acquires aerial imaging data. Their comprehensive project management team, process, and national network of elite pilots help to ensure quality, accountability, and reliability on every job.

Description: Unmanned marking systems for construction of renewable energy projects that require thousands of markings every day.

Laying out pile coordinates with sub-inch accuracy is fast, reliable and efficient.

Industries: Wind, solar, commercial, residential, T&D, insurance, construction Services: Inspection, maintenance, marketing, Drone-as-a-Service, confined spaces, infrared, thermal imaging, beyond line of sight (BVOL) Pilot: FAA Part 107 exam www.flyguys.com

Industries: Wind, solar Services: Surveying, Drone-as-a-service, construction Pilot: Any pilot Autonomous: Intelligent pathing Length of operation/inspection time/ downtime: 5 hours operation, 5 minutes to swap out batteries and reboot system Flight features: Ground marking robot Safety features: GPS redundancy, collisiontolerant Software: Interactive, CivPlan mission planner www.civrobotics.com

www.aegeanenergygroup.com

Exo Group, LLC.

Clobotics Corporation

Nearthlab

DroneBase

Product: Structural Engineering and Inspection Services

Product: Clobotics Blade Inspection Service

Product: NearthwindPro (Drone Solution) and Zoomable (Data Platform)

Product: Dronebase Insights

Description: Exo performs structural assessments on vertical infrastructure ranging from steel T&D assets to composite pole and blade components. They use the latest UAS technology to capture inspection data that their asset experts can turn into actionable insight.

Industries: Wind, solar, T&D Services: Inspection, maintenance, Drone-asa-Service, infrared, thermal imaging, beyond line of sight (BVOL)) Pilot: FAA Part 107 exam

Description: Clobotics’ Blade Inspection Service is an end-to-end solution combining autonomous drones, artificial intelligence, cloud-based data analytics, and asset management for automated inspections of both onshore and offshore wind turbines.

Industries: Wind

Description: Nearthlab, under the vision of “AI for Industrial Drones,” is a solution provider for AI-powered inspection solutions on industrial facilities, with in-house development of autonomous drone platform and deep-learning detection algorithms.

Description: Dronebase’ mission planning software enables their clients to efficiently inspect vertical and horizontal infrastructure, ensuring precise and efficient data collection for accurate asset assessment. Wind turbine inspections happen in under 15 minutes, with high quality images.

Services: Inspection, Drone-as-a-Service

Industries: Wind, commercial

Industries: Wind, solar, AEC/EPC, buildings

Pilot: FAA Part 107 exam

Services: Inspection, maintenance, drone-asa-service

Services: Software-as-a-service (SaaS), Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS), mapping, marketing imagery and video, infrared thermal imaging

Autonomous: Intelligent pathing, blade aware, no predefined path

Pilot: FAA Part 107 exam Autonomous: Intelligent pathing, blade aware

Autonomous: Intelligent pathing

Image capture: Resolution up to 3 pixels per mm

Flight features: Hover capability

Inspection time: Under 25 minutes

Image capture: .03mm defect detection + 45 Mega Pixel

Safety features: Geofencing, GPS redundancy, collision-tolerant, emergency landing

Flight features: Hover capability

Length of operation: 30 minutes

Safety features: Geofencing, GPS redundancy, emergency landing

Flight features: Hover capability

Image Capture: RGB images, HD video, thermal imaging

Safety features: GPS redundancy, collisiontolerant, emergency landing

Length of operation: 15 minutes

Software: Interactive, cloud-based asset GIS portal Data analysis: Consultants, analysts www.exoinc.com

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Software: Modeling, LiDAR, interactive, AI algorithms

Software: Modeling, LiDAR

Data analysis: Analysts, AI (predictive analytics), Customer-led

Data analysis: Consultants, analysts, AI (predictive analytics), customer-led

www.clobotics.com

www.nearthlab.com

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Pilot: FAA Part 107 certified (UAV operators), FAA Part 61 or Part 141 certified (manned aircraft operators)

Flight features: Multi-rotor, vtol, fixed wing Software: Photogrammetry, CAD, thermography, GIS Data analysis: Human augmented AI www.dronebase.com

O&M AND SAFETY CONFERENCE 2021 August 25th-26th, 2021 Kalahari Resorts and Conventions Round Rock, TX

www.cleanpower.org

show in print

The ACP Operations & Maintenance and Safety Conference is where the industry connects to recognize unique challenges and identify solutions in health and safety, operations and maintenance, workforce training and development, and quality assurance. What leadership skills are needed to manage teams effectively?

How is technology being leveraged to maintain communications and reliability of projects? How has your behavioral safety culture been impacted by the pandemic?

Join top developers and experts at the ACP O&M and Safety Conference to address these important topics.

Features just some of the companies and technologies attendees will see at this year’s show.

High-availability automation solutions

Bachmann electronic delivers highavailability automation solutions for wind power plants throughout the world.

In Wind Power SCADA (WPS) they bundle their industry know-how with a future-safe, flexible SCADA solution that is designed in pure web technology.

Regardless of the OEM, operators can quickly obtain a comprehensive wind farm overview, down to the details of each individual wind turbine. WPS builds on the functions of the Bachmann controller software package, Wind Turbine Template (WTT), which includes the important structures, components, and functions of the wind farm control and provides them in the form of IEC 61400-25.

Thus development and commissioning times for the controller software (plant management program), as well as creation of the necessary visualization are considerably reduced.

Data collectors and continuous monitoring

Using voltage and current data from the base of most towers, EMPATH Electrical Signature Analysis identifies transformer, generator, including wye ring fractures, coupling, gearbox gears and bearings, main bearings, and blade misalignment electrical and mechanical defects. Available as both data collectors and continuous monitoring systems, EMPATH and ECMS-1 systems are simple to use and call out the defects including severity. Compliments other technologies such as vibration analysis or can be used stand-alone. The continuous monitoring database may be kept on user’s own servers for security. Defects, such as wye ring fractures, are detected up to a year in advance for effective planning.

MotorDoc, LLC

Versatile and durable torque tester

SmartCheck is a newly launched small sized, versatile, and easy-to-use torque tester suitable for any workshop and service vehicle. Its compact dimensions coupled with its rotatable display and the ability to mount it horizontally or vertically, provides versatility in any location. With a splash-proof display and keypad, it can be operated through power supply or battery. SmartCheck quickly provides information on whether or not a torque wrench is within the prescribed tolerances or if it requires adjustment. The integrated visual and audible overload protection mechanism and impact resistant plastic housing ensure the durability associated with STAHLWILLE products.

STAHLWILLE

Blade servicing tool

AcraDyne HT DC Angle Nutrunner is a tool for servicing blades on wind turbines. This unique tool configuration is a size that allows access to blade bolts that cannot be easily accessed by other continuous drive tools. The 360° swivel gearcase allows for precise placement of the tool reaction bar against reactive surfaces. The AcraDyne HT DC angle nutrunner can fasten blade bolts efficiently and accurately. In a field test where pitch-bearing bolts were tightened, the fastening speed increased by 500% when compared to hydraulic tools. The customer was able to tighten all 200 pitchbearing bolts in 1.25 hours.

AcraDyne

www.aimco-global.com

www.stahlwille-americas.com

www.empathcms.com

Bachmann Electronic www.bachmann.info

Bolting application solutions

From the foundation bolts to the blades, HYTORC has developed solutions for nearly every bolting application in the wind turbine industry. For custom projects, their experienced engineering team is available to custom design the most efficient solution, with simple operation and economical pricing in mind. HYTORC’s mission is to ensure customers’ jobs as safe and efficient as possible. All of their products are covered by a worldwide, one-year, no-questionsasked warranty, which includes free parts and labor. With authorized repair facilities located globally, fast and professional service is always available.

HYTORC

Fall arrest cable sleeve

The SKYLOTEC CLAW Vertical Fall Arrest Cable Sleeve is designed to fit a wide variety of wire ropes and travel along the vertical system while providing fall arrest when needed. Engineered to fit 3/8 and 5/16-inch wire rope, this high quality, lightweight stainless-steel device travels smoothly up and down the vertical system without hanging up. The redundant safety features reduce the risk of improper installation and unsafe situations. The CLAW is independently tested to meet ANSI ANSI/ASSP Z-359.16, ANSI/ASSP A14.3, OSHA, and CSA Z259.2.5-17 requirements.

SKYLOTEC

Wind tower bolts and studs

Cooper Turner Beck is a global manufacturer and distributor of fasteners for safety critical applications, and their American operations ensures they service all aspects of the wind turbine market both onshore and offshore.

Their distribution facility in Denver, CO supplies Cooper & Turner products such as tower bolts and studs, blade to hub studs, nacelle bolts and studs, and M72 Transition Piece bolts and studs. At their Pueblo, CO. facility, they manufacture and supply foundation bolts.

Cooper Turner Beck

Large particle analysis

Fluid Life’s Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) Analysis can provide a clear picture of contamination and wear by determining the size and composition of hundreds of particles per sample in lubricating oil, grease, filters, and process materials. SEM-EDS Analysis offered

by Fluid Life is an effective method of wear debris monitoring to help prevent equipment failures, minimize downtime, and reduce costs.

Fluid Life

www.fluidlife.com

www.cooperturnerbeck.com

www.skylotec.com

www.hytorc.com

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energy storage

Why Refrigerated Warehouses Need Long-Duration Thermal Energy Storage

by Damon Vance

Managing the ever-increasing demand on our aging electrical grid is becoming more complex with the added imperative of reducing emissions. The Biden Administration’s bold $36 billion decarbonization plan includes goals to improve the power grid’s infrastructure to help grid operators around the U.S. address these twin challenges.

To tackle climate change holistically and understand how to effectively improve the grid, the building industry – which accounts for about 76 percent of electricity use and 40 percent of all U. S. primary energy use and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – must be examined for improvement opportunities. One sector that tends to be overlooked is refrigerated commercial and industrial (C&I) warehouses. The many thousands of cold storage warehouses throughout the cold chain have the highest energy demand per cubic foot, and are the third-highest-consuming category due to their temperature requirements and associated refrigeration needs. With the proper energy technologies, these facilities can deliver dramatic performance improvements to the grid, while reducing GHG emissions and costs for both grid operators and facility owners.

Through investments in Distributed Energy Resources like renewables, energy storage, and efficiency technologies, the U.S. can generate and store cleaner electricity where and when it’s needed, while helping the grid manage demand. Longduration energy storage solutions, in particular, are in greater demand and expected to play a significant and growing role in the global energy transition.

Shedding Light on the C&I Industry

The U.S. cold storage sector is set to grow at a compound annual rate of 4.5 percent by 2023, as the necessity for additional cold storage space becomes more pronounced. The cold chain spends over $40 billion on electricity annually – refrigeration energy can account for up to 70 percent of its total electric costs. In addition, the average age of U.S.-based warehouses is 35 years, making them prime properties for technology and energy improvements.

These warehouses store temperature-controlled foods as they move through the cold chain to grocery retailers, convenience stores, and restaurants. In order to maintain food quality and shelf life as goods travel along the cold chain to our plates, these low-temperature facilities must maintain extremely low and stable temperatures that typically range from -20 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintaining such temperatures during each leg of that journey requires refrigeration equipment to run nearly 24/7, resulting in high energy demand around the clock. This high level of demand puts extreme strain on the power grid every day, especially during peak periods.

A Clear, Sustainable Solution

To reduce energy use and achieve a cleaner energy future, it is critical that C&I refrigerated warehouses integrate digital and energy storage technologies. Long-duration Thermal Energy

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Storage (TES) technology is a utilitytested, proven, and incentivized option to help these facilities cut costs and GHG emissions, while also reducing strain on the grid with many forms of demand flexibility.

TES technology sits behind the meter, uses the client’s existing refrigeration equipment, has no mechanical components, and leverages the heat transference properties of phase change material through intelligent controls to reduce energy consumption and manage demand, while better maintaining stable freezer temperatures. This happens because the TES systems allow energyintensive refrigeration equipment to be staged down for long periods of time to provide added flexibility and capacity to the grid. For example, refrigeration systems can be cycled down during peak demand hours or at times when renewable energy sources go offline, discharging cooling energy for up to 13 hours.

Another benefit of implementing TES into C&I refrigerated facilities is that these systems leverage advanced digital technology that makes real-time decisions to best optimize temperatures and energy use, delivers 24/7 monitoring of temperatures, equipment, and energy use, and sends notifications of irregular equipment or temperature status. This level of visibility and control is critical for warehouses looking to modernize, and can help pinpoint additional areas of potential improvement. It also provides facilities with the assurance that optimal temperatures are being kept, while cooling demand is minimized at times when it can be most beneficial to the grid and the environment.

TES technology improves refrigeration efficiency by an average of 25 percent, and reduces energy costs up to 50 percent in some cases. It provides extended load shedding, peak-demand reduction, demand response capability, and other critical demand management needs.

Companies taking advantage of this technology have avoided more than 23 million kWh and 17,000 MT of GHG emissions. If the entire refrigerated C&I sector implemented thermal energy storage, it would be an impactful leap towards a more carbon neutral cold chain.

A Step Forward for the Energy Transition

One of the most critical steps toward achieving a successful global energy transformation is identifying the most energy-intensive sectors and prioritizing cleaner, more energy-efficient technology to help solve the power grid puzzle. As U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said, “The U.S. needs to deploy massive amounts of renewable energy capacity in the next four years.”

With renewables comes a greater need for energy storage, and TES pairs perfectly with onsite or grid-scale renewables. It provides utilities with safe

access and visibility to the cold storage industry, as well as a way to mitigate its enormous demand for grid capacity. This newly added flexibility can help utilities delay or avoid costly infrastructure projects and provides a path to engagement with C&I customers.

To achieve the Biden Administration's goal of 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2035 in the U.S., TES will need to play a role to help facilitate the energy transition and position the power grid for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

The cold storage industry is growing rapidly; it’s time to bring attention to how sustainable technologies specific to this segment can play a role in reducing its energy footprint.

Damon Vance is the Director of Marketing for Viking Cold Solutions, a thermal energy storage and energy optimization provider for the refrigerated cold storage and food industries.

Viking Cold Solutions /// www.vikingcold.com

Grid emulation experts Ahead of the grid and before your deadlines, we enable you to commission renewable energy projects.

Mitigate construction and contractual risk Commissioning services for wind and solar projects Cost saving fuel efficiency programs Simulating grid conditions Readiness testing Fluctuation testing in real-time Capitalize on tax incentives Custom engineered systems

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19/02/2020 North American Clean Energy

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15:53

energy storage

Making Microgrids Even Greener

by John Jeter

AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE TOWARDS

more sustainable sources of energy (to power homes, commercial sites, industrial campuses, and remote locales), microgrids are gaining traction. Of special note are the recent weather-related disasters that have knocked out the power grid for days, prompting utilities to seriously look at how microgrids might be used to provide backup power to homes and emergency services. The recent weather catastrophe in Texas is a good example of how distributed power systems could be used to enhance overall reliability. In a recent news announcement, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the utility provider in Northern California, stated that it is defining microgrid proposals. These proposals are designed to reduce the number of customers affected by Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events and mitigate the impacts to those who remain affected. A PSPS may be used whenever severe weather threatens a portion of the electric system and PG&E determines it is necessary to turn off electricity - to reduce the risk of a catastrophic wildfire.

Nearly 20 GW of capacity is now managed on microgrids. While major utilities account for 40 percent of new capacity, remote microgrids contribute a massive 34 percent.

Microgrids provide a variety of important benefits, including cost reduction and a smaller environmental footprint, while facilitating the use of renewable energy resources like wind and solar. However, the majority of microgrids use internal combustion engines, like diesel generators, to supplement the renewable sources during times of limited sun exposure or wind generation and to handle peak load situations. Combustion engines burn diesel fuel to produce power and are kept running as “spinning reserves” to the renewable plant.

This increases fuel consumption cost and generates greenhouse gases – the very thing we’re trying to mitigate. This is why energy storage is vital for the successful integration of renewable sources.

While lithium-ion batteries are replacing lead-acid batteries, their thermal runaway issues and fire risks are not optimum. Due to their advantages in microgrid support, flywheels are gaining a larger share of the energy storage market.

Flywheel Benefits: • • • •

High reliability and availability Fast and simple installation and commissioning (can be done by operator) Modular designs allow increased storage capacity as needs grow Can be programmed for energy storage, payback, voltage sags, or to perform as a substation

How flywheels work

NEW

PLC+C 180FT

A flywheel system operates like a dynamic battery that stores energy kinetically by spinning a mass around an axis (Figure 2). Electrical input spins the flywheel rotor up to speed, and a standby charge keeps it constantly spinning until it is called upon to release the stored energy. The amount of energy available and its duration is proportional to its mass and

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Size Your Next Energy Storage Application with LEOCH® Batteries: www.LeochBatterySizer.com LEOCH® BATTERY CORPORATION 19751 Descartes, Foothill Ranch, CA 92610 +1.949.588.5853 www.leoch.us

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Figure 3: Flywheel microgrid configuration

the square of its revolution speed. For flywheels, doubling mass doubles energy capacity, but doubling rotational speed quadruples energy capacity.

Modern flywheel systems store kinetic energy in the form of a rotating mass; they are designed for high power, short discharge applications. A high-speed motor generator and active magnetic bearings are used to levitate and sustain the rotor during operation. A control and monitoring system can provide real-time information on system performance. These innovative technologies enable the flywheel systems to charge and discharge at very high rates for countless cycles, making conventional technologies like batteries obsolete.

When compared to chemical batteries, flywheels offer: • Fast Response – they can promptly store huge bursts of energy; • Efficiency – charges/discharges are made with very small losses; used as an electrical storage system, a flywheel can have efficiencies over 97 percent; • Maintenance – flywheels are not temperature sensitive, nor do they pose the chemical recycling/maintenance issues of conventional batteries; • Lifespan – flywheels have a typical lifespan of about 20 years, while a lead-acid battery needs to be replaced every three to seven years (even sooner for high cycle applications); • Flywheels are capable of millions of full charge and discharge cycles over the life of the system with no degradation in voltage, power, or storage – unlike batteries. Flywheel technology has no emissions and is considered the only green technology of the storage technologies.

Based on the specific application requirements, high-performance flywheel energy recycling systems provide backup power as well as power conditioning. The flywheel will absorb fluctuations in microgrid power (Figure 3) and protect sensitive electronics and appliances from premature failure due to poor power quality. Moreover, working in conjunction with generators, these energy storage systems can be configured to accommodate sudden peak demands.

This allows operators to minimize the use of diesel gensets, either running fewer systems or running existing systems for less time. The result not only saves money and the environment, but can also enhance reliability.

Residential and commercial battery

Fortress Power’s new Lithium Iron Phosphate battery, the eVault Max 18.5, packs the essential features of the eVault battery into a robust and intelligent design. The eVault Max is a large single battery, which provides a variable output up to 370kWh making it a solution for both residential and commercial applications. The Battery Management System (BMS) has been improved to scale up to 20 units and provide closed-loop communication with approved inverters. Fortress Power engineers optimized the internal structure of the eVault Max battery to make installation and service simple, and intuitive for installers. The eVault Max comes with a standard 10-year warranty with 6000 life cycles (up to 16 years of life).

Fortress Power /// www.fortresspower.com

John Jeter is the Director of Sales for VYCON, a manufacturer of technologically advanced flywheel energy storage systems for a variety of applications.

VYCON, Inc. /// vyconenergy.com

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energy storage

Comparable Power

by Brandon Schuler

The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) expect utility-scale solar capacity to double over the next couple of years. As solar energy becomes more widely used, owners are looking for affordable energy storage technologies. Utility-scale battery storage systems hold promise to enable greater penetration of variable renewable energy into the grid by storing the excess generation and by firming the renewable energy output. Compared to other technologies, batteries provide a relatively inexpensive energy storage system that offers modularization, rapid and long-term response, flexible installation, and short construction cycles.

Utility-Scale- Solar-Plus-Storage Battery Technology Lithium-ion batteries The most prevalent type of utility-scale solar-plus-storage technology is Lithium-ion batteries. The two types used most commonly are Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMRNMC) and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4). Lithium-Manganese-Cobalt-Oxide batteries currently dominate the utility-scale storage market, but Lithium-IronPhosphate batteries are on the rise.

Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries are named after the organic compound used as the cathode material, along with a graphitic Carbon electrode with a metallic backing as the anode. These offer a cost-effective solution for storage durations between 30 minutes and 4 hours, flexibility in design, range of voltages, power ratings, and energy requirements. Drawbacks include smaller cell voltage levels and more cells per system, resulting in more advanced string monitoring. Also, due to a shorter life span, they require frequent replacement.

Vanadium Redox (VRB) batteries Vanadium Redox batteries are relatively new to the solar segment. They employ Vanadium ions in different oxidation states to store chemical potential energy. The VRB battery exploits the ability of Vanadium to exist in a solution in four different oxidation states, using this property to make a battery that has just one electroactive element instead of two.

While VRB technology has lots of advantages – they provide longer-term storage, deliver power up to 15 hours, offer greater flexibility and applicability, and can be recharged many times – these storage systems do not scale well; for expansions, a new system may need to be installed.

Zinc-Hybrid batteries Zink-Hybrid batteries are a promising technology for utility-scale storage systems. In these batteries, a porous anode is formed by a mass of Zinc particles and then saturated with an electrolyte during discharge. Hydroxyl ions formed at the cathode by an Oxygen reaction move into the Zinc paste to create Zincate, releasing electrons that travel to the cathode.

They offer up to four-to-six hours discharge with flexibility to go to a higher power, as well as longer run-times and greater fire safety than other technologies.

Lead Acid Valve Regulated VRLA & Vented Lead Acid VLA Batteries Lead Acid batteries offer a dependable and inexpensive solution, provide greater flexibility, and meet longer power demands than other technologies. Both VRLA and VLA batteries utilize a grid-like structure suspended in an acidic electrolyte solution.

VRLA batteries are sealed and include Absorbed Glass Matt and jellified electrolyte.

While referred to as sealed, they do have a pressure relief valve for safety. They can be mounted in any orientation and require less maintenance than VLA batteries.

VRL batteries include lead-alloy substrates bathed in a reactive electrolyte solution. A vent allows the escape of evaporating electrolytes, which is a by-product of the reaction between Hydrogen and Oxygen. Consequently, they require regular replenishing of the suspension fluid and routine maintenance.

Nickel-Cadmium or -Iron Batteries Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries stand up to extreme temperatures and deep discharge situations. Nichole Iron batteries (NiFE) are specifically considered for use in warmer climates, where low temperatures are not a problem and high discharge rates are rare due to regular charging by photovoltaic modules.

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Ni-based battery cells usually consist of a Nickel Oxyhydroxide cathode, a separator between the electrodes, and an alkaline electrolyte (usually Potassium Hydroxide), whereas the anode consists of different minerals depending on the Nickel-based battery cell type.

NiFE batteries are robust, tolerant of abuse, have a wide operating temperature range, good charge properties, low maintenance requirements, and a long life even if under-maintained. However, they contain a toxic heavy metal element known for the "memory effect", low specific energy, poor charge retention, and high manufacturing cost.

Sodium-Sulfur Batteries Sodium-sulfur batteries are a type of molten-salt battery constructed from liquid sodium and sulfur, composed of molten Sodium anodes, molten Sulfur cathodes, and Sodium+-conducting ceramic electrolytes.

Sodium-Sulfur batteries have a high energy density, high efficiency of charge/discharge, and long cycle life, and are fabricated from inexpensive materials, offering a cost-efficient option. A known drawback is that the connections within the sealed battery module can corrode. Issues usually require battery module replacement.

Nickel-Based Battery Maintenance

Nickel-base battery maintenance is similar to lead-acid battery maintenance, but it can operate in a much wider temperature range.

Energy Storage Future

The variety of battery storage technologies available today can make it challenging to choose what makes the most sense for your needs.

Understanding different system designs requires an advanced level of expertise.

Consulting with companies that specialize in DC and AC power energy storage engineering and maintenance is critical to ensure your solar-plus-storage system meets the short- and long-term goals for your organization.

Brandon Schuler is Manager Industrial DC & Battery Operations for Electrical Reliability Services, an electrical engineering and testing company providing comprehensive testing, maintenance, and engineering services to a variety of industries including utilities, data centers, renewable energy, commercial and industrial industries.

Electrical Reliability Services /// ers.vertiv.com

Battery Maintenance

While battery type and configuration vary by project, they all must comply with NERC, IEEE, and NFPA 70E maintenance standards. Replacement and recycling are also critical components of battery storage system management plans.

Lithium-Ion, Zinc Hybrid, and Sodium-Sulfur Battery Maintenance Each of these battery technologies includes battery management systems (BMS) that monitor cells for temperature, state of charge, and cycle life. If there are unsafe conditions, the BMS can shut the system down, run tests, and report issues. No annual maintenance is needed, but ongoing review of detailed reports is required to identify issues and plan for their resolution.

Maintenance is required when cells degrade. For Lithium batteries, it is common practice to replace the battery module or add a new rack while leaving the degrading batteries in service.

Because Lithium cells can experience thermal runaway, the BMS and a thermal management system are critical in monitoring battery cell health.

Vanadium Redox (VRB) Batteries Maintenance VRB batteries are non-flammable but have high toxicity due to the Oxide of Vanadium.

Minimally they need annual maintenance, including routine inspection, air filter replacement, refill of electrolyte fluids, and yearly capacity testing.

In principle, all components of the Vanadium Redox battery could be replaced many times. But in many cases, this would not be economically sensible, and replacement is the better option.

Lead Acid Battery Maintenance

For VLA and VRLA batteries, regular inspections are required. The measurements to be taken at each interval are specified in the standards. Gathering data on a more regular basis supports the ability to trend battery performance, which can help in predicting failure and extending battery service life.

The chemical nature of Lead-acid batteries means they will self-discharge over time even if not in use, so they will need a minimum recharge in order to maintain their functionality.

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energy storage

Revolutionizing electric school buses

BYD (“Build Your Dreams”) has introduced a lithium iron phosphate battery-electric Type D school bus with safety features and performance, wrapped in a sleek design that will have students wanting to step onboard. With length options of 35ft, 38ft, and 40ft, BYD’s Type D battery-electric school bus seats up to 84 and can be equipped with an ADA liftgate. The bus has a range of up to 155 miles on a single charge. BYD’s smart technology allows the school buses to be charged overnight when energy demand is low, and clean, emission free energy can be fed back into the classroom during school hours when the bus is parked, keeping classrooms well-lit and students and teachers plugged-in. Type D’s safety features include electronic stability control to aid handling, a collision avoidance system, and a 360° monitoring system to detect pedestrians and cyclists when the bus is operating at slow speeds. BYD adds an additional layer of protection for children as they exit the bus with its Predictive Stop Arm, which monitors approaching traffic and notifies students when it may not be safe to cross. BYD buses can be equipped with IMMI’S Safeguard 3-point lap-shoulder belts, integrated child seats, and portable restraints. These school bus seats are not only designed to keep children safe, but they have the benefits of improving behavior, reducing bullying, and minimizing driver distraction. The driver’s area features comfort seats, an 18" power steering wheel and telescopic steering column, high level of visibility, and easy to reach control switches. The driver can also control the air conditioning over the cockpit in addition to controlling the system for passengers.

BYD /// en.byd.com

Three-in-one charging solution

Delta-Q Technologies’ (Delta-Q) XV3300 combines a highperformance 3.3kW charger, a 500W DC-DC converter, and an EV charging station interface in a highly compact package. The 3.3kW charger will be available in 58.8V, 65V, and 120V models and is scalable, allowing OEMs to stack chargers for power levels up to 20kW. The XV3300 delivers a precise charge of battery packs of various chemistries and voltages to maximize battery life and optimize charge time. The XV3300 battery charger is compact, rugged, and IP67rated. It is tested for automotive-grade shock and vibration, and its fully sealed aluminum die-cast enclosure protects the charger from dust, liquids, and the effects of immersion in up to 3ft of water. The charger is available as an on-board and off-board charger to provide OEMs with additional flexibility. The XV3300 is a low voltage charger that optimally charges all battery chemistries and nominal voltages between 48V to 120V. The 3.3kW charger is also protected against short circuit, over-voltage, and over-temperature to ensure safe operation.

The integrated 500W DC-DC converter provides auxiliary power to operate vehicle accessories such as air-conditioners, controllers, lights, turn signals, navigation, and communication devices. It also eliminates the need for an external DC-DC converter, saving OEMs and equipment operators space and cost. The XV3300 complies with SAE J1772 (levels 1 and 2) and IEC 61851 (modes 2 and 3) to charge from standard EVSE AC charging stations across North America and Europe. This feature provides flexibility and more charging options to end-users and more flexibility to the vehicle. The charger uses Controller Area Network (CAN-bus) communications. It carries a comprehensive set of global regulatory approvals, including touchsafe requirements for the European EV market and global regulations to ensure safe and optimal user experiences.

Delta-Q Technologies /// www.delta-q.com

Flexible high-power charger

JOLT Energy’s MerlinOne is a mobile and flexible charging station. Its highpower technology enables fast charging and due to its integrated battery, cities now have the ability to establish a high-power charging infrastructure, without the typical construction work.

The charging capacity of the MerlinOne station, developed in cooperation with ADS-TEC in Germany, enables drivers to top-up their average weekly driving distance in just 10 to 15 minutes. The flexibility of MerlinOne derives primarily from its ability to be connected to the electricity grid in three 3 different ways, taking account of local grid conditions.

Its island mode is particularly flexible.

High-power charging stations can be placed exactly where they are needed, without any concern for the quality of the existing electrical infrastructure. Typical locations include inner city streets, supermarkets, gas stations, restaurants, or even churches and schools. A grid connection is not necessary, because MerlinOne’s integrated 200kWh battery storage provides the power. When the battery is almost empty, the complete MerlinOne charging station is exchanged for a fully charged unit. MerlinOne has two additional operating modes both of which involve a grid connection. When connected to the low voltage grid, the integrated battery storage operates as the basis for fast charging. It is continuously charged via the power grid and releases the electricity as needed in a very short time. This not only enables high-power charging at low voltage, but also avoids costly network expansion, for example on city streets or at gas stations. The third option is to connect the MerlinOne to the medium voltage grid, allowing the charger to operate continuously at highpower, while at the same time providing charger-to-grid (C2G) services.

JOLT Energy /// www.jolt.energy

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JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

2021 ENERGY EFFICIENCY

BUYERS GUIDE

Image provided by:

CONSERTEK, USA /// www.consertek.com

DIRECTORY B2B EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE

ENCLOSURES

LIFTING SLINGS

SOLAR CLEANING

BALANCE-OF-SYSTEMS

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

LIGHTING

BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

ENERGY MONITORING

LUBRICANTS

SOLAR INSTALLATION & CONSTRUCTION

BATTERY RECYCLING

ENERGY STORAGE EV CHARGING

MANUFACTURERS | INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT

BIPV BLADE | TOWER COATINGS COMPONENTS CONDITION MONITORING

FANS & VENTILATORS FASTENERS FLOATING SOLAR PLATFORM

MODULES OFF-GRID SOLAR PERFORMANCE MONITORING PERFORMANCE TESTING

CONSULTING SERVICES

GENERATORS | GENERATOR COMPONENTS

ELECTRICAL

GROUND COVERING

SIGNAGE

ELECTRICAL WIRE, CABLE, & CONNECTORS

HEAT DISSIPATION

SITE ASSESSMENT & FORECASTING

ELECTROLYSERS

INVERTERS

INTEGRATOR | EPC

RADIANT HEATING

SOFTWARE

SOLAR PLUS STORAGE SOLAR THERMAL MANUFACTURING & EQUIPMENT TESTING EQUIPMENT TOOLS TRACKING SYSTEMS TRAINING TRANSFORMERS TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS VALVES WIND MEASUREMENT YAW & PITCH GEAR DRIVES North American Clean Energy

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2021 energy efficiency buyers guide B2B Equipment Exchange

Components Nuvation Energy

EnergyBin EnergyBin is a B2B exchange that brings together PV professionals who provide solutions for repair, resale, and recycling. EnergyBin members are committed to accelerating a robust and sustainable secondary market via equipment trade, networking, and education. The EnergyBin community consists of members across the solar supply chain.

Nuvation’s high-voltage BMS provides all the battery management system modules needed to manage one battery stack, up to 1200Vdc. The system is customizable for any battery chemistry and module configuration. www.nuvationenergy.com

Battery Recycling

www.energybin.com

Balance-of-Systems

Battery Solutions Battery Solutions has been working in battery recycling sustainability and end-to-end solutions for nearly 30 years. Since 1992, they have committed to conserving natural resources from spent batteries and consumer electronics, diverting them from landfills through scalable programs.

Handling all battery chemistries, sizes, and formats, Battery Solutions supports fully traceable end-of-life management services and products. www.batterysolutions.com

BIPV Morningstar TriStar MPPT Solar Controller is an advanced maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller for larger off-grid PV energy systems up to 3kWp. A solution for solar installations around the globe and a choice for designers of systems where failure isn't an option. High peak efficiency for off-grid controllers: 99% (TS 150 model).

Advanced thermal engineering eliminates cooling fans, unique in this power range.

30A, 45A, and 60A versions up to 150Voc. PWM versions also available. www.morningstarcorp.com

Battery Management Systems

Aplus Energy Co., Ltd. Aplus PowerRoof comprises lightweight corrugated metal solar panels that provide roof strength and can easily be installed on existing farm buildings, solar carports for electric vehicle charging, new commercial warehouses, and homes. This corrugated metal solar panel has been tested and certified for residential and commercial use. Advantages include low transportation costs, reduction in installation labor, fast installation time with fewer parts to install. www.apluspvt.com

Blade/Tower Coatings

EnerSys The Genesis G200EP battery, the largest amp-hour battery in the Genesis EP line, is a high-performance 12V battery that features Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) technology, making it suitable for grid-tied solar power applications. It offers a nominal capacity of 200 amp hours; fast, efficient recharge; and high cycle performance.

The Genesis G200EP battery also has a two-year shelf life, excels in high-temperature and high-vibration environments, and is flame retardant per UL94VO. www.enersys.com

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Duromar, Inc. Duromar is a manufacturer of high performance polymeric coatings for wind energy. Their product line includes a durable, easy to apply, leading edge protection system, an innovative "Icephobic" coating to prevent accumulation of ice on turbine blades, as well as a full line of blade repair products. Their tower and blade coatings provide more than 20 years of protection even for challenging offshore and coastal turbines. www.duromar.com

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Littelfuse B&J-USA, Inc. B&J-USA [Benedict] DC Solar Disconnect Switches provide safe and reliable switching for photovoltaic systems. Offered in NEMA 4X and IP66 enclosures, LS series switches provide for an efficient and long-lasting PV system. Additional features include knife-action and arc extinguishing technology, and a double-lock operator. Available in a variety of switching programs to accommodate one or multiple PV strings and up to 85As. UL listed and CE approved.

The Littelfuse SPXV series 1500Vdc solar string fuse protects photovoltaic installations from overloads and short circuits to minimize damage to solar panels. They offer up to 60A protection for increased flexibility. The full range, fast-acting fuse eliminates low-overload faults. The SPXV fuse fits into the LFXV15 series fuse block and dead-front cover that offers a ventilated design to keep fuse running cooler, even at high ambient temperatures and current ratings, to increase fuse longevity. www.littelfuse.com

www.bnj-usa.com

Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. designs and produces sealing, connecting, conducting, and EMI shielding solutions that improve the performance and reliability of equipment used in wind, solar power, and other alternative energy production.

Their solutions enable engineers to prolong service life, reduce maintenance, protect precision components, design more compact, efficient electrical connectors, and ensure consistent current/signal transmission. Their consultative engineering services streamline the design process, improving speed to market. Their products include the Bal Seal spring-energized seal, the Bal Spring canted coil spring, and the Bal Contact electrical contact. www.balseal.com

Fusetek FUSETEK is an independently-owned supplier of CSA-approved circuit protection and control devices. They have been providing products to the Canadian electrical market for the last 35 years. Their solar line includes a wide range of products from trusted brands like SIBA and Littelfuse fuses, IMO drives and controls, and Vynckier fiberglass enclosures to name a few.

They carry a substantial inventory to provide fast, reliable delivery for their solar customers. www.fusetek.com

meteocontrol North America The meteocontrol blue'Log XM data logger is a core monitoring component needed to record and control all data from PV systems. Supports major open source monitoring platforms and inverter models, logs data from up to 100 devices, secures device access, power control, real-time values and charts, FTP push features, and API inverter alarm schedule and/or filtering. www.bluelog.meteocontrol.com

POSITAL Americas POSITAL's Modbus RTU encoders and inclinometers are designed with a wide range of mechanical configurations. Customers can select housing material, style, and level of environmental protection. These motion control devices are cost efficient and reliable. These devices can be installed in the solar tracking system of photovoltaic elements, heliostats, or parabolic trough systems in single or dual axis systems and precisely position the drive of the panels or reflectors. www.posital.com

Condition Monitoring

Electrical

Samson Roll Formed Products Co. Samson Roll Formed Products specializes in the manufacture of parabolic shaped channels.

These highly reflective, thin-walled, roll formed parts are the main component of solar parabolic collectors, which are used for solar heating and cooling projects. Advantages of this technology include: non-imaging optics concentrate light more intensively than traditional optics, the collector requires no moving parts, pollution created by greenhouse gas emissions, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and others are decreased, and the roll forming process used to produce the parabolic shaped channel takes place at room temperature so it’s an energy-saving and environmentally-friendly process. www.samsonrollform.com

Schaltbau North America Schaltbau develops and manufactures electromechanical components and driver’s desks for railways and industry. Since 1929, they have been responsible for the safe operation of rail services, and today they protect systems in industrial applications for renewable energy, e-mobility, and automation. They follow strict safety standards for their customers, and create safe solutions for their applications.

Fluid Life

Woehner LLC Woehner has received a UL listing of its 22x58 fuse holder to the UL4248-18 standard at 80A, 1500Vdc. This fuse holder satisfies the growing trend for parallel strings being fused at higher current ratings in 1500V systems. The AMBUS Panel is IP20 touch-safe and provides a safe, tool-free fuse insertion and extraction, for easy fuse installation and replacement. This fuse holder uses an advanced grade plastic material in the fuse carrier to satisfy the higher operating temperatures associated with PV fuses. Made in the USA.

Large particle analysis is a critical element of an effective oil analysis program. If results from ICP/AE spectrometers aren’t enough to identify the cause of a wear or contamination issue, SEM-EDS Analysis from Fluid Life can help. SEM-EDS Analysis determines the size and composition of hundreds of particles per sample in lubricating oil, grease, filters, and process materials. Routine SEM-EDS Analysis by Fluid Life can help prevent equipment failures, minimize downtime, and reduce costs. www.fluidlife.com

Consulting Services

www.woehner.com

MotorDoc, LLC EMPATH and ECMS-1 data collectors and continuous monitoring electrical/current signature analysis for motors, generators, transformers, and powertrain including energy loss across each electrical or mechanical defect and time to failure estimation (TTFE). MotorDoc provides support for technology, service providers, or direct site services. They can see transformers, inverters, generators, and complete powertrains from their location in 48 seconds. www.empathcms.com

Electrical Wire, Cable, & Connectors

www.schaltbau.com

MotorDoc, LLC

Woehner LLC

SIBA Fuses, LLC Battery Energy Storage System (ESS) applications have demanding fuse requirements for the protection of devices downstream. The fault conditions to the converter’s DC input side have very high short circuit current capability and very low inductance of the fault loop, yielding low L/R time constants (3ms or less). Very large currents are obtained very quickly.

Devices requiring protection have peak withstand current capabilities that fuses must limit, while coordinating with battery fuses. Careful system analysis is required to provide proper fusing. SIBA’s ESS fuses have been 100% specifically designed and tested for the stringent requirements of (ESS) Energy Storage System applications and have been utilized by large OEM’s globally.

SECUR Panel is for North American solar combiner box and inverter manufacturers who build to the UL1741 standard. The product offers a UL4248-18 listing at 1500Vdc for 10x85 and 14x85 fuses as large as 30A. The 10/14x85 fuse holder is suitable for use with both 1500Vdc rated UL2579 listed PV fuses or IEC60269-2 certified PV fuses. The SECUR Panel is IP20 touch-safe and provides a safe, tool-free fuse insertion and extraction, for easy fuse installation and replacement. This fuse holder uses an advanced grade plastic material in the fuse carrier to satisfy the higher operating temperatures associated with PV fuses.

EMPATH and ECMS-1 data collectors and continuous monitoring electrical/current signature analysis for motors, generators, transformers, and powertrain including energy loss across each electrical or mechanical defect and time to failure estimation (TTFE). MotorDoc provides support for technology, service providers, or direct site services. They can see transformers, inverters, generators, and complete powertrains from their location in 48 seconds. www.empathcms.com

Luvata Luvata manufactures components and connectors specifically designed for each application.

Products include EV main drive connectors, battery connectors, terminal connectors, fuse and cell module connectors, charging infrastructure connectors, crimp style solid copper connectors, slotted connectors, and pins. From small voltage to high amperage industrial applications, Luvata puts its metallurgical, cold-forming, and machining expertise into every connector. www.luvata.com/connectors

www.woehner.com

www.siballc.net

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2021 energy efficiency buyers guide Energy Management

Energy Storage

FUERGY

Shoals Technologies Group Shoals delivers electrical balance of system (EBOS) components for solar, energy storage, and EV charging. Their Big Lead Assembly (BLA) is a custom factory-built plug-andplay wiring harness system. It eliminates combiner boxes and requires far less materials and O&M labor. Installation does not require licensed electricians, can be done by anyone. BLA supports safe, reliable, and cost-effective EBOS installation.

FUERGY is a technology company providing solutions for energy optimization. For this purpose, it has developed its own modular battery system and software platform powered by artificial intelligence, which meets the special needs of energy management. From energy storage to dispatch systems and automated energy trading, FUERGY offers complex, cost-effective, tailor-made solutions enabling to accelerate the transition to energy decentralization with a high share of renewables. www.fuergy.com

www.shoals.com

Aggreko Aggreko’s fully integrated, plug-and-play battery storage solutions ensure maximum system effectiveness and efficiency. They have been optimized across every component to deliver system performance, minimize operating costs, and shrink a carbon footprint. Aggreko offers solutions to power a microgrid, add reliability to a hybrid system, and to optimize business cases through smart energy management. The Y.Cube is a ready-to-install energy storage system. www.aggreko.com

Electrolysers Satic Solar

Nel Hydrogen Nel Hydrogen manufacturers Alkaline and Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolysers, producing 0.27 to 5,000Nm3 of H2 per hour. Units can be grouped together for larger production rates. Electrolysers are used to store excess electricity in the H2 bond. The H2 can be sold to industry, or run through a turbine or fuel cell to put the stored energy onto the grid during periods of low generation or peak demand. PEM electrolysers are also used to balance renewable power put onto the grid.

Satic Solar has been providing dirty electricity filters and energy management systems for 15 years, with over 85,000 installed. Delivering significant amp reduction to energy hogs while filtering out all forms of dirty electricity, harmonics, distortion (THD), and interference (EMI) while protecting home and family from the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF). Every Power Perfect is manufactured in the USA with a 10-year warranty and guaranteed performance. www.saticusa.com

Energy Monitoring

www.nelhydrogen.com

Bioenno Power Based in Santa Ana, California, Bioenno Power offers lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries for various solar and industrial applications. The company's "BLF-" series offers a 10-year service life, 1/4 the weight of SLA batteries, and built in circuitry that balances/equalizes cells, protects against overcharging, overdischarge, overcurrent, and overvoltage. www.bioennopower.com

Enclosures

BlueSolutions P4Q Electronics Created to support more than 10GW Suntrack Controllers deployed in more than 33 countries, Suntrack Services offers customers an extensive portfolio of support services and real-time PV solar site monitoring. P4Q Electronics utilizes a multicloud structure providing a user-friendly, cost-effective, and adaptable solution, providing reliability and uptime.

Trachte Trachte provides engineering and manufacturing of control houses and E-houses for the substation and renewable markets. Utility providers, OEMs, and EPC firms choose to partner with Trachte for their project execution, problemsolving abilities, product performance, and quality. Trachte pre-assembled, modular steel buildings and integrated packages provide protection, energy efficiency, quality, and convenience for highly technical customers and applications. www.trachteusa.com

www.suntrack.p4q.com

www.blue-storage.com

Phoenix Contact USA Facility managers and distributed energy resource installations now have real-time, remote access to energy data with Phoenix Contact EMpro. This energy meter offers simple configuration and operation, with no special skills needed to install or use. The EMpro tracks energy parameters such as voltage, current, and power at the device or system level. Data can be communicated locally or transmitted to cloud-based services, creating a streamlined IoT-based energy-monitoring solution. www.phoenixcontact.com/us

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BlueSolutions’ globally deployed solid-state Lithium Metal Polymer(LMP) energy storage technology is an advanced solidstate battery and energy storage design with important attributes of safety, high energy density, and high performance. Solid-state technology is insensitive to external temperatures, does not require cooling, and will not be subject to thermal runaway events.

The LMP outdoor racks are suitable for hot, harsh environments, and remote locations. Its robust warranty is not subject to operating temperature or depth of discharge.

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

BMZ USA, Inc. A modular Li-ion Energy Storage System, the ESS Z battery can be used for both on-grid and off-grid applications that require energy storage. The ESS Z has 7.1kWh of usable energy content and up to 12 ESS can be connected in parallel. This means meeting the energy storage needs of smaller residential or commercial locations is no issue. ESS Z is compatible with 48V inverter systems, which avoids hassles seen with high voltage. Simple to set up and use, BMZ ESS batteries make energy storage easy. www.bmz-group.com

Lithium Power, Inc.

Carbon Neutral Energy Carbon Neutral Energy (CNE) is setting up in Houston, TX with the ambition to increase green electrification and reduce carbon emissions. CNE has developed an energy storage solution which meets the growing challenge of storing and using electricity produced from renewable sources. CNE’s systems offer large capacity battery storage from 1MW to 5MW in the form of a mobile unit with a suite of smaller static modules that can also be combined to create mega storage banks. These can be customized to meet any size of customer power requirements at any location, potentially creating gigawatt capacity storage systems. www.carbonneutralenergyltd.com

e-On Batteries, Inc. e-On Batteries, a Texas based manufacturer with national scope, is a developer of lithium iron phosphate (LiFeP04) based energy storage systems with a focus on product safety and ease of installation. The company’s UL 1973 listed modules are engineered as scalable building blocks to enable larger systems, and its 19" rack-mounted modular systems are easily configured from 12.8kWh residential systems to multi-MWh container-based systems.

GS Yuasa Energy Solutions, Inc. The SLR Series is designed for high cycle applications using GS Yuasa’s advanced lead nanocarbon battery technology. A nanocarbon additive accelerates the reaction of active material to reduce sulfation. This leads to increased charging efficiency and higher capacity retention over the battery life. The product utilizes GS Yuasa’s HT Element X for high heat, long life performance. The SLR product line provides 5000 cycles at 70% DOD and 19 years of cycle life when tested to IEC 61427.

MK Battery

Electriq Power Crown Battery Manufacturing Company Crown offers low or no-maintenance energy storage solutions. Their FreedomBloc Energy Storage Systems are safe, affordable, and scalable from 10 to 20kWh. This tough array provides energy independence and peace of mind for both Off-Grid and Grid-Connected UPS.

www.electriqpower.com

www.crownbattery.com

The Darfon H5001 when paired with its B09ULF LFP battery creates an energy storage system that is efficient enough to qualify for California’s SGIP rebate. The H5001 allows homeowners the flexibility of using utility, solar panels, batteries, or generators to match their power and energy needs. The flow of energy managed so that dependence on the utility is reduced or eliminated. The H5001 can also be used as backup power during a blackout or for off-grid living. www.darfonsolar.com

LEOCH Battery Corporation Leoch's Pure Lead + Carbon Technology has been specifically engineered to support partial-stateof-charge applications where the batteries are cycled regularly. These high power, energy dense batteries offer super-fast charging from 0% to 90% in 1hr and a long deep cycle life of 3000 cycles at 50% DoD. The ABS-Polycarbonate jars provide rugged durability and a wide operating temperature of -40°F to 131°F (-40°C to 55°C).

Tested to IEC standards. www.leoch.us

Darfon America Corp.

Fortress Power Fortress Power's brand new eVault Max 18.5 is now available and offers a 10-year/6K cycle warranty. With its robust and intelligent design, the eVault Max is a large single battery which scales up to 20 units - to 370kWh, making it a solution for residential and small commercial projects. www.fortresspower.com

www.lithiumpowerinc.com

www.gsyuasa-es.com

www.e-onbatteries.com

Introducing the all-new Electriq PowerPod 2, an all-in-one solution with more power output than before. Experience long-lasting battery life, increased reliability, and enhanced safety with Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) cells. Now with 7.6kW of maximum power output to fill every day energy needs.

ESS-500-48 is a lithium-ion rechargeable NMC battery pack. Designed for telecom UPS and other mission critical applications, the back-up battery comes with built-in safety protections, gas gauge, cell and pack balancing, as well as communication. Various communication protocols are available such as CANBus, SMBus, Bluetooth, and more. Around 60 parameters of battery information can be delivered live or saved in the battery's history data log. The battery pack is designed to meet UN, UL, and IEC certification requirements.

Lion Energy Lion Energy provides portable power that is safe, silent, and renewable so users can be energy independent and have power when and where they need it, in emergencies, at home, at work, or play. Lion Energy's portable power solutions provide the power needed for critical devices including communications, medical, food storage, and everyday comforts such as lighting, washing machines, etc. www.lionenergy.com

The Deka Unigy II 2-volt battery from MK Battery is available as either a single cell or system design, and features a wide range of capacities to fit the varied requirements of renewable energy applications. These modules are constructed using quality materials and current manufacturing techniques, enhancing their performance even in demanding applications. Exclusive IPF Technology optimizes power capacity, cell consistency, and long-term reliability. Advanced AGM technology eliminates periodic watering, corrosive acid fumes, and spills. Microcat Catalyst lowers float current, decreases internal temperatures, and the risk of dry-out to ensure long battery life. www.mkbattery.com

MPINarada MPINarada offers stationary energy storage solutions using 3rd generation Narada designed and manufactured LFP cells and modules integrated into both standard and custom solution offerings. These systems provide an integrated solution (cabinet, rack, containerized system) or individual units (cells, modules, racks) for third party or on-site integration. MPINarada has Project Managers throughout the USA and Service Technicians in the USA and Canada.

MPINarada has developed training, operation, and service programs that will allow key stakeholder personnel to fully adopt MPINarada product offerings into their existing operations. www.mpinarada.com

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2021 energy efficiency buyers guide EV Charging

SFP Hydraulics, Inc.

Panasonic Life Solutions Company of America EverVolt battery storage is Panasonic’s residential energy storage solution. It can be installed with a new or existing solar system.

EverVolt is available in AC- and DC-coupled versions, both of which can be scaled down to 11kWh or expanded to 102kWh. It also comes equipped with pre-programmed time-of-use settings, advanced software, and an app for homeowners. EverVolt battery storage is warrantied for 10 years and backed by Panasonic’s century-old record of dependability.

SFP provides design, assembly, and service of hydraulic accumulators used in various industries.

In collaboration with their customers, they provide value added solutions reducing costs, ensuring safety, and improving performance for all integrated hydraulic systems. SFP offers full service and repair of bladder accumulators both on-site and at their plant in Katy, TX. Their products are offered with wide range of approvals to suit the global requirements including ASME, CE, AS1210, CRN, and TR-CU.

Blink Charging Co.

www.sfphyd.com

www.blinkcharging.com

EvoCharge

TMEIC Corporation The TMEIC Solar Ware Ninja inverter system meets market needs for PV-alone, stand-alone storage, or TMEIC’s hybrid PV+ESS solution. The inverter’s modular and stackable system, along with its multi-block configurations, offers clients high-level PV plant optimization. Offering reliability, bankability, grid-functionality, and efficiency, the Solar Ware Ninja is a solution for PV and storage plants today and the future. www.tmeic.com

Rolls Battery Engineering

www.rollsbattery.com

U.S. Battery Manufacturing U.S. Battery Manufacturing has been building flooded lead acid batteries since 1926 and manufactures deep cycle batteries specifically for many industries, worldwide. The company’s RE Series batteries are designed to provide high peak capacity, long cycle life, and reliability for use in industrial or residential renewable energy applications. RE Series batteries utilize the company’s XC2 formulation and Diamond Plate Technology to create an efficient battery plate, delivering high watt-hours per liter and watt-hours per kilogram. www.usbattery.com

EvoCharge, founded in 2009, provides reliable, safe, and cost-effective level 2 charging stations and the EvoReel cable management system for single family, multi-family, workplace, and other commercial spaces. EvoCharge products are fully compatible with all EV and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) sold throughout the United States and Canada. www.evocharge.com

www.primecom.tech

Fans & Ventilators

JULY• AUGUST2021 /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Continental Fan is a supplier of fans for nacelle ventilation, GCU (generator control unit) cooling, and tower ventilation. Whether axial fans for high air volumes and low pressures, centrifugal blowers for higher-pressure applications or motorized impellers for ventilating electrical cabinets, Continental Fan has the solution. www.continentalfan.com

Fasteners

FreeWire Technologies, Inc. FreeWire’s Boost Charger is a powerful batteryintegrated electric vehicle charger. Easy to connect with existing infrastructure, it can be set up without costly construction or permitting. With 160kWh of battery capacity and 120kW output, Boost Charger is ready for current and next generation EVs. Boost Charger enables ultrafast charging using the same infrastructure as L2 chargers with a low cost of installation. www.freewiretech.com

Paired Power SEVO SunStation EV chargers will charge an electric vehicle from 100% on-site solar energy, a resource for public and workplace parking areas. SEVO SunStation EV chargers are designed to integrate with any solar system and SEVO SunStation EV charger offers charging rates up to 17kW per vehicle and is compatible with all battery electric vehicle models, such as Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla. kWh pricing is available to allow commercial customers to earn revenue on EV chargers. SEVO SunStation EV chargers are an add-on and revenue generator to any commercial solar project. www.pairedpower.com

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Primecom Tech is an electrical vehicle charger manufacturing company located in Silicon Valley, CA, providing residential and commercial smart charging solutions for the last 8 years. Each Primecom Tech charger is manufactured with high quality materials and uses smart technology to deliver performance year after year.

Continental Fan Manufacturing, Inc.

na.panasonic.com/us/evervolt

Designed to deliver long-term reliable energy storage in a heavy-duty, dual-container design, Rolls largest Series 5000 2-volt 2 YS 62P model offers heavyduty thick plate construction for extended cycle life and durability, convenient modular cell assembly, Advanced-NAM carbon additive for improved charge and PSOC performance, and 5054 AH @ 20Hr capacity for large-scale energy storage, backed by a 5-year full replacement warranty.

The Blink IQ 200 provides fast Level 2 AC charging with up to 80A of output, and approximately 65 miles of charge in an hour.

Operated on the Blink Network, it can charge any plug-in vehicle. Deployable in many configurations, from wall mount, single, double, triple pedestal mounts, and pole mounts. The design of the units allows for easy swap-out and makes any repairs simple. It is equipped with an internal meter to monitor energy.

Primecom Technologies, Inc.

Marine Fasteners Marine Fasteners is a supplier of stainless steel and non-ferrous fasteners, in U.S. and metric threads. They stock a full line of 304 and 316, Magni 565, Delta-Protekt, hot-dip alvanized, and their very own chrome plating line. Stocking well over $24 million worth of fasteners in nationwide locations, with another $4-6 million on order every day, they maintain customer requirements in stock. If not, their sales staff, with over 700 years of combined fastener experience, can supply competitive parts or custom manufacture to meet their customer’s delivery needs. marfas.com

Floating Solar Platform

Integrator | EPC

Ciel & Terre USA, Inc.

Invaleon Solar

The floating solar system, Hydrelio, enables PV panels to be installed on large water bodies such as reservoirs, quarries, and irrigation ponds. It’s a simple and affordable alternative to ground mounted solar. Hydrelio is particularly suitable for energy and water intensive industries that can’t afford to lose land or water.

Wineries, farms, mining, water treatment plants, or irrigation districts are examples of industries benefiting from the synergy this technology creates between sun and water.

Invaleon takes solar projects from the initial planning stages through commissioning and in-houses all services, providing full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). Invaleon has installed more than 50+MW of solar in New England and beyond. www.invaleonsolar.com

Ampner, Ltd.

www.ciel-et-terre.net

The Ampner ACE 300 is a family of efficient and easy-toinstall string inverters for utility scale PV power plants and energy storages with maximum voltage of 1500V. They provide high power density, withstanding extreme ambient conditions from -40°F to 140°F and installation altitudes up to 13,000ft. Moreover, the ACE 300 comes with wide range of options and configurations to suit all customer needs. The ACE 300 is certified according to UL/CSA standards and will be available from Q3 onwards.

Generators | Generator Components

New Dawn Energy Solutions Electric Materials Company Electric Materials works with OEM, service centers, and wind farm owners. Customized solutions, engineering, reverseengineering and metallurgical support offered to supply generator slip ring assemblies (brass and steel rings) and components, generator AC rotors and components, earthing cable clamps, copper extrusions, copper busbars, and cast or forged circuit breaker components (machined and plated).

EM is a producer of custom copper alloys required to meet industry specification requirements. www.elecmat.com

Ground Covering

Inverters

New Dawn Energy Solutions is an energy technology company that provides solar, storage, EV charging, and energy efficiency optimization solutions to residential, industrial, and institutional customers. They engage in all aspects of energy systems infrastructure, including assessment, design, development, installation, monitoring, and maintenance. Their energy solutions range from off-grid urban homes to turnkey micro-grids that are sited on urban rooftops to the remote regions. They are vendor-neutral and take a holistic approach in formulating energy solutions that are best suited for their customers’ needs. Their energy solutions include grid-tied, hybrid, off-grid, solar water pumping, and microgrid. Their service solutions include renewable energy system design and integration, project management, energy audits and site assessments, and plant commissioning. www.newdawn-es.com

www.ampner.com

Chilicon Power Chilicon Power is a California-based manufacturer of microinverter systems. Its CP-720 twin inverter produces 360W per module, and is compatible with virtually every panel on the market. The inverters come equipped with a 25-year warranty. The Gateway is a 7 inch, touch screen monitor with a beautiful color graphical display. Its powerful PLC has a range of over 500ft. The modular trunk cables are 10 gauge, allowing up to 20 modules per string. www.chiliconpower.com

Presto Geosystems GEOWEB Geocells is a 3D confinement system which uses onsite fill, and less fill than geogrids. The GEOWEB Geocell System reduces overall cross section of stone by 70% or more, controls infill by creating a stable driving surface, even over soft ground, and requires minimal maintenance. The GEOWEB System offers inexpensive load support and substantial reduction of maintenance for wind farm access. www.prestogeo.com

Heat Dissipation

Baknor Baknor designs heat dissipation solutions, including custom liquid cold plates, heat sinks, heat pipes, fans, and more. The result is a small, light, cost effective solution. Baknor’s extensive knowledge of cooling systems weighs various trade-offs and factors such as functionality, manufacturability volume, mass, cost, packaging, efficiency, and the reliability and safety of heat dissipation components. www.baknor.com

Rosendin Electric Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are fast becoming a key component of existing and future renewable energy strategies implemented by utility, municipal, developer, and commercial clients throughout the U.S. Rosendin supplies technology agnostic BESS solutions for most all frequency control and regulation, demand response, load shifting, peak shaving, microgrid, and backup power applications. www.rosendin.com

COTEK Electronic Industrial Co. Ltd. COTEK offers five series of pure, sine-wave inverter and inverter chargers for off-grid and backup applications designed to meet the needs of the solar industry. COTEK inverter models range from 200W-4000W with a DC input of 12V, 24V, or 48V. The new SC and SL series of bi-directional inverter chargers come equipped with 5 operating modes and advanced features such as power sharing and current limiting. COTEK also offers standalone inverter and battery charger options through the SP, SD and CX series. www.cotek.ca

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2021 energy efficiency buyers guide Lubricants

Klüber Lubrication NA LP CPS America Suitable for ground-mount solar installations, the new 275kW high power three-phase string inverter from CPS America was designed for performance. The advanced 275kW inverter provides reliability while offering high efficiency, wide operating voltage, and a broad temperature range wrapped in a NEMA Type 4X enclosure.

Remote O&M, communication, and firmware updates are available through the CPS FlexOM platform. The 275kW inverter is certified to UL1741SA-2016 and meets grid standards for IEEE 1547a-2018, CA Rule 21, and ISO-NE. www.chintpowersystems.com

Ingeteam Ingeteam’s Full Skid Power Station is a UL 9540 and UL 1741 SA compliant medium voltage turnkey solution which integrates all the devices required for a system of up to 7.4MVA into a single skid platform. Available with PV inverters under the INGECON SUN brand or with battery inverters under the INGECON SUN STORAGE brand, this compact, customizable station is easy to transport and install, and offers a flexible design which can fit up to two inverters on one skid. Combining Ingeteam’s overall expertise in the power conversion field (+75GW supplied worldwide) with plant control technology, and monitoring solutions, its highly efficient electronic conversion, and protection devices make for a reliable product capable of achieving efficiency values of up to 98.9%. www.ingeteam.com

Lifting Slings

FIMER Renewable Energy Solutions FIMER's Universal 10|4 is a comprehensive integrated storage solution, made in the United States via Humless and approved by SGIP. With integrated charge controllers, display, 4kw hybrid inverter, and 10kwh LFP batteries, this unit is ready for on and off-grid needs. It is an easy plug-and-play storage solution for new and existing PV systems coupling with DC solar, AC retrofits, generators, and FIMER's UNO DM-PLUS grid-tied inverters. www.fimer.com

Klüber Lubrication’s portfolio of oil for wind turbines, the Klübersynth family of gear oil, offer high levels of protection against wear, corrosion, air release, hydrolysis, and viscosity drops. Both gear oil and hydraulic fluids provide suitable platforms for achieving ISO Cleanliness Codes which are desired for demanding applications in renewable energy markets. Formulations for hydraulic oil exceed requirements for oxidation, viscosity indexes, component compatibility, and eco-friendliness. Converting new or original equipment to Klüber is easily accomplished by way of miscible products or cleaners that remove deposits in hydraulic as well as gear systems. www.kluber.com

Shell Lubricant Solutions Shell Omala S5 Wind fully synthetic gear oil offers lubrication performance even under severe operating conditions. The formulation is developed to protect a wind turbine’s gears and bearings by minimizing wear, protecting against micro-pitting, maintaining effective fluidity at extremes of low temperature, and minimizing foam formation. Shell Omala S5 Wind is designed to meet or exceed OEM requirements of Siemens Wind Power, ZF Wind, Vestas, and Gamesa. It also meets or exceeds following OEM component requirements of Winergy, NGC, Bosch-Rexroth, Eickhoff, Moventas, SKF, Timken, Schaefflet, Hydac, CC Jensen, Mintai, and Fredenburg. shell.us/windpower

Doleco, USA, Inc. Doleco offers a full line of lifting slings, including web slings, round slings, high performance slings, and a complete line of load securement products including tie downs, mechanical load securement devices, and DoNova textile chain. These lifting slings are lightweight and easy to use, providing an efficient use of manpower and resources. www.doleco-usa.com

Lighting Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd. Solis energy storage inverter for on/off-grid integrated storage solutions allows users to select the electricity consumption mode in real time according to the market price, can be operated out of the power grid, provides high efficiency, and is less than 10ms from the grid.

Manufacture | Installation Equipment

Aptos Solar Technology Aptos Solar Technology’s DNA-120 is produced with split solar cells that feature its patented Dual Nano Absorber (DNA) technology, increasing the efficiency and performance of the panel in extreme temperature environments. The solar cells utilize nine ultra-thin busbars to reduce resistive losses. The DNA-120 module comes in an all-black design with power bins ranging up to 370W. Aptos Solar Technology offers a 30-year warranty. www.aptossolar.com

www.solisinverters.com

Flash Technology Flash Technology’s FTS 350i LED wind turbine light is an economical option for wind farm developers and maintenance crews. Designed to withstand the harsh environments encountered on wind farms, the FTS 350i is small, light and easy to install. It meets L-864 specifications per FAA AC 150/534543J (infrared) and comes with a 2-year replacement warranty. www.flashtechnology.com/obstruction

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CE+T America CE+T America provides turn-key energy management solutions, such as UPS, inverters and converters for datacenters, utilities, C&I, microgrid applications, and EVSE, with products that reduce energy cost and TCO, improve reliability and resilience, allow the seamless blending of power between various energy sources, and offer harmonious integration of renewables, stored energy, and the grid. www.cet-america.com

Modules

Auxin Solar

CONSERTEK USA CONSERTEK USA provides complete EPC products and services in the renewable energy sector for all meteorological analysis projects, including engineering, procurement, construction, instrumentation, and commissioning of MET towers. Also provides inspection and maintenance services as per TIA-222 standards, support booms and accessories. As well as instrumentation cabinets and ancillary services for wind farms designed, assembled, and installed. The supports booms are compliant to IEC 61400. www.consertek.com

Kurdex Corporation Kurdex is a supplier of large area vacuum deposition and etch equipment for R&D, pilot, and high volume manufacturing (HVM). Products include sputtering, evaporation, PECVD, spatial ALD, ARC-CVD and plasma etch tools. Standard and custom systems configured for in-line, cluster, and R2R with full automation. Substrate sizes up to 2300MM rigid or flex, wafers, glass sheets, or roll of flexible materials. They also offer an applications lab for contract coating services, DOE, and technology development.

Auxin Solar produces PERC mono solar modules, bi-facial modules, BIPV, and off-grid modules.

Auxin also offers OEM services and produce Made in USA solar products in their customers’ own brand name. www.auxinsolar.com

Q CELLS

Renogy

Q CELLS offers performance and reliability with the Q.PEAK DUO residential module lineup. The modules are distinguished with Q.ANTUM cell technology, offering high power yields, increased power classes up to 385Wp, and excellent efficiency rates. Q CELLS complies with the VDE Certification Institute’s Quality Testing Program.

As an added layer of assurance, the modules adhere to Q CELLS’ internal Yield Security Quality Checklist, guaranteeing resistance to Potential Induced Degradation (PID), Hot Spots, and Light Induced Degradation (LID).

www.renogy.com

www.q-cells.us

Kosol Energie is a manufacturer and wholesale distributor for solar PV systems including mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline PV modules, integrated PV racking systems, solar water pumping systems, and so on. They also offer cost-effective design and engineering services. Additional products include, bi-facial, split cell, flexible, intelligent smart sensor remote control solar LED street light, solar PV thermal collector, etc.

RenewSys India Pvt., Ltd. RenewSys India Pvt. Ltd. is an integrated manufacturer of 750MW solar PV modules, and its components, 2GW encapsulants (EVA and POE), 3GW backsheets, and 130MW solar PV cells. They are a renewable energy arm of the ENPEE Group. www.renewsysworld.com

AcuDC is a specialty energy meter suitable for distribution systems that involve DC power generation. It is used for monitoring solar PV energy generation, wind turbine power generation, power distribution, and other direct current applications.

Yingli Green Energy Americas The Yingli solar panel family features differentiated product lines ideal for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects. They offer in all formats the monocrystalline YLM Series, multicrystalline YGE Series, and both p- and n-type PANDA Bi-facial modules to meet project needs. The cell efficiency on the premium modules reaches up to 22.7%. Service on products is provided by a US based team, who assist in technical advice, project planning, and guarantee to maximize ROI.

Off-grid Solar

www.strackersolar.com

Accuenergy

www.accuenergy.com

www.kosol.solar

www.yinglisolar.com/us

STracker Solar's elevated dual-axis solar trackers produce 50% to 70% more power than fixed PV systems of the same size while maintaining full use of the grounds below. The 28-module array sits on top of a 20ft steel pole with a minimum 14ft clearance at all times, making the system suitable for parking lots, industrial operations, farms, etc. The robust pole can be equipped with LED lot lighting and EV charge stations. The low maintenance design comes with 30-year warranty and is microgrid ready.

Performance Monitoring

Kosol Energie PVT, Ltd.

www.kurdex.com

STracker Solar

The Renogy 48V Inverter Charger + Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Combo provides users with an off-grid solution. The dynamic inverter charger supports dual charging (AC + solar) and has a built-in MPPT charger, capable of handling PV input up to 4400W. The 48V smart battery is the perfect pair for off-grid energy storage, featuring comprehensive protections, self-heating, and over 4500 cycles.

This powerful duo makes for a reliable energy system, suitable for backup or off-grid use.

Apogee Instruments Silicon-cell pyranometers from Apogee Instruments are Class C rated and a reliable choice for applications that do not require the higher cost of a thermopile pyranometer.

With several outputs available, 20+ years of continuous refinement, and thousands of sensors installed all over the world, Apogee sensors are accurate, durable, and cost-effective. www.apogeeinstruments.com

Panasonic Life Solutions Company of America The Panasonic EverVolt Series solar modules have efficiency of 21.2%, a low annual degradation rate, minimum of 92% power output guaranteed for 25 years, and a temperature coefficient of 0.26%/°C. The EverVolt Series Module EVPV370 panels are also backed for 25 years by AllGuard and TripleGuard warranties, which cover performance, product, parts, and labor. na.panasonic.com/us/evervolt

AIMS Power AIMS Power has created a powerful solar kit for large off-grid or back-up power applications.

Includes a 30kW or 50kW pure sine inverter charger, 4950W of solar and deep cycle batteries.

Suitable for hospitals, farms, commercial buildings and large homes. Split phase and three phase models in stock. Inverter charger, solar charge controller, batteries, cables, and fuses all included. CE, CED, CSA, UL, and ERAC certified. www.aimscorp.net

Bently Nevada, a Baker Hughes Company Bently Nevada's System 1 plantwide condition monitoring solution integrates all assets into a single dashboard, but it’s far more than a simple dashboard. It’s a combination of technologies and capabilities that deliver results to the user’s organization, including improved asset reliability, improved uptime, and improved efficiency. System 1 helps optimize operations in a condition monitoring platform with cybersecurity, scalability, and usability. www.bakerhughesesds.com/bently-nevada

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2021 energy efficiency buyers guide Performance Testing Cachelan Cachelan is a solar monitoring solutions company that provides SCADA and DAS systems to help with O&M and Asset Management of solar and storage portfolios via their SolarVu platform.

Manage portfolios of residential, commercial/ industrial, and utility sized projects in one place. Receive high fidelity alerts of equipment issues and connect weather sensors, meters, site cameras. Easily compare inverter and string level performance. Cachelan interfaces with all major inverter and equipment manufacturers, and design to minimize their customer’s cost. www.cachelan.com

DEWESoft, LLC

Ohio Carbon Industries The i-BRUSH remote monitoring system utilizes integrated sensors in the carbon brush, linking to an external control unit, which enables maintenance staff to check brush condition at anytime, anywhere. Operating conditions are uploaded to the cloud and can be displayed on any smart device or PC. With knowledge of remaining brush life, the future maintenance can easily be planned to secure uptime. www.ohiocarbon.com

Shoals Technologies Group Shoals delivers electrical balance of system (EBOS) components for solar, energy storage, and EV charging. Their Big Lead Assembly (BLA) is a custom factory-built plug-andplay wiring harness system. It eliminates combiner boxes and requires far less materials and O&M labor. Installation does not require licensed electricians, can be done by anyone. BLA supports safe, reliable, and cost-effective EBOS installation.

DEWESoft provides data acquisition equipment specializing in electrical and/ or mechanical applications. With their instrumentation, the user can synchronously acquire electrical, mechanical, digital, video (high speed, thermal, etc.) BUS, other inputs into their refined, user friendly, powerful software for a wide range of measurement applications. DEWESoft instrumentation is commonly used in commissioning, troubleshooting, certifying, monitoring, and general R&D for a wide range of applications. www.dewesoft.com

www.shoals.com

Fischer Block, Inc. wave iQ Advanced PQ monitoring with Atlas AI and Machine Learning algorithms provide step-change gains in efficiency and reliability. Combining 3-phase power domain expertise with advanced industry monitoring technology, solar farm operators can now obtain new real-time insights to predict and prevent failures. SMART Block sensors install into existing farms in just a few minutes with no new wiring needed. www.fischerblock.com

OTT HydroMet The WS50PV is an affordable, compact all-in-one weather sensor measuring critical parameters for commercial and industrial PV monitoring. Equipped with a suite of professional measuring sensors, the WS50PV can handle air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind direction, and wind speed in one efficient housing to simplify mounting. Add an external temperature or rain sensor to the single-wire digital Modbus interface for fast and easy integration. www.otthydromet.com

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Solmetric The Solmetric PV Analyzer I-V Curve Tracer measures the performance of modules and strings up to 1500V and 30A. The wireless irradiance and temperature sensor captures environmental conditions at the time of the I-V sweep. Sophisticated software instantly determines the performance factor, fill factor, Isc, Voc, Imp, Vmp, Pmax, current ratio, and voltage ratio. Careful thermal management inside the tool ensures high measurement throughput enabling large systems to be commissioned quickly.

EMPATH and ECMS-1 data collectors and continuous monitoring electrical/ current signature analysis for motors, generators, transformers, and powertrain including energy loss across each electrical or mechanical defect and time to failure estimation (TTFE). MotorDoc provides support for technology, service providers, or direct site services.

They can see transformers, inverters, generators, and complete powertrains from their location in 48 seconds. www.empathcms.com

Radiant Heating

www.solmetric.com

MotorDoc, LLC EMPATH and ECMS-1 data collectors and continuous monitoring electrical/current signature analysis for motors, generators, transformers, and powertrain including energy loss across each electrical or mechanical defect and time to failure estimation (TTFE). MotorDoc provides support for technology, service providers, or direct site services. They can see transformers, inverters, generators, and complete powertrains from their location in 48 seconds.

MotorDoc, LLC

RainWise The PVmet 200 features high caliber PV and wind sensors. The PVmet 200 includes an option for both a Global and Plane-of-Array Irradiance Sensor, one or two Back-of-Panel Temperature Sensor(s), an Ambient Air Temperature Sensor, and a Wind Speed and Direction Sensor. Simple to install on any solar project, the PVmet 200 connects to Modbus RTU Communication with an ethernet TCP option available. Ships fully assembled and factory calibrated. www.rainwise.com

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Electro Plastics, Inc. / STEP Warmfloor STEP Warmfloor are flexible and durable heating elements made of PTC self-regulating, Nano Poly Carbon material. This heating system is very energy efficient and safe, operates on low-voltage, AC or DC, and can be used for floor warming, total heating, snowmelt, and roof deicing. www.warmfloor.com

Signage

Solar Cleaning energyOrbit

Tech Products, Inc. Tech Products, Inc. is a global source for quality identification products for the renewable energy industry including, cable tags, tower (aerial) markers, and signs. Their products range from adhesive transformer labels to long-lasting substation signs following all of the latest ANSI, OSHA, and NESC standards. www.techproducts.com

MotorDoc, LLC EMPATH and ECMS-1 data collectors and continuous monitoring electrical/current signature analysis for motors, generators, transformers, and powertrain including energy loss across each electrical or mechanical defect and time to failure estimation (TTFE). MotorDoc provides support for technology, service providers, or direct site services. They can see transformers, inverters, generators, and complete powertrains from their location in 48 seconds.

energyOrbit provides an easy-to-use solution for DSM and electrification management, tracking, reporting, and customer experience. Utility and third-party implementer DSM managers can quickly set up, modify, and execute energy efficiency, demand response, electrification, and water conservation programs, partnering on climate change. They offer an easily configurable database, robust framework for extensive DSM measures and equipment libraries, and customizable workflows and validation rules.

Software

BladeEdge

Global Weather Corporation Global Weather Corporation (GWC) is a Colorado-based weather data innovator, formed to commercialize technology from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

GWC’s SolarWX service is built on a foundation of high-accuracy NCAR technology to enable reliable monitoring and prediction of utilityscale solar energy, including solar power production. Typical users are utilities, energy traders, farm operators, farm maintenance crews, and transmission operators.

Customers include Xcel Energy and many others. Data are updated hourly and provided at 15 minute intervals to 168 hours in machine-readable and user-display formats. www.globalweathercorp.com

BladeEdge offers a customized approach to blade inspection data and analytics through EDDIE, an artificial intelligence (AI) engine designed to process, identify, and manage inspection data automatically.

Regardless of which method chosen for capturing data, or who is used for inspections, BladeEdge can leverage EDDIE to deliver a solution. EDDIE’s valuable insights inform strategic initiatives and revenue-generating activities. BladeEdge helps users minimize efficiency loss, stop drowning in data, and maximize time. www.bladeedge.net

Ellume Solar, Inc. Ellume 360 is a device agnostic, integrated solution designed for centralized management of solar power plants with strong emphasis on data visualization, analysis, and performance reporting. Their cloud based secure and scalable infrastructure allows users to manage multiple solar power plants globally from a central location. Their ticketing and asset management module makes it a complete solution for any device monitoring, reporting, analytics for EPC, O&M service providers, IPP, and C&I end users.

Müller Industrial Services offers commercial and utility-scale cleaning of solar panel arrays within the Southeast US. The company also sells the robots that clean solar panel arrays. www.mullercorporation.com

Solar Installation & Construction

www.energy-orbit.com

Sunpower Builders Sunpower Builders’ homes provide energy efficiency and comfort. From super-insulation, daylighting, energy-efficient appliances and lighting, to active and passive solar systems for everything from space heating, water heating, and power generation, these homes cost little to heat and operate, are quiet and bright to live in. www.sunpowerbuilders.com

www.empathcms.com

Site Assessment & Forecasting

Müller Industrial Services

Raptor Maps Raptor Maps offers an advanced SaaS platform to structure, analyze, and communicate across the solar lifecycle.

Commissioning, equipment records, serial number mapping, aerial thermography, warranty claims, mobile field tools and more, all powered by their data model.

Insights for the entire solar industry, including asset owners, managers, O&M, engineers, EPCs, financiers, and OEMs. www.raptormaps.com

RatedPower pvDesign 3.0 is the latest version of the cloudbased software created by RatedPower. It maximizes the potential of utility-scale solar PV plants by reducing the process from weeks to seconds, besides lowering the LCOE and increasing profitability. The platform enhances designing in a fast and accurate way, which allows users to compare and manage all their projects. As the result of a year of developments and in-depth work, a 3D Layout Model, an enhanced CAPEX calculation tool, and the Earthworks calculation tool are now part of pvDesign on their journey to increasing efficiency of PV engineering teams.

Solar-Plus-Storage

Sinexcel, Inc. The modular SINEXCEL PDS-750K series DCDC Converter can support 500-1500Vdc for both battery and PV strings and could be used for flexible scenarios in most applications for both front-of-meter and behind-the-meter markets. The IP54 cabinet supports up to 8 modules, and can be used with both existing PV plants and new installations to optimize the energy generation and usage. The IP65/ NEMA3S rated 100kW DC module could be used alone or in parallel with an independent outdoor battery cabinet. www.sinexcel.us

www.ratedpower.com

www.ellume.net

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2021 energy efficiency buyers guide Testing Equipment

Chromagen Hot Water Solutions

Solar Operations Solutions Solar Operations Solutions’ myPV IQ provides monitoring and control for PV+Storage and Storage-only projects, supporting manual control and fullyautomated operations. In 2017, myPV IQ deployed its first energy storage management module for a utiilty project in Southern Indiana. The EMS module has matured and expanded to support hourly scheduling tools for MA S.M.A.R.T., HI Zero Export, load-optimized demand response, and parallel PV+Storage operations requiring realtime export management. www.mypv.pro/ess

Chromagen develops and manufactures advanced hot-water, energy-saving solutions. Founded in 1962, in Israel, Chromagen brings solutions to projects including single-family homes, apartment buildings, hotels, hospitals, and industrial plants.

Chromagen has two subsidiaries in Australia and Spain, as well as distributors in over 40 countries, including the USA. Chromagen systems conform with European Keymark EN12975 and EN 12976, SRCC USA, ISO 9001, ISO 9806, ISO 14001, 18001, and Australian standards. www.chromagen.com

Solahart Industries, Pty, Ltd. Solahart is an Australian company which has been manufacturing and selling Thermosyphon Solar water heaters and Solar Collectors into the USA since the early 1980's. Solahart has SRCC OG100 and OG300 Certification for its solar collectors and systems for domestic and commercial applications. Solahart can provide multiple domestic 80gal Thermosyphon systems manifolded together for applications like HUD and multi-family housing, hotels, and hospitals.

Solahart is a product which lasts in harsh environments in over 80 countries. Solahart has a presence in CA and AZ, and are looking for distributors and installers throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Chroma adds three new compact models to their 61800 series of four quadrant regenerative grid simulators delivering 15kVA in 3U for testing on-grid products including Micro PV inverters. New 61809/61812/61815 models are equipped with selectable single and 3-phase output, 350 VLN wide output voltage range, 100% DC output, 200V to 480V universal voltage input, and is completely regenerative which lowers operational costs. www.chromausa.com

www.solahart.com

EYE Lighting International Applied Optix

Digital Solar Corp Digital Solar Corp provides carbon-free solar thermal heating designed for Canadian winters, using an inter-seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (TES) storage system that is fully scalable. The low cost, solar heat-core, TES system can store summer heat for later use.

Stiebel Eltron, Inc.

Solar SME is a solar company that aims to provide safe, reliable, sustainable energy to empower communities. They offer residential rooftop solar services, commercial solar services, solar panel maintenance, solar and roofing repair, and battery backup.

Stiebel Eltron SOLKITS thermal solar systems have SRCC OG100 system certification. Each solar closed loop system includes SOL 29 PREMIUM flat plate collector panel(s) and mounting hardware, SB/SBB storage tank with heat exchanger(s), pump station with expansion tank, temperature/pressure gauges, pressure relief and check valves, and controller unit with corresponding sensors. There is a 10-year warranty on Stiebel Eltron solar panels and tanks.

www.solarsme.com

www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com

Solar SME, Inc.

Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc.

www.digitalsolarheat.com

EYE Applied Optic is a manufacturer of light sources and scientific/industrial applied spectrum systems including solar simulators and weathering test chambers. Their weathering chambers include the xenon and metal halide lamp chambers that are used to expedite weathering tests. Solar simulator options include full spectrum, infrared only, and UV only that may be custom designed and built for any application. www.eyeappliedoptix.com

Solar Thermal Manufacturing & Equipment SunEarth

EKO Instruments USA Aquatherm Industries, Inc. Aquatherm Industries offers unglazed polymer solar thermal collectors, primarily used in residential and commercial pool heating applications, solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP), and low-cost thermosiphon systems.

Their products are manufactured in the USA to ISO 9001 quality standards, NSF-50 listed, and performance-certified by SRCC and IAPMO.

The MS-80S pyranometer is accurate and reliable. Made in Japan with a 5-year warranty and 5-year calibration interval, the ISO 9060:2018 Class A MS-80S provides accuracy, speed, and reliability. With new internal diagnostics, and a smart 4-channel analogue and digital interface, it's a suitable choice for every application.

SunEarth Inc. makes ten primary products.

These are the Empire, ThermoRay, and SunBelt medium temperature liquid flat plate collectors, the CopperHeart integral collector storage system, the SunSiphon packaged thermosiphon system, the Oasis low temperature pool and spa collector, standard SunBurst, and custom all copper roll-formed absorber plates, “Solar Strut”, RexRack, and CompRail integrated mounting systems and hardware. www.sunearthinc.com

www.eko-usa.com

www.aquathermsolar.com

Viessmann Manufacturing Viessmann Manufacturing provides solar thermal systems for DHW heating and central heating backup. All components of their solar systems have been carefully design-matched to ensure reliable performance and efficiency every step of the way. www.viessmann-us.com

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MotorDoc, LLC EMPATH and ECMS-1 data collectors and continuous monitoring electrical/current signature analysis for motors, generators, transformers, and powertrain including energy loss across each electrical or mechanical defect and time to failure estimation (TTFE). MotorDoc provides support for technology, service providers, or direct site services. They can see transformers, inverters, generators, and complete powertrains from their location in 48 seconds. www.empathcms.com

Tracking Systems

Training

Valves

Q-Lab Corporation Q-Lab Corporation is a global provider of material durability testing products since 1956. They design and manufacture standard test substrates as well as weathering, light stability, and corrosion testers. In addition, contract test services which include accelerated laboratory testing are available at Q-Lab Florida, Q-Lab Arizona, Q-Lab Deutschland, and Q-Lab China.

Outdoor exposure testing for weathering, lightfastness, and corrosion are available at Q-Lab Florida and Q-Lab Arizona. www.q-lab.com

Tools

Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems, LLC Atlas Copco is a bolting tool manufacturer providing bolting solutions including hydraulic wrenches, bolt tensioners, electric tools for solar and wind turbine construction, and more. Atlas Copco’s smart connected tools, such as the SRB HA and Tensor Revo HA electric nutrunners, allow operators to work quick, safe, and smart.

Asahi America Asahi America's family of thermoplastic valves and actuators are corrosion resistant, light weight and provide high flow-through which saves energy through performance. Their valves offer extended life cycle and are engineered to work with aggressive chemicals. www.asahi-america.com

FTC Solar Voyager is a next generation, single-axis 2P tracker solution that is producing enhanced power yields around the world.

Voyager lowers balance-of-system costs through a design that reduces maintenance and engineering that facilitates lean construction methods. Voyager requires no special tools. It features only 7 posts per tracker and employs a fast and simplified module attachment method. The balanced DC string architecture reduces the overall DC wiring. Voyager adapts to difficult terrain and offers 60m row configuration achieving optimum MW per acre and minimal grading. Voyager is also optimized for bifacial performance. www.ftcsolar.com

www.atlascopco.com

www.enerpac.com

STAHLWILLE TOOLS, LLC Stahlwille Tools offers torque wrenches with no coil-spring design, no need to return to zero after use. These tools can be adjusted without disassembly during calibration. The QuickRelease safety lock secures the insert tools while, at the same time enabling them to be changed quickly and easily and inadvertent release is no longer a risk. Available with multiple choices of inserts, ratchet, crow foot, ring, and specialty options. www.stahlwille-americas.com

Abaris Training offers two intense hands-on workshops, each are 5-days duration, teaching both basic and advanced composite repair, specific to the needs of wind technicians and associated supervisory and inspection staff.

These courses run several times per year at their Reno, NV facility, or can be scheduled to run onsite at the customer’s location. www.abaris.com

Transformers

Niagara Transformer Corp.

Since 1933 Niagara Transformer Corp. has been designing and manufacturing transformers in Buffalo, NY. They have shipped over 75,000 transformers to 90 different countries in their 95+ year history. Voltage capacities up to 50MVA base rating, 100MVA fan rating, 138kV, and 650kV BIL. Their transformers include but are not limited to Power, distribution, and specialty transformers. www.niagaratransformer.com

Enerpac Enerpac Torque and Tension tools provide safety, predictability, and performance.

Uptime and peace of mind come standard for maximum productivity throughout the complete bolting workflow.

Abaris Training Resources, Inc.

Transportation & Logistics

FTC Solar Voyager+ is the newest innovation from FTC Solar, designed upon the current Voyager platform to accommodate 500w and 600w large format modules. Voyager+ now combines all existing engineering design with a more robust architecture. Voyager+ requires no special tools, features only 7 posts per tracker, and employs patented fast and simple module attachment method while adapting to challenging terrain and maintaining bifacial optimization. www.ftcsolar.com

Wind Measurement

Leosphere, a Vaisala company The WindCube suite of lidars provides accurate, dependable wind data for every phase of a wind project, onshore and offshore. Companies leverage WindCube lidars for Wind Resource Assessment, power curve testing, continuous wind measurement, LAC, and more to improve bankability and project success, increase efficiency and operational continuity, streamline WRA, PPT, and other crucial tasks. www.windcubelidar.com

REMTECH The Remtech short (PA-XS) and medium (PA0) range Sodars are small and light portable systems which measure remotely vertical profile of wind speed, direction, thermal stratification, and turbulence parameters at different heights.

Their power consumption is less than 10W, and because the design is mostly software oriented, the hardware is minimized resulting in a high reliability (over 100,000 hours MTBF) with no maintenance needed. Moreover, these systems do not need any post filtering. www.remtechinc.com

Yaw & Pitch Gear Drives

Solaris Global Solaris Global provides solutions to every step of the solar supply chain process. By offering options for transportation, warehousing, jobsite offloading, and value-added services, they can handle any size project in any location. Solaris Global currently stores over 5GW of modules and racking materials, and over 1 million feet of large cable. They are able to provide storage and transportation options of any size, in any location, for any length of time, on a short notice. www.solaris-global.com

Bonfiglioli USA, Inc. Bonfiglioli designs, creates, and manufactures advanced solutions for every range of Yaw & Pitch Drive and Motor application. They are committed to deliver specialized product, at the same time proactively working to support LCOE reductions. By adopting the IOT concept in its product, Bonfiglioli can offer a condition monitoring system to increase product efficiencies, while, at the same time, optimizing maintenance programs. www.bonfiglioli.com

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eventscalendar JULY

Page

13-15

Grid Connected Battery Storage

Online Training; www.greenpoweracademy.com

14-15

Solar + Energy Storage Digital Summit

Virtual Event; www.intersolar.us

19

Community-Scale Battery Storage Workshop

Zoom; www.eventbrite.com

20-21

Green Hydrogen Business & Investment Models: 2021

Digital Access; infocastinc.com

27-28

Advancing Hedging for Renewables: Risk Appetite & Market Shift

Digital Access; infocastinc.com

29-30

Negotiating and Documenting Corporate PPAs

Digital Access; infocastinc.com

AUGUST 03-04

Repowering Wind Projects

Digital Access; infocastinc.com

09-12

NABCEP 2021 Continuing Education Conference

Knoxville, TN Convention Center – Knoxville, TN; www.nabcep.org

25-26

ACP O&M and Safety Conference 2021

Kalahari Resorts and Conventions – Round Rock, TX; www.cleanpower.org

SEPTEMBER 20-23

Solar Power International 2021

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center – New Orleans, LA; www.solarpowerinternational.com

20-23

Energy Storage International

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center – New Orleans, LA; www.solarpowerinternational.com

20-23

North America Smart Energy Week

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center – New Orleans, LA; www.solarpowerinternational.com

27-30

Resource & Project Energy Assessment Virtual Summit 2021

Virtual Event; www.cleanpower.org

OCTOBER 11-12

Solar and Energy Storage Southeast

Georgia World Congress Center – Atlanta, GA; events.solar/southeast/

13-15

AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition 2021

Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport – Boston, MA; www.cleanpower.org

NOVEMBER 04

Connected Microgrid Event

Virtual Event – 9am - 12pm; nergica.com/en/evenement-microreseaux/

09-11

Solar Power Mexico

Centro Citibanamex – Mexico City, MX; www.hfmexico.mx/solarpowermexico/

DECEMBER 07-08

CLEANPOWER 2021 Conference & Exhibition

Salt Palace Convention Center – Salt Lake City, UT; www.cleanpower.org

JANUARY 2022 13-15

Intersolar North America

Long Beach Convention Center – Long Beach, CA; www.intersolar.us

13-15

Energy Storage North America

Long Beach Convention Center – Long Beach, CA; www.esnaexpo.com

MARCH 2022 09-10

AWEA Wind Project O&M and Safety Conference 2022

Hotel Del Coronado – San Diego, CA; www.awea.org

MAY 2022 16-19

CLEANPOWER 2022 Conference & Exhibition

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center – San Antonio, TX; www.awea.org

JUNE 2022 24-26

The Energy Fair

TBD – Wisconsin; www.midwestrenew.org

Send us your clean energy show and event listings.

Email information to the editor at editor@nacleanenergy.com

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Company

Website

ACE Clamp/PMC Industries Aegean Energy Group Aggreko Allied Tube & Conduit American Earth Anchors Ampner APA Solar Racking Baja Carports Bioenno Power / Bioenno Tech LLC Black & McDonald CAB Products Castrol Chilicon Power Continential Control Systems Cooper & Turner Cotek Electronic Ind. Co. Ltd Crown Battery Detect e-On Batteries Einpart LLC Eko Instruments (USA) Inc Electric Materials Company Ellume 360 Energetech Solar FIMER Fischer Block, Inc Flash Technology Fortress Power FTC Solar Gibraltar Industries Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd. Green Source Epc, LLC Heyco Ingeteam Energy Iron Spear Janicki Industries, Inc. Leoch Battery Logisticus Group MK Battery Morningstar Corp National Metal Industries nVent HOFFMAN Ohio Carbon Industries P4Q PV Label QuickBolt Rainwise Inc. Raptor Maps Rolls Battery Roof Tech RP Construction RPM Rollformed Metal Products Shell Lubricant Solutions Shoals Siba Fuses Sinexcel SKYLOTEC North America LP Sol-Ark Solar Connections International Solar Operations Solutions Solar Power Events Sollega Solmetric Soltec Southern States Staubli Strawder Family Innovations Tech Products, Inc Tigo TMEIC Transportation Partners and Logistics LLC WindCom Word Rock Drills Zircar Refactory Composites, Inc.

www.aceclamp.com AegeanEnergyGroup.com aggreko.com atkore.com/atcm americanearthanchors.com ampner.com apalternatives.com bajacarports.com www.bioennopower.com www.blackandmcdonald.com www.cabproducts.com castrol.com www.chiliconpower.com ctlsys.com www.cooperandturner.com www.cotek.ca www.crownbattery.com detect-inc.com www.e-onbatteries.com www.einpart.com www.eko-usa.com www.elecmat.com www.ellume.net energetechsolar.com www.fimer.com www.fischerblock.com flashtechnology.com/wind www.fortresspower.com www.ftcsolar.com www.gibraltar1.com/strategy/renewable-energy www.solisinverters.com greensourceepc.com www.heyco.com www.ingeteam.com www.ironspear.ca www.janicki.com www.leoch.us logisticusgroup.com mkbattery.com www.morningstarcorp.com www.nmifence.com hoffman.nvent.com/solar www.ohiocarbon.com suntrack.p4q.com pvlabels.com quickbolt.com www.rainwise.com RaptorMaps.com rollsbattery.com www.roof-tech.us www.rpcs.com www.rpmsteel.com Shell.us/windpower www.shoals.com www.siballc.net www.sinexcel.us skylotec.com www.sol-ark.com solarconnections.com www.myPV.pro events.solar www.sollega.com www.solmetric.com www.soltec.com www.southernstatesllc.com www.ecs-ecart.com www.theridgepro.com www.techproducts.com www.tigoenergy.com www.tmeic.com tpandl.com windcomservices.com wordrockdrills.com www.zrci.com

This year, we’re ready to host the renewable energy community safely and in-person.

SPI, ESI, and Smart Energy Week in-person & online

20-23 September | New Orleans, LA, USA (with virtual session & exhibition options) Registration now open www.smartenergyweek.com

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