North American Clean Energy July/August 2022 Issue

VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 4

2022

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

BUYERS GUIDE Pg. 67

Blurring the Lines

US renewable energy demands unprecedented cross-sector integration

Pg. 8

Asymmetric Net Metering Problems and solutions

Pg. 12

Digitizing the Grid

Keeping renewable energy on track

Pg. 46

Clean Energy Storage in Synthetic Methane

Pg. 64

Transformer Asset Tax Qualification in Renewable Energy Projects Pg. 81

Pg. 20

Pg. 42

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CONTENTS Solar Challenges 10 Solving Through GIS Technology

VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 4

2022 JULY•AUGUST Volume 16, Issue 4

2022 ENERGY

PUBLISHER

EFFICIENCY

BUYERS GUIDE

Ian Stuart istuart@nacleanenergy.com

Pg. 67

Blurring the Lines

US renewable energy demands unprecedented cross-sector integration

Pg. 8

Asymmetric Net Metering Problems and solutions

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Pg. 12

Digitizing the Grid

Keeping renewable energy on track

Quinn Stuart quinn@nacleanenergy.com

Pg. 46

Clean Energy Storage in Synthetic Methane

Pg. 64

Transformer Asset Tax Qualification in Renewable Energy Projects

EDITORS

Jill Walters editor@nacleanenergy.com

Pg. 81

Pg. 20

& energy storage 28 Solar product spotlight: Utility-Scale,

Pg. 42

NACE_JulAug2022-FINAL.indd 1

Meg Lugaric meg@nacleanenergy.com

Commercial, & Residential Inverters

2022-06-27 9:43 AM

On our cover…

Courtesy of EwingCole/ Halkin Mason Photography LLC, the cover features United Therapeuticsʼ “Unisphere”, one of the largest, commercial verified Zero Net Energy buildings in the world. The 210,000 square-foot, elliptical shaped medical research building was designed by architecture, engineering, and interior design firm EwingCole.

ART DIRECTOR

Chris Van Boeyen production@nacleanenergy.com SALES

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

EwingCole /// www.ewingcole.com

Don McIntosh dmcintosh@nacleanenergy.com

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DEPARTMENTS 8 10 26

32

32

36

42 56

57

58 67 81 82

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Top story Solar energy Solar & energy storage product spotlight: Utility-Scale, Commercial, & Residential Inverters Solar product spotlight: Rapid Shutdown Systems Solar product spotlight: Performance Monitoring Solar product spotlight: Software Wind power Wind product spotlight: Lubricants & Greases Service spotlight: Drones Energy storage 2022 Energy Efficiency Buyers Guide Investing in clean energy Events calendar & advertisers list

Blurring the Lines US renewable energy demands unprecedented cross-sector integration

12

Asymmetric Net Metering Problems and solutions

14 16

Solar’s Supply Chain Squeeze

On-Line Monitoring of Main Step-Up Transformers Pays Off for Large Solar Operator

32

Solar & Energy Storage Product Spotlight: Utility-Scale, Commercial, & Residential Inverters Solar Product Spotlight: Rapid Shutdown Systems

Cracking Under Stress What causes blade bearing cracks and where to find them before it’s too late

56

Wind Product Spotlight: Lubricants and Greases

60

Software for Fleet Management Inflection point for EV success

Digitizing the Grid Keeping renewable energy on track

62 A New Look at Performance Monitoring for Energy Storage

48

Monitoring Wind 4.0 Latest technology for turbines

64 Clean Energy Storage in Synthetic Methane

50 US Offshore Wind Ambitions Hinge on Supply Chain

67 2022 Energy Efficiency Buyers Guide

52

81 Transformer Asset Tax Qualification in Renewable Energy Projects

AI An operational must-have in the new global energy economyn

54

Passive Oil Containment for New England’s Ocean Wind

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Alison Bell abell@nacleanenergy.com 255 NEWPORT DRIVE, SUITE 336

North American Clean Energy (USPS 1370) is publishing bi-monthly and distributed free by Action Media Ltd. Periodicals postage paid at Henry, IL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to North American Clean Energy at 515 University Ave. Suite 1, Henry, IL 61537. Subscription updates can be made at circulation@nacleanenergy.com.

46

Solar Roundup

Solar Product Spotlight: Performance Monitoring

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58 Thermal Management Unlocks Safety, Dependability, Range, and Longevity for Commercial Electric Vehicles

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42 Wind Energy Drives Sustainability in Canada

32

Energy 72 2022 Efficiency Buyers Guide

Wind product spotlight: Lubricants & Greases

57 Service Spotlight: Drones

Smart Home and Building Automation

18

56

Solar Product Spotlight: Software

44

Ben Mitchell ben@nacleanenergy.com James Vail circulation@nacleanenergy.com

36

Keaton Spence keaton@nacleanenergy.com

CIRCULATION MANAGER

for Fleet Management 60 Software Inflection point for EV success

10 Solving Solar Challenges Through GIS Technology

US Offshore Wind Ambitions Hinge on Supply Chain

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EDITOR'S NOTE

T

he Good Old Days don’t seem to be as long ago as they used to. My first instinct is to place the blame on getting older, and the phenomenon of time flying by ever faster with each passing year. Looking back, I’ve always been able to reconcile that interpretation with the reality that the pace of life itself hasn’t changed – I’m the one that’s changed. For sure, technology keeps advancing at mind-blowing speed.

Yet, even that aspect of our daily lives has followed a logical timeline, dictated not so much by technology itself as our capacity to absorb those advances in a way that makes sense to us. Technology is useless without a willing user. I’m not talking about the luddites, or those of us who tend to be slower to adapt to the latest version, but how society follows a natural progression of being shocked and awed, then curious, and finally, accepting the “new” and making it the “norm”.

Nothing dates a film quite like watching the main character confidently start filming something with their video camera instead of a phone. Phones are second nature. Does anyone really even refer to them as “cell phones” anymore? (Other than on the never-ending paperwork required to check in at the doctor. And why are we still using reams of paper?!) Few people under the age of 70 wish to be caught without their phones. The early ancestors of the modern cell phone were bulky, ugly as sin, and cost a small fortune. If you could handle the monstrous price and were willing to tote a bag big enough to fit all the extra paraphernalia, you were rocking a major status symbol. Nowadays, if they own little else, the poorest among us are able to afford a cell phone.

I read something rather profound the other day. It referred to a single day in my childhood, when I went outside to play with all of my friends, never realizing that it would be the last time that would ever happen. That hit home. It also made me think about some of the games I used to play. I was kind of an idiot as a kid.

One game that beautifully illustrates my naiveté happened to be a favorite of mine: Mother May I. The object of this game is to be the first to make it over the finish line. All players start in the same place, on the starting line. One player is nominated – or, depending on the dynamic of your friend group, appoints themselves – as the “Mother”. In the guise of impartiality, the Mother faces away from all of the players. Each player takes turns asking the Mother if they can move forward. Anything from, “Mother may I take one umbrella step forward?”, to “Mother may I take two baby steps?”. The Mother either says that you can, or she rejects your request, or she gives you an alternative. The person who crosses the finish line first, wins. Yay! Only decades later did it occur to me what a hollow victory that really was. As if, by having the Mother face away from the players, all her other senses stopped working. Did I think Mother couldn’t recognize our voices? Or maybe I believed that Mother gave everyone an equal chance to win?

Nope. Mother chose the winner every time.

Years of hard work, rejection, wildly varying compensation, and learning to weigh opportunities, has taught me the value of competition. Building a product people want more than they want to hold onto their money equals success.

Forcing people to pay for something they don’t want? Depending on your point of view, that could be anything from theft to the price of creating a better world.

At a minimum, it may be seen as severe economic regimentation. Do what Mother says or be left behind.

I would love to drive an electric car that improves the quality of my life. At the very least, one that is able to match the performance of my gas-powered vehicle, recharge in the same amount of time it takes to fill my tank, and still be ready to go the distance after sitting idle for a few weeks. I would love to heat and cool my home with solar panels as reliably as I can with natural gas. I would love for wind turbines to cause zero harm to wildlife, and be able to generate as much electricity as coal and oil. All without forcing me to live beyond my means. While the government may be expert at spending my money on things I don’t really want (at least not yet), I still cling, ever optimistically, to the idea of the free market. I believe that, just as we have with smart phones, society will evolve. We’ll get there.

My hope is that we let these changes happen organically, at a pace more in tune with the natural passing of time.

"The price of ability does not depend on merit but on supply and demand."

– George Bernard Shaw

Meg

NEWS BITES

Robotic fish designed to enable efficient offshore inspections

Verlume has joined with consortium partners to progress the development of an autonomous underwater robot that moves like a fish to enable efficient offshore inspection regimes in harsh and hard-to-reach environments. The agile biomimetic autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), named RoboFish, is made up of several self-contained modules with self-managed battery and actuator control for full-body, autonomous movement around underwater structures. RoboFish was initially devised by researchers at the University of York, Department of Electrical Engineering and the University of Strathclyde, Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering with grant support from the EPSRC Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub. The first RoboFish prototype was completed in summer 2020 and research to improve it and apply it to new applications is ongoing. Two conference papers and a journal paper have been published on the RoboFish prototype, with another journal paper due to be published this year on control of the swimming gait with machine learning.

Verlume /// www.verlume.world

Solar beehive protects bees

Hanwha Group has introduced the Solar Beehive, a photovoltaic low-carbon solar beehive that uses electricity generated from solar energy. Through this project, Hanwha aims to increase bee populations by maintaining a stable environment for growth while promoting the importance of preserving biodiversity. About 40,000 bees that live in the Solar Beehive will help pollinate fruit trees and vegetation in nearby wooded areas. The program will also collect data on bee population growth and activities. The Hanwha Solar Beehive consists of two parts: a smart internal beehive that controls a growing environment for bees and an external structure that provides electricity to the beehive. The solar panels installed on top of the Solar Beehive generate electricity used to automatically monitor and control the temperature, humidity, water, and food inside the structure. The beehive also contains a smart system that monitors and controls this data through an app in real time. Prioritizing both the health and safety of the insects housed inside, the Solar Beehive can also detect the presence of hornets, the natural enemy of honey bees, by measuring and analyzing ambient sound. When hornets approach the beehive, the entrance will narrow into a passage small enough that only bees can pass through.

Hanwha Qcells GmbH /// www.hanwha.com

Long-range solar car-sharing

Lightyear is partnering with The Sharing Group to supply 5000 Lightyear Two vehicles to its car-sharing platform MyWheels. This high volume series will be available to the MyWheels fleet as of 2025. In addition, in 2023, the Lightyear One will also be added to the MyWheels platform. With this partnership, Lightyear and The Sharing Group enable Lightyear’s mission to bring clean mobility to everyone, everywhere and offer grid-independency to users of MyWheels. Lightyear One is Lightyear's first model that will only be produced in a limited quantity. The Lightyear One will go into production in late summer 2022, and first customer deliveries will begin by the end of the year.

MyWheels is establishing a sharing campaign for loyal members to be able to drive a Lightyear One as early as 2023. Lightyear Two will be the mass-market model of the technology manufacturer and will go to market in 2024/2025 with a starting price of 30,000 euros. Next to the environmental benefits of solar electric vehicles, the long-term economics are advantageous as well. Vehicles like the Lightyear One and Two generate power themselves and have less moving parts than other cars so their maintenance and operation costs will be comparatively low.

Lightyear /// www.lightyear.one

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

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North American Clean Energy

7

TOP STORY

Blurring the Lines

US renewable energy demands unprecedented cross-sector integration

by Brad Barth

P

resident Biden’s pledge to install offshore wind1 across almost the entire US coastline, in the next eight years, will require unprecedented cross-sector integration. Rapidly scaling this renewable energy source entails the interlinking of previously separate parts, processes, skills, and project partners – from sectors as diverse as oil and gas, hydrogen, and batteries.

This is a particularly significant challenge, as the US domestic offshore supply chain is not currently equipped with the necessary manufacturing, materials, transportation, and installation infrastructure. Integration and knowledge sharing with more mature regions such as Europe is to be expected.

In a similar vein, we also must keep in view the effect of volatile markets that surround the wind industry. Material shortages, supply chain crunches, and surging energy costs are already harming profitability, forcing some wind manufacturers to retreat from markets, raise prices, and reduce products. With no commercialscale offshore wind projects operational in the US today, scaling up capacity within the proposed timeline will require the country overcoming multiple barriers, to achieve in eight years what others achieved over decades.

Reaching this scale and speed of development will require new project management models that facilitate the aforementioned integration across companies, components, and build stages, to fuel high-speed, agile, and iterative construction. Organizations will have to transfer institutional memory from previous projects that could aid construction of novel new concepts, such as floating wind.

And, crucially, delivery models and contracts that split risks among all participants will need project management systems capable of synchronizing, standardizing, and monitoring project progress across many diverse components and stakeholders.

The integration challenge

Integrating resources across previously separate sectors is no easy task. It’s not just resources; we will also see a blend of assets and components adapted from other industries, be it oil rig infrastructure, metallic alloys adapted from aerospace applications, or cable protection systems adapted from subsea oil and gas pipelines2. Offshore wind platforms will also need to intersect with existing infrastructure from other energy sectors like gas pipelines and electricity grids.

While this integration will allow rapid climbing of the offshore wind maturity curve, there remains a steep task ahead, with an urgent need to connect data. Doing so will provide visibility across a diverse array of suppliers, partners, components, and build phases.

It’s important to note that, in addition to acting as a desirable success accelerant, data sharing is non-negotiable to offshore wind’s success. Wide access to data is not only essential to novel wind concepts, but cumbersome approvals processes will require rapid and iterative development, where construction is continually refined by connecting data across each build phase. Similarly, progressive delivery and design-build projects (where construction

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

and design happen continuously across distinct scopes of work, and integrated risks are shared among participants) will need real-time data transparency among all project partners.

A post-pandemic supply chain squeeze, exacerbated by massive additional demand for materials catalyzed by the US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, has created a new imperative for predictive planning, procurement, and logistics across all components; this will aid in anticipating and averting shortages.

and trust among diverse project teams.

To help overcome the supply chain challenges at play, barcode, RFID, and GPS sensors enable real-time identification3 and tracking of all components, equipment, and tools, to help predict and prevent material shortages and logistics issues. Also, predictive pricing and scheduling can model the impact of different scenarios, from inflation to supply chain crunches, on everything from cash flow to delivery dates at concept stage.

Collaborative project management methods

Navigating the challenge

It’s clear to see, given the complex ecosystem of expertise, components, partners, and build phases ever expanding to support the rapid scalability of offshore wind, that new project controls systems capable of advanced information sharing are a necessity. Project partners will need real-time visibility of construction site activity, people, equipment, and materials to predict and prevent delays caused by lack of resource availability.

Crucially, they will need live oversight of project progress against both cost and time constraints to avoid schedule or budget overruns.

Encouragingly, the expansion of Construction 4.0 technologies – from data analytics, to artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) – is enabling organizations to create a digital feedback loop by sharing insights and information across end-to-end build phases. This will drive dynamic, data-driven construction processes that are collaboratively and continually refined across project lifecycles. Integrated project management platforms allow insights to be captured and crossfertilized from one project to another, creating a virtuous circle of data where each new project grows progressively “smarter” than the last.

Advanced project controls systems can also ensure consistent tracking of progress on each task against predefined milestones or rules of credit, creating a predictable project-wide picture of progress. And digital twin technology can connect operational data from different project participants, enabling cross-departmental decision-making that creates closer alignment between diverse project partners.

New technologies bring program and project data together to offer holistic real-time visibility across end-to-end lifecycles, helping foster transparency

The offshore wind industry in the US has an incredibly exciting future. Billed as one of the vital renewable technologies to support the country’s drive to net zero, we are quite literally in the midst of making history. And, because of how quickly offshore wind needs to grow – especially with the weight of combatting climate change resting on its shoulders – it is imperative that we address any barriers in the way of success.

Integration is one such barrier; it’s also the best opportunity to unlock the vast insights and asset sharing capabilities available in the energy, construction, and engineering industries.

The Construction 4.0 revolution holds the key to helping the US offshore wind industry deliver new capital projects more efficiently, and traverse the challenges of a sector where demand for new projects is far outpacing the construction industry’s capacity to keep up.

Brad Barth is Chief Product Officer at InEight, which provides field-tested construction project management software for the owners, contractors, engineers, and architects.

InEight /// ineight.com www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/ statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-bidenadministration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energyprojects-to-create-jobs/ 2 ore.catapult.org.uk/blog/cross-sector-innovationat-the-heart-of-offshore-wind/ 3 www.intelliwavetechnologies.com/featuredprojects/ 1

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North American Clean Energy

9

SOLAR ENERGY

Solving Solar Challenges Through GIS Technology

by Christopher Nichols

T

he decade of solar development continues. With a growing focus on climate change, the federal government1 has increasingly pushed for the expansion of alternative energy resources, such as solar farms. In response, in 2021, the American solar industry deployed2 a record 23.6 gigawatts of energy generating capacity.

As a number of states, like New York, are aiming to install even more gigawatts by 2030 to meet national sustainability goals3, solar teams need greater flexibility, collaboration, and innovation in project plans.

Geographic information systems (GIS)4 are important for project planning; they provide the flexibility needed to save time and team resources. Instead of what used to be a drawn-out process of conducting land research from several disparate sources, GIS gives solar teams up-to-date and useful information, right at their fingertips.

Using data-rich mapping through the project planning phase, solar teams can be timely and effective in today’s competitive market. GIS can even help solar developers confidently overcome some of the industry’s biggest challenges.

GIS makes it easier for solar teams to save time searching for and identifying the right property, by providing all the necessary data in just minutes.

Challenge 1: Checking the Boxes – Land That Meets Project Criteria

After developers have successfully identified a property that meets criteria and specifications for their next project, the next step is to gain investor buy in. To do so, they have to prove the land’s value to potential investors, who may not be as familiar with the project details as the developer. Therefore, solar project leads need to clearly communicate the benefits of a land parcel, and outline key project points, to prove that it is a return-worthy investment.

A solar developer has land data at their fingertips with GIS, as well as the capability to visualize it through custom graphs, interactive presentations, and plans.

These visual resources are more likely to lead into investor buy in, as 40 percent of people5 are more inclined to respond positively to visual information.

First and foremost, the success of any new project depends on solar developers finding property in close proximity to the grid.

From there, developers need to consider certain criteria (i.e., whether a land parcel is even buildable, if the area is prone to flooding, etc.) to truly be effective.

Searching for land that meets that criteria is often no easy task. For instance, developers can spend countless days sifting through county records, aerial photography, and other available information to locate the data to identify proper distribution lines, transmission lines, and substations.

Challenge 2: Identifying Risks Before Experiencing Development Pitfalls

Due to the scarcity of available land near the grid, development professionals may find themselves quickly jumping to secure land parcels, just to beat out competition. Later, they uncover hidden risks not initially visible (such as when a developer invests in a “suitable property”, only to discover that the land is located in a flood zone).

Armed with GIS technology, solar land developers have a greater probability of identifying risks before investing in a property – avoiding unidentified pitfalls such as topography challenges, wetlands, and land buildability.

Challenge 3: Meeting Financial and Investor Needs to Gain Project Buy-In

Challenge 4: Combatting the Labor Shortage & Remaining Organized

With the continued focus on achieving sustainability goals, the solar industry is in a high demand for top talent across the nation. In fact, the rate of solar jobs in the U.S. has increased 167 percent over the past decade6 – 5 times faster than growth rates of other industries. Despite demand for workers, however, the U.S. is currently experiencing a labor shortage that may cause staffing issues across solar teams.

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

When solar land developers are ready to begin executing on their land plan (after receiving investor buy-in), they need to ensure their teams are well equipped to succeed. It’s key to have a clear vision, and a strong, collaborative team.

Whether labor shortages affect staffing, teams are stretched thin, or developers are struggling to manage large teams, projects can sometimes be overwhelming and disorganized.

With GIS, solar land developers are equipped to better manage teams of all sizes. It provides easier collaboration from top to bottom - and across state lines - by creating one, centralized data source for all team members to collaborate, track progress, share project details, and more.

Before venturing into your next solar project, ensure you’re armed with the right tools and technology to succeed at every step of the way.

Christopher Nichols serves as leader of the geothinQ team. He possesses over 25 years of experience in GIS and remote sensing technology.

geothinQ /// geothinq.com joebiden.com/9-key-elements-of-joe-bidens-plan-for-a-cleanenergy-revolution/ 2 www.woodmac.com/industry/power-and-renewables/us-solarmarket-insight/ 3 www.utilitydive.com/news/new-york-nearly-doubles-goal-fordistributed-solar-installations-on-success/606890/ 4 geothinq.com/?utm_source=nacleanenergy&utm_medium=media 5 blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33423/19-reasons-youshould-include-visual-content-in-your-marketing-data.aspx?

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North American Clean Energy

11

SOLAR ENERGY

Asymmetric Net Metering

Problems and solutions

by Alex Bazhinov

The California Public Utility Commission’s (CPUC) latest proposal for net energy metering, (NEM) 3.0, has raised many questions and eyebrows within the residential solar and energy storage world. While California’s stance to diminish the potential return on investment (ROI) for residential solar has been temporarily paused, it brought up the imminent question: how can people protect themselves from potential rate increases?

As residential solar continues to grow, initiatives like this threaten the industry’s momentum. They also pose potential risks that net metering creates. As the industry looks for answers, existing technology utilizes mitigation strategies to bring a solar return on investment in line with net metering.

Net metering and its problems

To understand this situation, people need to know what NEM is and where it stands today: with net metering, utilities only charge users for their net electricity purchases.

If people generate excess solar, their electricity meter “runs backward,” reducing, or completely negating their bill. Opponents of net metering argue that residential solar owners are not paying their fair share for grid infrastructure usage, resulting in rate hikes that impact lower-income groups more than higher-income groups. Net metering’s opponents do not all agree on the residential rate structure that should prevail, but all solutions fall under the umbrella term: asymmetric net metering.

Asymmetric net metering

With asymmetric net metering, electricity purchases and sales are not equal. This structure has many different forms, with the most common being flat fees and net billing. Flat fees allow utility providers to determine a user’s monthly energy bill by net electricity imports. Still, there is an additional fixed monthly “grid access charge” for customers who want to sell their excess generation back to the grid. With net billing, the utility company compensates users at a lower rate for electricity sales back to the grid than they charge for electricity purchases.

The current proposal from the CPUC levies both these forms of asymmetric net metering; this will result in a drastic extension in the payback period for an average home solar installation in California, and a likely backsliding of rooftop solar adoption.

If passed, the CPUC proposal will be a big blow to the residential solar industry, given that California is the nationwide leader in residential solar deployment. Many fear this is a bellwether for future policy changes in other states across the nation.

Threat to residential solar

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Although the proposal includes both a “storage evolution fund” and an “equity fund” to rollout solar installations for lower-income and polluted communities, solar homeowners will still be disadvantaged; the proposal interrupts the dropping capital costs and improved financing structures that currently make solar extremely affordable for lower-income Californians.

The takeaway from this push for asymmetric net metering is that generating excess solar energy during parts of the day, then selling it back to the grid, is likely not a sustainable long-term solution for homeowners with residential solar. However, there are several solutions available, even if asymmetric net metering takes hold across the country.

Undersize solar

Since a switch to asymmetric net metering will not impact the value of any energy that you self-consume, the most obvious (but least impactful) solution is to undersize a solar array so that it never generates excess electricity.

The current NEM framework in California pays homeowners the “retail rate” – around 20 to 30 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) – for excess electricity sent back to the grid. This rate is also the same amount they originally pay to receive electricity from the grid. The new framework proposes to decrease this payment to around 5 cents per kWh, referred to as an “avoided cost” rate.

To steer clear of this new “avoided cost” rate, and facilitate lower system costs, homeowners need to be more vigilant in monitoring their solar production. A home with limited energy production will be powered mostly by fossil fuel generation from the grid. System management and optimization will be critical factors in successfully adjusting to this new rate change for solar customers.

New solar customers may not use all available rooftop space for a new solar array. If they are limited to building an overall smaller array, they will have to optimize their arrays to produce the maximum solar power to support their needs. On the other hand, existing solar customers may not quickly redesign their existing solar arrays. Still, they can easily

adjust to these new rate changes with energy management tools. Features such as monitoring, management, and even optimization can help homeowners curtail excess energy production.

While this is a solution to help homeowners in the short term, this option is not the best solution for the industry; it slows down decarbonization, and our fight to reduce climate change impacts.

home energy assets to match solar generation profiles such as EV charge time, controlling HVAC, water heater timing, and pool pump operations.

As it stands today, asymmetric net metering could be very detrimental to the solar industry. However, with a wellimplemented smart energy management system, a homeowner can maximize self-consumption of solar generation, minimize excess solar sales to the grid, and maximize the return on investment for residential solar systems by treating their home as an actively and intelligently-managed microgrid.

Alex Bazhinov is Founder & CEO of Lumin. He had the idea for Lumin while tending to his first start up, DreamPower, which he founded at the University of Virginia’s iLab while earning his graduate degree at UVA’s Darden School of Business. Alex hails from Moscow, Russia, where he held senior finance positions in global firms, spending six years at Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest nickel and palladium producer, and as CFO at the global manufacturing conglomerate, Sandvik.

Lumin /// www.luminsmart.com

Install batteries

Another option is to install a big enough battery to consume all your excess solar generation during the day to discharge at night. Initial costs of adding an energy storage system can be high, due to product pricing and installation fees.

Still, homeowners will significantly benefit in the long run when pairing solar and storage together.

A homeowner with an energy storage system can schedule many, or all, of a home’s loads during demand peaks, the specific times of day, or the season when power is highly required and used. Doing so avoids peak time-of-use energy charges from the utility, and lessens the home’s reliance on the grid when fossil fuel usage is at its highest. Besides providing power during demand peaks, energy storage systems maintain a steady energy flow during suboptimal weather conditions and grid outages. The latter may come with the additional benefit for California, which has had a number of large power outages due to grid instability over the past several years.

The new proposal outlines a “storage evolution fund” that offers existing solar customers without energy storage systems (both residential and commercial) rebates of $200 per kWh for installing a battery system – under the condition of switching to NEM 3.0 within the next four years. The rebate decreases the longer a customer waits to change.

Energy storage systems help all homeowners build their power grids, use sustainable electrical power, and greatly reduce dependence on the local grid.

The 1P Tra cke r by Sol tec

Use a smart energy system

One of the best strategies for a homeowner is to maximize the use of solar power generated onsite. This would, in turn, minimize the use of energy imported from the grid at a higher price.

The most efficient solution to achieve this goal is installing a smart energy management system that will intelligently control circuits, to ensure that homeowners are self-consuming as much of their solar as possible, whether or not the system has a paired battery.

These solutions work with appliances, electric vehicle (EV) charging hardware, and solar and storage systems, to help homeowners address energy consumption, and load more precisely.

This technology can also schedule various

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North American Clean Energy

13

SOLAR ENERGY

Solarʼs Supply Chain Squeeze

by Joerg Gmeinbauer and Riad Habib

T

he clean energy sector exhibits a sunny outlook, poised for acceleration. Renewables are set to account for almost 95 percent of the increase in global power capacity through 2026, with solar PV alone providing more than half. Global solar PV installations are projected to see over 20 percent growth in 2022, surpassing the 200 GWdc barrier for the first time. This is necessitating an exponential increase in manufacturing capacities for everything from panels and modules, to inverters and trackers.

But supply chain challenges continue to bubble up and threaten the future of the industry. Solar suppliers, manufacturers, developers, and utilities alike face great uncertainty surrounding the immediate future of the market, as the landscape continues to be riddled with volatility stemming from various factors. These include The Antidumping and Countervailing Duties (AD/CVD) Anti-Circumvention Petition, Section 201 Tariffs, the Department of Commerce Tariffs, ongoing supply chain issues stemming from COVID-19, and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The crux here is that supply chain disruptions stemming from these factors are increasing shipping and equipment costs for solar components, driving a spike in pricing, which causes project delays and further constrains the market.

Until recently, declining PV system costs—which fell by more than 50 percent, on global average, from 2013 to 2020—have been a core reason for the explosive growth of the industry. In 2021, however, PV systems costs increased by 4 percent yearon-year due to shortages of components, raw materials, and labor, as well as rising shipping costs. Despite these new impediments, strong demand persists, resulting in installations in key markets and driving expansion. But, will this trajectory last?

14

Strategies and policies for supply chain resilience

A massive scale up is anticipated as demand for solar energy proliferates. The IEA predicts that almost two-thirds of electricity generation needs to be renewable by 2030, in order to set the world up to achieve the 2050 Paris Agreement target. There is a vast gap between what we have now, and what we need for the future. As it stands, the supply chain is not equipped to deliver to meet these goals.

Meeting the goals would require adding 12 percent more renewable generating capacity each year, over the next eight years – double the current rate. This will require much faster deployment of renewable technologies to achieve the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario.

New business players and regions (including leaders from the Oil & Gas segment) must join the transitioning efforts in the march toward renewables. Eventually, we will need to see whole new supply chains - without previous track records in renewables – emerging to deliver the immense scale up required to achieve net-zero. Making this work in terms of quality, safety, and competitiveness will be the key challenge in this transition.

Additionally, government policies that are currently lagging will need to become more proactive and supportive to harness new investment and expand capacity.

Many solar players expressed concern regarding the recent Department of Commerce investigation, announced in March of this year. Tariffs in the solar industry are not new (they have been around since 2012), but what was concerning to the industry was the level of uncertainty now facing developers and the deregulated market. The recent decision by the Administration, which pauses tariffs on South East Asian panel imports for two years, was very welcome. It does two things. First, it creates a sense of regulatory certainty for the investor community, which will spur development and The equation for sustainable growth construction activities. Solar project cost escalations create significant delays, as they In 2021, the US installed more wind, solar, and battery not only impact the CAPEX spend for developers, but also create issues with previously storage than any year in history. But as Heather Zichal, negotiated offtake Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Second, the Administration will CEO and president of American Clean Power, so be invoking the Defense Act to promote the build out of US supply chains. This will both eloquently said, “As important as 2021 was, 2022 will be enable cost parity with foreign manufactures, and reduce outside volatility. the year that determines whether we accelerate progress All this must happen swiftly. The target goals are aggressive, and pose a significant or whether we plateau”. supply chain risk. The foundational backbone is to build a resilient supply chain with How do we succeed? The future shows promise for tools that provide real-time insight into its health. Two dimensions are important when new growth paths for the renewable energy industry, talking about resilience: thanks to advanced technologies and business models 1. Supply chain resistance: The ability a supply chain has to sustain disruptions encouraging supply chain resilience, and potentially whilst maintaining business continuity supportive policies from an administration focused on 2. Supply chain responsiveness: The ability to recover quickly after being hit by combatting climate change. an external shock.

If a supply chain management system is set up and implemented correctly, ZTZ – THE PIONEER IN TRANSFORMER CONDITION MONITORING companies can react swiftly and adjust 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE ● 5000 SYSTEMS IN-SERVICE ● LIFETIME WARRANTY seamlessly to unexpected changes like those caused by COVID-19. Artificial A TRANSFORMER MONITORING SYSTEM IS LOW-COST INSURANCE intelligence, machine learning, and PROTECTING YOU FROM RANDOM AND NEEDLESS REVENUE LOSS advanced analytics are key tools driving CAUSED BY STEP-UP TRANSFORMER FAILURE speed, accuracy, and efficiency in how SEND AN EMAIL TO REQUEST A TURNKEY SYSTEM QUOTE supply chains are managed.

A digital platform and supply chain risk WWW.ZTZSERVICES.US management solution can offer instant TECHINFO@ZTZSERVICES.US insight via real-time data. By providing total visibility on the known—and unknown—risks threatening processes today, this digital tool helps businesses prepare for potential roadblocks and mitigate risk, reducing shocks.

Regardless of the cause, when an incident occurs, you need to know quickly, assess the potential risk, and take

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

action to protect your business. Using field data collected from independent on-site verification of critical suppliers and partners can help to customize risk assessment of your supply chain. These risks include business continuity, HSE vulnerability, logistics and inventory, security, technical capability, as well as governance and social engagement. On top of this, ESG has become a major focus for supply chain management; business ethics, responsible sourcing, and climate change are top priorities for the industry.

The solar supply chain is very complex.

Smart businesses must assess risks by supplier, project, geography, product category, and tier. This helps minimize shocks to demand, pricing, and logistics.

It also drives supply chain value through a focus on risk management and process control. Ultimately, companies are able to build better supplier ecosystems that are based on transparency and trust.

These capabilities are critical – not only to manage the volatilities stemming from today’s crises, but also to prepare for a sustainable future. Mere band-aid solutions are no longer enough to navigate the landscapes. Leading companies that emerge from crisis environments will be those with advanced supply chain management practices in place, both to mitigate a wide range of risks, and to perform under various market conditions.

A saturated industry is a less resilient industry. Global supply chain diversification can reduce disruptions to ensure that a company is not fully reliant on potentially undependable sources, enabling them to pivot to alternatives as needed.

For long-term sustainability of the solar industry, policymakers need to prioritize removing forced labor out of supply chains by increasing visibility, diversifying sourcing, incentivizing projects, and supporting research and development of innovative technologies.

As it continues to grow, the industry will to improve resilience throughout the entire solar supply chain, building more efficient business models that are better for companies, consumers, and the planet. Looking ahead to next year and beyond, the trend towards sustainability and transparency will press on. Ultimately, companies that take the extra steps to de-risk projects will be the ones setting a higher standard for industry and supply chain partners, building a pathway for long-term success.

Joerg Gmeinbauer is Global VP, Renewables, Power & Utilities at Bureau Veritas SA, and Riad Habib is SVP, Energy & Industry for Bureau Veritas North America. Bureau Veritas offers services and solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure, and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection, and social responsibility.

Bureau Veritas North America /// www.bvna.com

North American Clean Energy

15

SOLAR ENERGY

On-Line Monitoring of Main Step-Up Transformers Pays Off for Large Solar Operator

by John Eastman

Figure 1

W

hen entrepreneurial engineers began playing with the first microprocessors in the late 1970s, they sought out markets that could use autonomous systems to interpret data from outboard sensors, and report the conditions to stakeholders. The value proposition was the savings realized by replacing the process of manual testing with expensive test sets, and the staff of trained specialists performing the tests Figure 2: 12-channel bushing monitor (giving judgements on those results). system installed beside the transformer.

Since the early days of Intel 8080 or Motorola 6800 processors, there have been many types of condition monitors aimed at the utility substation. Many have come and gone; most were less reliable than the equipment they were monitoring. Many of these had some merit, but, in the early days, communicating that data to stakeholders was not possible.

The goal, even in the 1970s, was to communicate the answer– the distillation of the data – toward an action plan. However, the early monitors garnered no trust.

They simply routed raw data to experts who were tasked with reviewing it. Data management became a thorny issue; scanning through data produced by monitors by asset SMEs quickly became impossible, especially in light of the layoffs and downsizing happening at the time.

Add to this problem the short lifespan of the early monitors, and the many companies that produced them, and it’s clear why the concepts never reached a full potential of usefulness. The goal for on-line monitoring was to give an actionable signal that an asset was in trouble, with a time margin to intervene and prevent a failure. Continually serving up data for a “panel of experts”, to then give a recommendation on the condition of an asset, was never the value proposition.

The early adopters of monitoring quickly learned that monitoring systems do not immediately reduce the maintenance budget. In fact, the reverse was true.

Monitoring quickly identifies the “bad actors”, so they could be moved up the list for service. Only after the emergent assets were repaired and tested would the O&M expenses gradually decrease. Maintenance managers discovered a “sweet spot”, where deployed monitoring and regular manual testing worked together to produce a lower Figure 3: Precision-engineered bushing sensors installed on the C1 bushing test taps. overall minimum cost.

With the refinement of the monitoring system over decades, many renewable energy installations (and utilities in general) have moved to nearly full reliance of on-line condition monitoring, thereby making the total expense only the depreciated cost of the monitoring system. The reality of the reliable automatic system is that calendar-based maintenance is nearly gone.

In May 2021, a bushing monitoring system was installed by factory field Figure 4: H1 bushing nameplate showing engineers on the main step-up power 0.47% power factor rating.

16

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

transformer at a large solar installation in Imperial County, California. For this system, six signals from the transformer bushing C1 test taps were given by bushing sensors, three low-side voltage signals were taken from PTs, and three high-side voltage signals were taken from CCVTs. The use of all twelve Figure 5: Measurements, in percent, plotted from day of phasor measurements installation to mid-August, 2021. resulted in an extremely robust system with very high signal-to-noise ratio. By using measured system phasor quantities, the bushing attributes can be very accurately known.

Within a few days, it was quite apparent there was a problem with the H1 high side bushing, with power factor nearing three times nameplate (Figure 4). Phase H2 and H3 showed stable power factor, essentially at nameplate values.

Because of the heavy load cycle, this transformer was classified as being applied to “rough service”. The high power factor reading put it beyond the limit for any “watch list”, but was classified as “unstable”, and in danger of failure.

The bushing was tested with off-line techniques, which confirmed the high power factor of H1. Plots of bushing capacitance and high side imbalance current were stable since the monitor installation, showing the likelihood that the H1 bushing had high power factor when the transformer was commissioned.

With a spare transformer being located 1,800 miles away, a transformer replacement would take at least four weeks. The lost revenue during this time would be ten times the value of the transformer. The operator of the solar farm prudently replaced the H1 bushing during a nighttime outage, with no loss of revenue, likely saving the cost and lost revenue of a catastrophic failure.

Scheduling the repair work during the night time hours would not affect revenue.

Given the excellent performance history of over 700 bushing monitors installed within the parent utility, trusting the guidance of the monitor toward the prompt bushing replacement was an easy decision.

Figure 6: Night time H1 bushing replacement.

John Eastman is President of ZTZ Services International. He has 30 years' experience with substation testing and development of online predictive maintenance products. Previously, John was Global Business Manager for circuit breaker monitoring products at INCON and Franklin Grid Solutions, and named on two US Patents related to new monitoring concepts. He is a graduate of University of Maine in Electrical Engineering, and recently an MS in Teaching & Learning for secondary school Mathematics. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, and lives in Portland, Maine.

ZTZ Services International /// www.ztzservices.us

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North American Clean Energy

17

SOLAR ENERGY

Smart Home and Building Automation

by Magnus Asbo

No matter how much a home or commercial building is able to reduce its energy requirements, it is nearly impossible to completely eliminate energy demand.

However, with solar, the building can become its own energy generator

As the world is moving towards sustainability and energy independence, so too is building architecture. As architecture begins to change to incorporate these values, we are more frequently seeing net-zero buildings and green building rating systems, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). In parallel, commercial buildings and homes are becoming smarter. This has opened the way towards managing energy in a more efficient manner.

One of the ways to better manage energy is to design buildings that require less of it. For example, using passive ventilation techniques, passive solar energy, double/ triple pane glass, and thermal mass material to help reduce (and possibly eliminate) the requirement for HVAC units. There are many other areas in which designs can decrease the energy requirements of a building, including energy-efficient lighting, passive lighting, water conservation, and more. Yet, no matter how much a home or a commercial building is able to reduce its energy requirements, it is nearly impossible

to completely eliminate energy demand.

However, the building itself can become its own energy generator.

One of the most promising aspects of solar energy, versus other types of renewable energy, is that it is designed to be a distributed power source. Almost anybody with a roof has the potential to install their very own energy generation system, truly placing power into the hands of the people. For commercial buildings and homes with large rooftops, adding a photovoltaic (PV) system can be an excellent way to produce the amount of energy that is consumed on site.

For commercial buildings with large rooftops, as well as homes, adding a PV system can be an excellent way to produce the amount of energy that is consumed on-site

18

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Based in California, Magnus Asbo is the Senior Director of Residential Technical Marketing at smart energy solutions provider, SolarEdge. He can be reached at: Magnus.Asbo@solaredge.com.

SolarEdge /// www.solaredge.com

Si-RS485TC-T-MB

Pictures show a solar+backup interface and batteries installed to create a smart home ecosystem in a Washington home. energy. Excess PV energy generated during the day can be stored in a battery, to be used in place of electricity from the grid during the evening, when tariff charges are typically higher.

Shifting energy consumption is another form of energy management that can increase selfconsumption. This technique combines the technology of smart buildings with PV energy.

By merging these two technologies, smart energy management solutions can automatically use a PV system’s excess power to increase solar energy usage, help lower electricity bills, increase energy independence, and provide greater convenience. Devices and appliances such as immersion heaters, lighting, fans, and pool pumps, can be controlled by smart energy management solutions (including AC switches with a meter, plug-in sockets with a meter, and dry contact switches). With the immersion heater, excess PV energy can be directed towards water heating, which is a lowcost form of energy storage. While the other devices allow appliances – pool pumps, fans, cold-storage, thermostats, and lighting – to be remotely controlled and utilized during high PV production for increased self-consumption.

In addition to increasing energy independence, smart energy management allows for a simple user experience, especially when combined into one integrated energy management and monitoring platform. This enables a more streamlined smart energy and building management process to reduce operation and maintenance costs. As the technology advances, we will continue to see more opportunities to further integrate it into making buildings more energy efficient, like weather and irradiance forecasting integrated into energy management systems to help ensure more efficient planning of building heating, or personalized profiles and thermostat controls that can help increase comfort without additional resources. Combining these types of technology with architectural designs can help our buildings exist in better harmony within their surroundings and environment.

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Adding solar energy to a building’s energy mix is a crucial aspect in making a building more energy independent, but it’s only the first step. The next step is improving the management of that energy in order to increase self-consumption. This is because energy usage does not always align with the energy generation of a PV system. As such, there are two ways that the energy can be managed to overcome this inconsistency. The first technique is energy storage, and the second is consumption shifting.

Energy storage is an essential part of smart energy management; it stores energy when it is produced for consumption at a later time, instead of either limiting energy production, or feeding it back into the grid. With PV+storage systems, the inverter is responsible for managing battery charge and discharge patterns to meet consumption needs, and reduce the amount of power purchased from the grid.

For example, in time-of-use (TOU) markets like California, energy storage can protect consumers from higher rates during peak periods, when PV systems are likely to be producing little or no

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SOLAR ENERGY

Solar Roundup

by Brad Hise

I

n response to climate change and the need for renewable energy sources, construction specialists are finding that a growing number of clients are diversifying into alternative options such as solar, hydroelectric, bioenergy, wind, and geothermal technologies. Solar power is currently the most established of all the low-carbon technologies.

Many facilities are capable of generating double- and even triple-digit megawatts of power, enough to power entire communities. The Solar Energy Industries Association recently set a goal for the U.S. to generate 30 percent of its energy via solar power by 2030.

It’s an ambitious goal not too far out of reach, as solar facilities currently account for 46 percent of all new energy generating capacity in the U.S. In fact, the U.S. is currently ranked second worldwide for largest installed solar energy systems, with 3,322,162 solar power systems in place. These systems help drastically reduce the United States’ carbon footprint and create enough power for 23.3 million households. With this carbon emission reduction, 136 million metric tons of CO2 emissions are prevented, the equivalent to removing 30 million vehicles off the road, saving 15 billion gallons of gas.

A large part of these efforts is due to state mandates such as renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which require energy retailers in the U.S. to supply a certain percentage of electricity from renewable sources. As a result, many utilities companies are investing in sustainable energy solutions, and working on developing strategies to reduce their environmental impact.

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Lift modules safely and quickly

The Solmetric Module Lift safely and quickly transports PV modules to a roof. No motors, lightweight, and sets up by one person in 5 minutes.

It uses an existing fiberglass Werner or Louisville extension ladder. A pulley system attaches to the top of the ladder. A patented module "hook" secures the edge of a PV module frame and prevents lateral sliding of the module. An operator pulls the rope to raise the module. The module slides along the outward facing surface of the ladder rails. "Ramps" allow the module to slide over any discontinuities in the ladder surface (e.g. the step between sections in the ladder). The pulley assembly includes a brake that prevents the module from sliding back down the ladder in case the bottom operator releases the rope too soon. An operator at the top removes the module and releases the brake to lower the hook. The Solmetric Module Lift enables OSHA compliance.

Solmetric /// www.solmetric.com

Renewable solar energy uses the sun’s radiant heat and light to generate power that is naturally replenished and inexhaustible. Solar power is sourced through photovoltaic (PV) solar panels containing small PV cells made of semi-conductive materials that are installed in large, decentralized, ground-mounted installations, creating utility scale solar farms across the country. These PV modules use a range of technologies to harness the sun’s power, changing sunlight directly into electricity, generating voltage, and creating the ability of matter to emit electrons when bathed in light: known as the “photovoltaic effect”. Energy is created when cells are created from semiconductor materials; the sun’s rays hit the cells and loosen electrons from the atoms. The electrons then flow through the cells, creating electricity. Once the energy is converted to electricity, it’s distributed to the power grid on high-voltage lines for distribution and consumption.

Benefits of solar power are plenty, but the most well-known is reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Energy from the sun reduces dependencies on coal and electricity, thus reducing CO2 emissions. Greenhouse gasses are known to trap heat and warm the planet, contributing to the greenhouse effect. This can increase temperatures and affect atmospheric composition. As a clean and renewable energy source (without relying on fossil fuels or other sources), solar power reduces these CO2 emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) states that solar power is tracking to set records for new global developments each year after 2022, with 125 GW new capacity average expected globally between 2021 and 2025. The goal is to continue toward this great reduction and, ideally, net zero emissions by the year 2050.

Significant world goals and emission reduction in line with the Paris Agreement are greatly spurring solar growth and capacity. According to the UN, solar trends are predicted to continue at staggering rates, serving not only as renewable energy sources, but also contributing to growing segments of global energy production.

Almost half of emissions cuts must be in place by 2030 in order to create a lower carbon economy, and keep global warming below 1.5°C. This huge milestone cannot happen if fossil fuel production doesn’t decline by approximately six percent per year between now and 2030.

We’ve seen the cost of solar energy generation fall dramatically over the past few years. Solar industry cost-reduction roadmaps and technological innovations will create higher-efficiency modules, further reducing the cost of materials, and positioning solar energy as unbeatable when compared to fossil fuels. After all, this positive impact on the environment and climate change is the future we hope to achieve.

Brad Hise is Operations Manager at PCL Construction, full-service construction specialists that cover industries around the world. Brad can be reached at BMHise@PCL.com.

PCL Construction /// www.pcl.com North American Clean Energy

21

SOLAR ENERGY

Static ground mount system

The new Static Ground Mount from Kinetic Solar Racking and Mounting is suitable for all framed bifacial PV modules (PVM) and monofacial PV modules. The static ground mount is available in landscape and portrait configurations. It is engineered for a (q50) Wind Load of up to 1.0kPa, a snow load of 2.5kPa, and a rain load of 0.8kPa. It is designed for ease of installation with the use of datums, there is no need for drilling or cutting. With hot-dipped galvanized finished frames, aluminum rails, standard Kinetic end-clamps, mid-clamps, and stainless-steel hardware, the Static Ground Mount is available for modules sized up to 2300mm x 1160mm or equivalent total area.

Kinetic Solar Racking and Mounting /// www.kineticsolar.com

Nailable solar shingle

GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company has launched its Timberline Solar roof to North and South Carolina residents. Timberline Solar integrates solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials. This new system incorporates a nailable solar shingle, the Timberline Solar ES Energy Shingle, which is assembled domestically at GAF Energy’s U.S. manufacturing and R&D facility. Timberline Solar boasts a depth of less than a quarter inch and integrates with traditional shingles to create a sleek and attractive look.

It has achieved UL’s 7103 certification, which authorizes GAF Energy to install the system on residential roofs as a roofing product and a solar energy product. In addition, GAF Energy worked with Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy research and development lab, to verify the product’s strength and durability.

GAF Energy /// www.gaf.energy

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

The new SMP12 is a fast response spectrally flat Class A pyranometer that combines solid-state dome heating preventing dew and frost, with no moving parts, and powerful surge protection to maximize accuracy and minimize maintenance. The SMP12 combines sensor and diffuser technology from the RaZON+ PH1 and PR1 radiometers with an enhanced version of the Smart interface and the low maintenance of the SMP10. The SMP12 has an internal drying cartridge that will last for at least 10 years if the housing is not opened.

This further reduces maintenance significantly. The SMP12 has a 2-wire RS-485 Modbus RTU interface but it does not have an analog output. The characteristics of the thermopile detector provide a fast response time of less than half a second. The wide power supply range from 10 to 30VDC makes integration into solar energy plant performance monitoring stations easy.

SMP12 has 2-stage surge and reverse polarity on the power input and 3-stage surge protection on the RS-485 data lines. The calibrated sensitivity is stored in memory and the Modbus irradiance value is directly in W/m2. Pyranometers can be exchanged or recalibrated and no changes in the plant monitoring data logger or SCADA system are needed.

SmartExplorer Windows software provides data logging on a PC, display of data, changing RS-485 communication settings, setting the Modbus address, and more. SmartExplorer is free and can be downloaded from the web.

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Solar cell with 47.6% efficiency

Self-contained, low-power data recorder

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Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, using a new antireflection coating, have successfully increased the efficiency of the best four-junction solar cell to date from 46.1 to 47.6% at a concentration of 665 suns. The layer structure of the new solar cell was developed back in 2016 together with the French company Soitec Inc., that designs and manufactures semiconductor materials. The upper tandem solar cell is made of gallium indium phosphide (GaInP) and aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs), which was bonded by Soitec onto a lower tandem solar cell made of gallium indium arsenide phosphide (GaInAsP) and gallium indium arsenide (GaInAs). Now an improved contact layer and a 4-layer antireflection coating were applied to the tandem cell structure in Fraunhofer ISE’s Center for High Efficiency Solar Cells. These measures reduce the resistance losses and the reflection on the front side of the cell, which is spectrally sensitive within a broad range of 300 and 1780 nanometers.

CAS’s new VersaLog SDR-USB Serial Data Logger provides an inexpensive, selfcontained, and low-power solution for the basic recording of RS-232 serial data to a removable USB memory stick in a standard PC-compatible text file. It offers a user-configurable baud rate, real-time clock for optional timestamp, standard FAT32 file format, and LED status indicators. The SDR-USB does not require any special configuration software, all settings are controlled by a simple text file stored on the USB stick. The configuration flexibility and straightforward setup make it easy to deploy into any serial data recording application. Users can be recording their data within minutes--not days or weeks. The SDR-USB is supplied with a plug-in AC power adapter and a 2GB USB memory stick, everything needed to get started logging serial data from scales, meters, gas analyzers, PLCs, and more.

TWO GREAT WAYS TO INSTALL SOLAR ON SSMR NEITHER USE SET SCREWS

gth Stren ING 5 T CA RACK Up to

Co RACst-Sav KLE ing SS Customized switchgear simulators

Russelectric, A Siemens Business announces the availability of Switchgear Simulators designed to train personnel on automatic and manual operation of Russelectric switchgear for renewable energy facilities and microgrids.

Customized to mimic the operation of the customer’s Russelectric switchgear/ system, Russelectric simulators are suitable for familiarizing workers on the system and its operation, and for accurately diagnosing a wide range of utility, generator, and breaker problems.

The simulators can also be used to assess the impact of changes to PLC setpoints such as kW values and time delays.

Using the simulators enables operators to evaluate an almost limitless number of responses to failure scenarios and use the information to develop and validate site operating and emergency procedures. Russelectric Switchgear Simulators are available in two versions.

The Russelectric Training Simulator allows personnel to train on the automatic operation of Russelectric Switchgear, while the Russelectric Advanced Training Simulator allows personnel to train on both manual and automatic operations.

With the addition of hard-wired controls and interlock circuits, the simulator PLC accurately mimics full manual controls, enabling personnel to train in the comfort and safety of an office environment.

Russelectric /// www.russelectric.com

Series

SOLAR PV KIT

860-773-4150 AceClamp.com

GROUND SCReWS? HeliCAL ANCHORS? RefUSAL HOleS? Rock Drilling Attachments Get the Job Done.

wordrockdrills.com | 1.336.584.6700 North American Clean Energy

23

SOLAR ENERGY

Utility mounting accessory

Anomaly detection for a wide range of applications

S-5! /// www.s-5.com

SKF /// www.skf.com/axios

With the CanDuit securement clamp, piping and conduit can be contained in an easy, organized manner with no scratching, corrosion or other damage to the roof. CanDuit works on all types of metal roofs. Simply pair CanDuit with S-5!’s non-penetrating clamps for standing seam roofs, S-5!’s weatherproofed brackets for exposed-fastened roofs, or the GRipperFix utility system. Expertly support piping and conduit in residential and commercial settings for a range of applications.

SKF launched SKF Axios in a collaboration between SKF and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS). SKF Axios is a fully automated condition monitoring solution comprised of sensors, gateways, and a machine learning service that is easy to install, commission, and scale with no experience necessary, allowing sensors and apps to be operational within minutes. It detects anomalies and pushes notifications allowing for quick action to avoid unexpected machine failures.

Smart tracker control system

TrinaTracker’s SuperTrack includes a Smart Tracking algorithm that increases energy production by up to 3% to 8% compared with the conventional tracking algorithms. SuperTrack intelligent tracking combines Smart Tracking (STA) and Smart Backtracking (SBA) algorithms to enhance energy production, particularly during periods of overcast weather and highly diffuse irradiance and complex, uneven terrains. STA optimizes power production for bifacial modules in highly diffuse irradiance conditions considering the 12 different parameters included in the Trina Bifacial Irradiation Model. STA reduces tracker rotation times, extending the durability of the motors. SBA minimizes energy generation losses resulting from row-to-row shading in PV plants installed in terrains with multiple slopes. First, UAV sensing technology and power generation data simulate terrains and shadings three-dimensionally. Then, the optimal backtracking angle is accurately defined by a machine learning algorithm and the Mini-Shading proprietary model.

SuperTrack smart control system includes pyranometers and snow sensors, which data is shared between NCUs. Therefore, when a sensor fails, the trackers' operation is not affected, and energy production remains high. SuperTrack also integrates protection strategies actively responsive in extreme weather conditions. SuperTrack software provides monitoring and control with a user-friendly interface that displays target tracker and real angles, batteries, TCU and NCU monitoring, an alarm system with data storage and recording, real-time meteorological information and SuperTrack parameters.

Trina Solar /// www.trinasolar.com

24

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Fast and secure rodent guard clip

The new Kinetic Rodent Guard Clip has a quick and easy two-step installation process; simply attach the rodent clip to the bottom inside edge of the module frame and affix the mesh to the clip by tightening the flange nut. It is strong enough to withstand sliding snow in colder climates and can be re-used multiple times due to its design.

Hydraulic magnetic miniature circuit breakers

Kinetic Solar Racking and Mounting /// www.kineticsolar.com

The new universal-voltage HB-SERIES Circuit Breaker from Weidmuller is the latest addition to their Hydraulic Magnetic Circuit Breakers lineup.

It features modularity, ease of use, and space-saving well beyond that of conventional circuit breakers.

Weidmuller Inc. /// www.weidmuller.com

Solar data quality management Solargis has launched their software platform designed specifically for visualization, quality management, and analysis of solar data. Solargis Analyst, developed in-house by the Solargis data analysis team, aims to empower solar engineers and decision-makers to improve the efficiency of complex resource analysis, identify and fix errors in measurements, and ultimately improve their technical and financial decisions. Solargis Analyst provides a single user-friendly platform for effective management, visualization and analysis of solar resource and meteorological data, significantly reducing analysis time, simplifying complex data analysis procedures, and facilitating teamwork. The platform enables users to tackle common quality management challenges, including unreliable, incomplete, and inconsistently formatted data, while meeting demand from the industry for tools specifically based on solar physics and advanced data science.

In combination with the technical support and consultancy services already offered by Solargis, this ultimately enables solar PV stakeholders to increase confidence in financial transactions using quality-approved and validated data, and improve the accuracy and transparency of their performance assessments.

Solargis /// www.solargis.com/analyst North American Clean Energy

25

SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: UTILITY-SCALE, COMMERCIAL, & RESIDENTIAL INVERTERS

Utility-Scale, Commercial, & Residential Inverters SEE AD ON PAGE 27

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…

SEE AD ON PAGE 30 Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd.

Canadian Solar Product: CS-125-255kW

Product: Solis-(75-100)K-5G-US

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Utility-scale

Application: Commercial, utilityscale, residential, industrial

Continuous Output Power: 125kW to 255kW

Continuous Output Power: 75kW

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.3% Peak Efficiency: 99.0%

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.3%

Key Features: • • • • •

Peak Efficiency: 98.8%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 480V to 1500V

DC Voltage Operating Range: 180V to 1000V

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

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

Dimensions: 46.1" x 30.3" x 15.1" (1170mm x 770mm x 384mm)

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

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741, RULE 21, UL 1998, IEEE 1547, FCC PART 15 (CLASS A & B), UL1699B CAN/CSA C22.2 107.1-1

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

Key Features: •

Maximum efficiency of 99.0%;

•

9-12 MPPTs to achieve high system efficiency;

•

Supports anti-PID function to improve system efficiency;

High current inputs to support high power and bifacial modules;

•

High-precision intelligent strings monitoring reduces fault location time;

Transformerless and intelligent redundant fan-cooling designs;

•

Ground-fault detection and interruption circuit.

Built-in PID recoveryMaximum 28 strings input, support "Y" type connection in DC side; Maximum string input current 13A, support bifacial modules access;

Warranty: 5-year standard warranty

IP66.

Warranty: 10-year standard warranty, available extension up to 20-years

www.csisolar.com/na

www.solisinverters.com

Yaskawa Solectria Solar

SPARQ Systems

CPS America

Ingeteam

Product: XGI 1500 250/250-600

Product: Q1200 1200W Solar Microinverter

Product: CPS SCH275KTL-DO/US-800

Product: INGECON SUN 3Power Inverter Station

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Commercial, residential

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Utility-scale

Continuous Output Power: 1.2kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5%

Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial

Application: Utility-scale

Continuous Output Power: 250kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

Peak Efficiency: 97%

Continuous Output Power: 275kW

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

Peak Efficiency: 99%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 22V to 40V per channel

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

Peak Efficiency: 98.9%

Peak Efficiency: 99%

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

DC Voltage Operating Range: 500V to 1500V

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

Dimensions: 1.25" x 7.3" x 11.2" (32mm x 185mm x 284mm)

Operating Temperature Range: -22°F to 140°F (-30°C to 60°C)

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, UL1741 SA/Rule 21/HECO/Rule 14H, IEEE1547, IEEE1547.1, CSA22.2 No. 107.1, FCC Part 15-Class B

Dimensions: 15.7" x 41.3" x 26.8" (400mm x 1050mm x 680mm)

DC Voltage Operating Range: 860VDC to 1450VDC 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 10-year option www.solectria.com

Warranty: 25-year limited warranty

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741SA-2018, CSA-22.2 NO.107.1-01, IEEE1547-2018, FCC PART15

www.sparqsys.com

Warranty: 5-year standard warranty www.chintpowersystems.com

Continuous Output Power: 2500 to 7650KVA

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C), expandable down to -40°F (-40°C) Dimensions: 448.4" x 82.7" x 96.9" (11.38m x 2.1m x 2.46m) Certifications/Approvals: Inverter Grid connection standards: IEC 62116, UL1741SA, IEEE1547, IEEE1547.1, NEC CODE, Rule 21, Rule 14H, CSA22.2 No107 Warranty: 5-year standard warranty, with extended warranty options up to 20 years www.ingeteam.com

26

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: UTILITY-SCALE, COMMERCIAL, & RESIDENTIAL INVERTERS

SEE AD ON PAGE 28

SEE AD ON PAGE 29 Sol-Ark Product: Sol-Ark 15K Primary Market: Solar

•

Grid-tied mode to sell power to the grid;

•

Meter zero mode to zero whole home power;

•

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

•

AC coupling adds up to 19.2kW backup power to existing grid-tie installs;

•

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

Product: MAC-400R

Application: Residential, light commercial

Primary Market: Solar

Continuous Output Power: 15kW

Continuous Output Power: 382W

Application: Residential

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5%

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5%

Peak Efficiency: 97.5%

Peak Efficiency: 400

DC Voltage Operating Range: 125V to 500V

DC Voltage Operating Range: 240V/211V to 264V

Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 140°F (-40°C to 60°C), Derates >113°F (45°C)

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

Dimensions: 31.8" x 18.3" x 10.9" (808mm x 465mm x 277mm)

Key Features:

Aptos Solar Technology

Certifications/Approvals: Electronics Certified Safety by SGS Labs to NEC & UL Specs - NEC 690.4B & NEC 705.4/6. Grid Sell Back - UL1741-2010/2018, IEEE1547a-2003/2014, FCC 15 Class B, UL1741SA, NEC 240.15, NEC 690.5, NEC 690.12, NEC 690.11 Warranty: 10-year standard warranty

Dimensions: 7.17" x 6.5" x 1.16" (182mm x 164mm x 29.5mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741, IEEE 1547, UL 1741 SA (240Vac), CA Rule 21 (240Vac), CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-16, FCC Part 15B, FCC Part 15C Warranty: 25-year warranty Key Features: •

Built-in rapid shutdown feature;

•

NEMA6 (IP67) enclosure;

•

Up to 400W;

•

Fully integrated trunk cables.

www.aptossolar.com

www.sol-ark.com

Fronius

APsystems

Product: Symo 10.0-3 208-240 Advanced

Product: DS3 Series Dual Microinverters

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Commercial, industrial

Application: Commercial, residential, industrial

Continuous Output Power: 15kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5% Peak Efficiency: 97% DC Voltage Operating Range: 300V to 500V Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 140°F (40°C to 60°C)

Continuous Output Power: DS3-S: 640W (320/ch), DS3-L: 768W (384/ch), DS3: 880W (440/ch) Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5% Peak Efficiency: 97% DC Voltage Operating Range: 26V to 60V

Dimensions: 28.5" x 20.1" x 8.9" (725mm x 510mm x 225mm)

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

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741-2010 Second Edition (incl. UL1741 Supplement SA 2016-09 for California Rule 21 and Hawaiian Electric Code Rule 14H), UL1998 (for functions: AFCI, RCMU and isolation monitoring), IEEE 1547-2003, IEEE 1547a-2014, IEEE 1547.1-2003, ANSI/IEEE C62.41, FCC Part 15 A & B, NEC 2017 Article 690, C22. 2 No. 107.1-16, UL1699B Issue 2 -2013, CSA TIL M-07 Issue 1 -2013

Dimensions: 10.3" x 8.6" x 1.6" (262mm x 218mm x 41.2mm)

Warranty: 10-year warranty, extendible up to 15- and 20 years

Warranty: 10-year standard warranty, extendable to 15-years

www.fronius.com

usa.apsystems.com

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741; CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-16; CA Rule 21 (UL 1741 SA); FCC Part15; ANSI C63.4; ICES-003; IEEE1547; NEC2014 & NEC2017 Section 690.11 DC ArcFault circuit; Protection NEC2014 & NEC2017 Section 690.12 Rapid Shutdown of PV systems on Buildings; NEC 2020

North American Clean Energy

27

SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: UTILITY-SCALE, COMMERCIAL, & RESIDENTIAL INVERTERS

SEE AD ON PAGE 30

SEE AD ON PAGE 29 Canadian Solar

Aptos Solar Technology

Product: CS-75-100kW

Product: MAC-800R

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Commercial, industrial

Application: Residential

Continuous Output Power: 100kW

Continuous Output Power: 766kW

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 16V to 60V

Peak Efficiency: 99.0%

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

Peak Efficiency: 800

DC Voltage Operating Range: 180V to 1000V

Dimensions: 9.8" x 6.7" x 1.1" (250mm x 170mm x 28mm)

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

Maximum efficiency of 99%;

•

Tigo Enhanced for Rapid Shutdown: integrated Tigo RSS or SunSpec transmitter;

•

Transformerless and intelligent redundant fan-cooling designs - 8/10 MPPT with wide range of 180 to 1000VDC;

•

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741, IEEE 1547, UL 1741 SA (240Vac), CA Rule 21 (240Vac), CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-16, FCC Part 15B, FCC Part 15C

Dimensions: 41.9" x 22.3" x 13.6" (1064mm x 567mm x 344.5mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741 SA, UL1998, UL 1699B, CSA-C22.2 No. 107.1-01, IEEE1547, FCC PART 15, Tule 21 phase I&II&III

Warranty: 25-year warranty Key Features:

Warranty: 10-year warranty, available extension up to 20-years

Smart string monitoring and IV curve diagnosis.

•

Built-in rapid shutdown;

•

Fully Integrated trunk cables;

•

Cloud-based monitoring;

•

NEMA6 (IP67) Enclosure;

•

Dual-unit Microinverter.

www.aptossolar.com

www.csisolar.com/na

COTEK Electronic Industrial Co. Ltd.

CyboEnergy

Product: SC2000

Product: AC Assisted Off-Grid CyboInverter

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Commercial, residential, industrial

Application: Commercial, residential, industrial

Continuous Output Power: 2kW

Continuous Output Power: 1.25kW

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 89%

Peak Efficiency: 96%

Peak Efficiency: 90%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 15V to 58V

DC Voltage Operating Range: 10.5V-16.5V; 21V-33V

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

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C)

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

Dimensions: 9.88" x 4.57" x 17.83" (251mm x 116mm x 453mm)

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741, IEEE1547, CSA107.1, FCC, NEMA2017 690.12

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

Warranty: 3-year warranty with extended warranty available

www.cotek.ca

www.cyboenergy.com

Northern Electric and Power, Inc. Product: Microinverter Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, residential Continuous Output Power: 580W Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5% Peak Efficiency: 97.3% DC Voltage Operating Range: 22V to 60V

28

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.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) Certifications/Approvals: UL1741 Warranty: 10- or 25-year warranty www.northernep.com

SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: UTILITY-SCALE, COMMERCIAL, & RESIDENTIAL INVERTERS

SEE AD ON PAGE 28

SEE AD ON PAGE 66 Sol-Ark

Sinexcel, Inc.

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

Product: 1500Vdc Bi-directional Storage Inverter Module and Cabinet

Application: Commercial, residential

Primary Market: Energy storage

Continuous Output Power: 9kW

Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5%

Continuous Output Power: 1MW to 2MW

Peak Efficiency: 97.5% DC Voltage Operating Range: 150V to 500V

Peak Efficiency: 98% DC Voltage Operating Range: 600V to 1500V

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

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C), derating over 122°F (50°C)

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

•

Hybrid inverter works on and off-grid;

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, UL1741-2010/2018, IEEE1547a-2003/2014, FCC 15 class B, UL1741SA, CA Rule 21, HECO Rule14H

•

High efficiency and power;

Warranty: 10-year warranty

•

Battery-agnostic;

•

Outdoor-rated;

•

Wireless Fleet Management Software included.

Key Features:

Dimensions: 70.9" x 39.4" x 99" (1800mm x 1000mm x 2515mm) Certifications/Approvals: CE LVD IEC 62477,CE EMC IEC 61000, ETL listed conforming to UL1741/UL 1741SA/UL 9540, CPUC RULE 21,CSA 22.2, IEEE1547 Warranty: 3-year warranty with options to extend Key Features:

www.sol-ark.com

•

Modular design on power module and easy to maintain;

•

Compatible with wide voltage range of battery strings, working in both standalone or in parallel on both DC and AC side;

•

Flexible AC output voltage ranges from 400Vac to 690Vac to cover both C&I and utility applications;

•

Stable performance with 15+ yrs and 1.5GW experience of power electronics in grid support and gridforming.

www.sinexcel.us

Growatt USA, Inc.

Morningstar Corporation

Product: MIN 3000-11400TL-XH-US

Product: SureSine Classic Inverter

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Solar

Application: Residential

Application: Residential, industrial

Continuous Output Power: 3kW to 11.4kW

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

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97.5%

Peak Efficiency: 600W @ 77°F (25°C)

Peak Efficiency: 98.5%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 10V to 15.5V

DC Voltage Operating Range: 50V to 550V

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

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)

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

Certifications/Approvals: IEEE1547, CA Rule 21, Rule 14, FCC Part15 Class B, UL1741, UL1741SA, CSA C22.2, UL1699B, UL1741 CRD

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

Warranty: 10-year warranty

Warranty: 2-year warranty

www.growatt-america.com

www.morningstarcorp.com

North American Clean Energy

29

SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: UTILITY-SCALE, COMMERCIAL, & RESIDENTIAL INVERTERS

SEE AD ON PAGE 63

SEE AD ON PAGE 66 Mango Power

Sinexcel, Inc.

Product: The M Series

Product: 15-30kW Hybrid bidirectional power conversion system for BESS

Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Commercial, utilityscale, residential

Primary Market: Energy storage

Continuous Output Power: 11.4kW with EV Charger at 12kW

Application: Commercial, residential

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96.5%

Continuous Output Power: 15kW to 30kW

Peak Efficiency: 12.5kW 5mins/14.3kW 1min/17kW 1s

Peak Efficiency: 97.3%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 100V to 600V

Key Features: •

Can be used as a PV energy system, as storage with 10-20kWh battery for daily and emergency use and provide full house power backup;

•

Includes 12kW fast charging for EVs;

•

Built-in inverter, backup gateway, EV charger, and modularized battery can be customized and installed within 30 mins;

•

It uses CATL LFP battery cells, providing a 10-year warranty;

•

Operating Temperature Range: Charging: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C) Discharging: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 69" x 31" x 13" (1753mm x 800mm x 340mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL9540, UL1973, UL1741-2020, UL1741-SA, UL1008, UL489, UN38.3, IEEE1547.12020, IEEE1547-2018, Rule 21, HECO, UL1699B, UL1998-2018, CSA C22.2 NO 107.1, FCC SDoC, CEC, IEEE2030.5 Warranty: 10-year warranty

Supports single and triple phase connections with 8-14kW output capability.

CSI-125K-T600 | CSI-185K-T600 | CSI-255K-T800 KEY FEATURES •

•

•

•

Key Features: •

Full compatible with 208V/480Vac 3P system and 150-750Vdc battery string voltage. Optional smart transfer switch for auto-backup applications;

•

Parallel in both AC side and DC side for larger power and energy;

•

Standard 19in width and vertical bracket for easyto-install;

•

DC-coupled PV system with built-in MPPTs for stable performance;

Warranty: 3-year warranty with options to extend

•

Drop control/communication control functions and wireless remote control for easy-to-control.

SMA America Product: Sunny Boy-US with ShadeFix Optimization and SunSpec Rapid Shutdown

30

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

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

Product: 3000 Watt Pure Sine Inverter Charger 50Amp Bypass at 240VAC

Primary Market: Solar

Primary Market: Energy storage

Application: Residential

Continuous Output Power: 3kW to 6kW

Application: Commercial, utility-scale, residential, industrial Continuous Output Power: 3000W

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97%

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 92%

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97%

Peak Efficiency: 97.4%

Peak Efficiency: 88%

Peak Efficiency: 97.9%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 0.7Vdc to 580Vdc

DC Voltage Operating Range: 10V to 16V

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

Operating Temperature Range: 0°F to 140°F (-18°C to 60°C)

Dimensions: 8.7" x 16.4" x 34" (222mm x 418mm x 863mm)

Dimensions: 16" x 11" x 7" (406mm x 279mm x 178mm)

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

Certifications/Approvals: ETL, CSA

Dimensions: 21.1" x 28.5" x 7.8" (536mm x 724mm x 198mm)

csisolar.com/na

AIMS Power

Application: Residential

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

VISIT US AT

FIMER Renewable Energy Solutions

Primary Market: Solar Continuous Output Power: 3kW to 7.7kW

Standard warranty, extension up to 20 years

Dimensions: 17.3" x 23.5" x 6.8" (440mm x 596mm x 173mm) Certifications/Approvals: EU/UK/US/AU certificates, such as UL9540, UL1741, IEEE1547, IEC62477, IEC61000, AS4777, G99, VDE4105, VDE4110, EN50549

DC Voltage Operating Range: 100V to 550V

10

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C), derating over 113°F (45°C)

www.sinexcel.us

www.mangopower.com

THREE PHASE STRING INVERTER 125-255 KW

DC Voltage Operating Range: 150V to 750V

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741, UL 1741 SA incl. CA Rule 21 SRD, 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

Warranty: 10-year warranty www.fimer.com

Warranty: 2-year warranty www.aimscorp.net

SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: UTILITY-SCALE, COMMERCIAL, & RESIDENTIAL INVERTERS

SEE AD ON PAGE 27 Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd. Product: S6-EH1P(3.8-11.4)K-H-US Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Residential Continuous Output Power: 3.8kW to 11.4kW Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97.2% Peak Efficiency: 97.6% DC Voltage Operating Range: 80V to 550V Operating Temperature Range: -13°F to 140°F (-25°C to 60°C) Dimensions: 24.41" x 16.54" x 8.6" (620mm x 420mm x 218mm) Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741 SB, UL 1699B, UL 1988, UL 9540, UL 1741 PVRSS, CSA 22.2 Warranty: 5-year standard warranty Key Features: •

Integrated 2 MPPTs, suitable for residential rooftop installations with multiple array orientations;

•

Supports 1.6 DC:AC ratio to connect more PV capacity to the energy storage system;

•

Compatible with multiple brands of battery models giving customers multiple battery options;

•

Up to 125A/6kW max charge/ discharge rating with high level 6kW of backup loads support capability.

•

Up to 16A of MPPT current input to support 182mm/210mm solar panels;

www.solisinverters.com

Ampner

Generac Power Systems

Product: Ampner ACE 300 PV

Product: PWRcell Solar + Battery Storage System (PWRcell Inverter)

Primary Market: Solar Application: Commercial, utility-scale, industrial

Primary Market: Energy storage

Continuous Output Power: 261kW to 333kW

Continuous Output Power: 7.6kW

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 98.5%

Peak Efficiency: 97.3%

Peak Efficiency: 99.0%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 360v to 420V

Application: Residential Weighted CEC Efficiency: 97%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 850V to 1500V

Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C)

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

Dimensions: 24.5" x 19.25" x 8" (622mm x 489mm x 203mm)

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

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741 +SA, CSA 22.2 #107.1, UL 1998, IEEE 1547, Rule 21, Rule 14H (HECO V1.1), CSIP, UL 1741 PCS CRD (Import Only, Export Only), FCC Part 15 Class B

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

Warranty: 10-year warranty www.generac.com

Warranty: 5-year warranty www.ampner.com

Darfon America Corp.

Yotta Energy

Product: H7 Hybrid Inverter

Product: Yotta Dual-Power Inverter

Primary Market: Energy storage

Primary Market: Energy storage

Application: Residential

Application: Commercial, industrial

Continuous Output Power: 9.6kW

Continuous Output Power: 1200kW

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 96%

Peak Efficiency: 96.5%

Wagan Tech

Phocos Americas, Inc.

Product: Pure Line PSW Inverter (Series)

Product: Any-Grid Hybrid Inverter Charger (PSW-H-3kW-120/24 V)

Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Commercial, residential, industrial Continuous Output Power: 400W, 700W, 1kW, 2kW, 3kW

Primary Market: Energy storage Application: Commercial, residential, industrial Continuous Output Power: 3kW

Peak Efficiency: 90%

Peak Efficiency: 96%

DC Voltage Operating Range: 10.1V to 16.4V (24V and 48V available)

DC Voltage Operating Range: 21-32V Battery / up to 250V PV

Operating Temperature Range: 32°F to 104°F ±9°F (0°C to 40°C ±5°C)

Operating Temperature Range: 14°F to 122°F (-10°C to 50°C)

Dimensions: 13" x 7" x 3" (1kW) (330mm x 178mm x 76mm)

Dimensions: 18.8" x 12.2" x 5.6" (478mm x 309mm x 143mm)

Certifications/Approvals: ETL Certified - Conforms to UL 458 & CSA C22.2#107.1 Standards, CE, RoHS

Certifications/Approvals: CE and RoHS Compliant

Warranty: 2-year warranty

www.phocos.com

www.wagan.com

Warranty: 2-year warranty

Peak Efficiency: 96.5% DC Voltage Operating Range: 16V to 55V DC Voltage Operating Range: 120V to Operating Temperature Range: -40°F to 500V 149°F (-40°C to 65°C) Operating Temperature Range: -4°F to Dimensions: 1.6" x 11.1" x 9.1" (40.6mm x 282mm x 231mm)

131°F (-20°C to 55°C) Dimensions: 17.7" x 10.2" x 31.5" (450mm x 259mm x 800mm)

Certifications/Approvals: UL 1741-SA; CSA C22.2 No. 107.1-01 FCC Part 15; ANSI C63.4; ICES-003 IEEE 1547 Exceeds NEC 2014/2017/2020 690.12

Certifications/Approvals: UL1741SA, UL1699B Arc Detection, FCC Class B, IEEE 1547

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

Warranty: 10-year limited warranty www.darfonsolar.com

www.yottaenergy.com

Garnde Solar Energy Corp.

Product: GX series Inverter Charger Primary Market: Energy storage

DC Voltage Operating Range: 24V to 48V

Application: Commercial, utilityscale, residential

Operating Temperature Range: 14°F to 122°F (-10°C to 50°C)

Continuous Output Power: 6kW

Dimensions: 20.1" x 12.6" x 5.1" (510mm x 320mm x 130mm)

Weighted CEC Efficiency: 85%

Warranty: 3-year warranty www.garnde.com

North American Clean Energy

31

SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: RAPID SHUTDOWN SYSTEMS & PERFORMANCE MONITORING

Rapid Shutdown Systems

Performance Monitoring

Rapid shutdown systems are necessary to provide an easy way to de-energize 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...

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 41 Dynamic Ratings Product: Switchgear Monitor Voltage: 88VAC to 276VAC or 88VDC to 288VDC Current: Varies Power: 44W max Frequency: 50/60Hz Logging values: Trip Coils, Close Coils, Phase Currents, Phase Voltages, Partial Discharges, Motor Currents, Heater Currents, Aux Contacts, SF6 Density, Supply Voltages, Cabinet/Ambient Temp

Tigo Energy Product: TS4-A-F (700W)

Input

Weight: 1lb (490g)

DC input power: 700W

Output connector: MC4 standard

Max short circuit current: 15A

Output wire length: 3.9ft (1.2m) standard

Max system voltage: 80V

Output: Breaker waveform capture, PD analysis

Output

Input connector: MC4, EVO2, Amphenol, MC4 compatible

Max output current: 15A

Operating temperature: -22°F to 185°F (-30°C to 70°C)

Control signal method: PLC

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

Measurement range: Sensors supplied to meet input requirements

Warranty: 5-year warranty

Output voltage range: 0 to 90V

Certifications: CE Marked, IEC60068-2, IEC61000, IEC61850, RoHS Compliant

www.tigoenergy.com

Key Features: •

Continuous online monitoring for switchgear;

•

Easy to implement and increases reliability and safety in the workplace;

•

Data is easy to interpret to help prevent failure;

•

Provides a true measure of equipment performance;

•

Helps mitigate maintenance-induced problems.

Warranty: 25-year warranty

IMO Automation

www.dynamicratings.com

Product: FireRaptor RSD

Protection rating: >IP68 / Nema 4X

Weight: 0.88lbs (400g)

Warranty: 20-year warranty

Output connector: Multicontact MC4

Input

Output wire length: 5.8ft (1.78m) nominal

DC input power: 700W

Input connector: Multicontact MC4

Max short circuit current: 12A

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)

Input voltage range: 150VDC Max system voltage: 150VDC Output Output power range: 700W Max output current: 12A www.imoautomation.com

Dimensions: 5.82" x 3.93" x 1.22" (148mm x 100mm x 31mm) including mounting bracket, excluding cables

Shoals Technologies Group

Hukseflux

Product: Big Lead Monitor

Product: SR30-M2-D1 digital pyranometer

Voltage: Systems up to 1500V

Voltage: 5V to 30V

Current: 12A Isc

Current: 8.3 to 175 mA @ 12 VDC

Power: Parasitic

Power: 0.1 to 2.3W

Warranty: 5-year warranty

Logging values: W/m² (GHI, POA, DIFF)

Certifications: UL

Warranty: 5-year warranty

www.shoals.com

Certifications: ISO 9060 spectrally flat Class-A www.hukseflux.com

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SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: PERFORMANCE MONITORING

SEE AD ON PAGE 35

SEE AD ON PAGE 34 Continental Control Systems Product: WattNode Wide-Range RGM

Solmetric

Voltage: 600VAC

Product: PV Analyzer I-V Curve Tracer

Current: 5A to 6000A

Voltage: 1500V

Power: Line Powered 100-600VAC

Current: 30A

Frequency: 50/60Hz

Power: 45kW

Logging values: Non-volatile memory for kW (energy)

Warranty: 1-year warranty

Spectral range: 100-600VAC, 5A to 6000A

Key Features:

Certifications: TUV

Output: Modbus RTU

•

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

Warranty: 5-year warranty

•

Certifications: UL, cUL, ANSI C12.20, WEEE, Rohs, UL 2808, SunSpec

Wireless interface to irradiance sensor with 300ft range;

•

Highest measurement throughput;

•

Large, easy-to-use user interface.

Sensitivity: 0.5% accuracy

Key Features: •

Bidirectional RGM for PV production/ consumption;

•

ANSI C12.1, C12.20, UL2808, SunSpec;

•

Wide-Range 100-600VAC, 5 to 60000A;

•

For all safe low voltage 333mVAC CTs.

www.solmetric.com

www.ctlsys.com

OPTIMIZE PV PERFORMANCE & EFFICIENCY Weather Monitoring Solutions for Solar Installations

EKO Instruments USA Product: MS-80SH Pyranometer with Integrated Dome Heater Voltage: 8 to 30VDC Current: 0.13A (when dome heater function is used with 12VDC supply), 0.06A (when dome heater function is used with 24VDC supply) Power: < 1.5W Logging values: Solar irradiance, Internal temperature/humidity, Tilt/Role angle through PC software "hibi" Spectral range: 285 to 3000nm

The PVMet™ line of weather stations offers the widest range of customizable options for solar power system monitoring. Multiple configurations and customization of irradiance, temperature, wind, rain and humidity sensors ensures you can meet your project’s needs and budget.

Why Choose a PVMet Weather Station?  Personalized experience based on your project requirements  Customizable solutions with a wide range of sensor options  Pre-Configured stations for quick & easy installation

 System integration via MODBUS RTU and TCP  SunSpec certified or compliant  Meets IEC 61724-1 Standard for PV System Performance Monitoring

Transform weather uncertainty into operational confidence with the accuracy and reliability of PVMet. Request a Quote Today!

Eric Rollins erollins@rainwise.com

Measurement range: -200 to 2000W/ m² (4000W/m² = maximum operating solar radiation intensity) Output: Modbus 485 RTU / SDI-12 Sensitivity: Approx. 10 (µV/W/m²) 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 PVMet 500

2

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www.PVMet.com

PVMet 330

Y

PVMet 200

NT

PVMet 150

WA R R

A

PVMet 100

T

PVMet 75

North American Clean Energy

33

SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: PERFORMANCE MONITORING

SEE AD ON OBC

SEE AD ON PAGE 27 DEWESoft, LLC

Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd.

Product: SIRIUS XHS Voltage: Up to 2000V directly, higher through voltage probes

Product: S3-WIFI-ST

Current: Works with nearly any CT on the market from mA to KA ranges

Current: 150mA to 2100mA

Voltage: DC 5V(+/-5%) Power: <2 W

Power: Accuracy of 0.03%

Frequency: 2.4GHz

Frequency: Sampling up to 15MHz

Logging values: 9600 bps (adjustable:1200 to 115200 bps)

Logging values: Continuously, at a rate of 15MHz

Spectral range: 5% to 95%, noncondensing

Spectral range: Bandwidth up to 5Mhz Measurement range: Selectable ranges depended on amplifiers

Measurement range: 8MB FLASH Output: <5W

Output: Digital Outputs, Analog Outputs, MODBUS, OPC UA, CAN, etc

Sensitivity: 5 minutes (adjustable: 1-15 minutes)

Sensitivity: Up to 24-Bit ADCs with selectable gains for high resolution, sensitivity dependent on sensors

Warranty: 2-year standard warranty Certifications: FCC, CE

Warranty: 7-year warranty

Key Features:

Certifications: CAT II 1000V, CAT III 600V

•

Plug and play, quick installation;

Key Features:

•

Fault alarm, real-time monitoring;

•

Plug and play, convenient and fast;

•

Status indicator, easy to display working status;

•

RESET button, one key to send data, convenient debugging.

•

Continuous storing at 15MHz capability;

•

Advanced triggering options;

•

High accuracy across frequency spectrum;

•

Operating temperature from -4°F to 158°F (-20°C to 70°C);

•

Small, portable, can be powered by a 9…36VDC battery.

www.solisinverters.com

www.dewesoft.com

WATTNODE METER ENCLOSURES ®

Apogee Instruments

Energy Meters & Current Transformers

Product: SP-110: Self-Powered Silicon-Cell Pyranometer

Measurement range: 0 to 2000 W/m2

Voltage: 0 to 400mV

Output: 0 to 400 mV

Current: 15.4 mA current draw

Sensitivity: 0.2 mV per W/m2

Product: SMP12 Class A Pyranometer

Power: Self-powered

Voltage: 10 to 30VDC supply voltage

Logging values: 0 to 400 mV

Current: 108mA to 293mA depending on supply voltage in given VDC range

Spectral range: 360 to 1120 nm

Warranty: 4-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship

OTT HydroMet

Revenue-Grade Energy Meter for Class 0.5 PV production & consumption

Revenue-Grade, economical, customizable for OEM applications

Certifications: ISO-9001:2015 www.apogeeinstruments.com

Power: 3.5W power draw at 24VDC Spectral range: 285 to 2750 nm (50% points) Measurement range: -200 to 2000 W/m2

Solid-core revenuegrade current transformers for inverter installations

NEW C0.2 accuracy Split-core revenuegrade current transformers

NEW DESIGN! Rogowski coil CTs for difficult installations

Visit us at SPI • Anaheim, CA• Booths 1960, 3816

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

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Output: RS-485 Modbus RTU 2-wire, adjustable with Smart Explorer Software Warranty: 5-year warranty Certifications: ISO 9060:2018 Class A, IEC 61724-1:2021 Class A Monitoring www.otthydromet.com

Spectrafy Product: SolarSIM-GPV spectral pyranometer

Output: Global irradiance (Class A), PV spectral correction factors (x9)

Voltage: 12VDC

Sensitivity: <1%

Power: 1W

Warranty: 5-year warranty

Spectral Range: 280-4000nm

Certifications: ISO 9060:2018 Class A, IEC 61724-1:2017 Class A

Measurement Range: 2804000nm

www.spectrafy.com

SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: PERFORMANCE MONITORING

SEE AD ON PAGE 33 RainWise, Inc. Product: PVMet 500 Output: Modbus RTU Warranty: 2-year warranty Certifications: CE, FCC Key Features: •

Customizable, multi-point PV weather station;

•

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

•

SunSpec compliant;

•

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

•

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

SolaX Power Co., Ltd.

LI-COR Biosciences

Product: A1-ESS G2

Product: LI-200R Pyranometer

Voltage: 360V nominal Current: 16A input

Warranty: 1-year parts and labor warranty

Power: 3.8kW, 5kW, 6kW, 7.6kW nominal

Logging values: W/m-2

Frequency: 60Hz

Certifications: Calibrated against an Eppley Precision Spectral Pyranometer (PSP) under natural daylight conditions.

Warranty: 10-year warranty Certifications: IEEE1547, IEEE 1547.1, Rule 21 Phase III, Rule 14 (HI)

www.licor.com/solar

www.solaxpower.com

www.rainwise.com

GroundWork Renewables

Verify Energy, Inc.

Product: MET System

Product: PowerFly

Voltage: 100Vac to 240Vac @ 50/60Hz nominal current

Voltage: 80Vac to 305Vac voltage input

Current: 2.1A @ 110Vac

Power: 15W

Power: Autonomous, 5 days battery only

Frequency: 60Hz

Sensitivity: Irradiance: Spectrally Flat Class A

Logging values: Any MODBUS inverter or meter values

Current: 2A

Warranty: 5-year warranty Certifications: UL 508A, IEC 61724 1: 2017, CAISO, SCE, PG&E

Warranty: 5-year warranty www.verifyenergy.com

www.grndwork.com

Accuenergy, Inc. Product: Acuvim II Series Power Meter Voltage: 10V to 1000kV Current: 5mA to 50000A Power: -9999MW to 9999MW Frequency: 50 or 60Hz 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 Output: 5A, 1A, 333mV, Rogowski Coil Warranty: 5-year warranty Certifications: UL Listed, BTL Listed www.accuenergy.com

North American Clean Energy

35

SOLAR PRODUCT 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 41

SEE AD ON PAGE 65 Dynamic Ratings

ENACT Systems, Inc.

Product: DynamicMetrix

Product: ENACT Software Platform

Application: C&I, utility

Application: Commercial, residential

Software category: Monitoring

Software category: Customer Relationship Management (CRM), proposal, system design, finance, operations

Description: DynamicMetrix is a dashboard visualization tool to help manage electrical assets. This software helps renewables collect and use condition monitoring information on their high and low-voltage electrical equipment to improve business performance. DynamicMetrix aggregates data and seamlessly integrates readings into one easily viewable solution. Using webbased technology, their product is designed to provide easily understandable information about asset status and health, whether it be current, historical and/or lab data.

Description: ENACT’s Software platform helps users design, deploy, and manage solar and energy storage projects. ENACT’s platform enables sales teams to design, price, and sell remotely, finalize contracts, and track project execution. End-customers can also leverage ENACT’s platform to manage their solar and energy storage transition and track financial outcomes.

Key Features:

Key Features:

•

3D solar layout and shade analysis;

•

Custom proposals with pricing and BOM financing;

•

Geospacial map view;

•

Concerns index;

•

Real time performance analysis;

•

Cash flows and incentives;

•

Data historian;

•

CRM and project management;

Comprehensive asset management.

•

End-customer app for tracking results.

•

www.enact-systems.com

www.dynamicratings.com

geothinQ

Ageto Energy

NH Research (NHR)

Stem, Inc.

Product: geothinQ

Product: Ageto ARC Microgrid Controller

Product: Athena Smart Energy Software

Application: Community renewables

Application: C&I microgrids, behindthe-meter, off-grid, storage and generator integration

Product: Enerlab Battery Test Lab Management Software

Software category: GIS (Geographic Information System) Description: geothinQ is a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform that powers smart, data-driven decisions for land development and real estate professionals.

Backed by robust land mapping technology, geothinQ provides access to geospatial data across the country including property, environmental, and topographic information.

The platform creates a fast and visual land evaluation process resulting in sustainable projects that produce a positive ROI for utility-scale and community renewable energy developers.

Software category: Energy management

www.geothinq.com

www.agetoenergy.com

Description: The Ageto ARC Microgrid Controller is a robust, reliable, and flexible control solution designed to amplify the value of energy resources in three-phase behindthe-meter and off-grid microgrid installations.

The ARC controller acts as the single interface for the entire system, providing autonomous system control and optimization, data collection and visualization, alarm handling, and other features designed to ease the operation and maintenance of these complex and high investment systems.

Software category: Energy management 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. www.nhresearch.com

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%. www.stem.com

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SOFTWARE

Ellume Solar, Inc.

Raptor Maps, Inc.

Terrasmart

Trimark Associates, Inc.

Product: Ellume 360

Product: Solar Lifecycle Management Software

Product: SIFT Application: Utility, C&I

Product: Dispatchable Energy Controller for Unified PV+BESS Management

Application: Utility, C&I

Software category: System design

Application: Utility-scale PV+BESS

Software category: Energy management

Description: SIFT, (Solar Instant Feasibility Tool), is Terrasmart's project optimization software used in early-stage development to identify the best system design and the right products for a solar project. It crunches variables like weather and terrain, factors affecting module performance, as well as finance and revenue structures. SIFT puts a stop to the guessing games in the feasibility stage, eliminates assumptions, and helps decision-makers discover more value in each project.

Software category: Energy management

www.terrasmart.com

www.trimarkassoc.com

Application: Utility-scale, C&I solar power plants Software category: Remote monitoring, asset management, DAS 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.

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.

Description: Trimark’s Dispatchable Energy Controller (DEC) is a virtual power plant controller (PPC) that provides advanced controls PV+BESS owners and scheduling coordinators require to participate in energy markets, automate chargedischarge decisions, and support regulation.

DEC is built on the Modular Energy System Architecture (MESA-DER) standard to support compatibility, access markets, reduce risk, and minimize engineering costs.

www.raptormaps.com

www.ellume.net

SPOT Tracker

RatedPower

Product: SPOT Tracker

Product: pvDesign

Application: Utility

Application: Utility-scale

Software category: Operations

Software category: Plant design

Description: SPOT is a flexible software platform that uses existing processes to promote adoption, accuracy, and efficiency, and a range of custom support services.

SPOT offers unique and specific methods of ensuring renewables project data is correctly entered at the earliest point of contact. The system processes submissions on the backend to detect errors and anomalies to produce a squeaky clean dataset.

Description: RatedPower’s software, pvDesign, is a cloud-based software for designing and engineering utility-scale photovoltaic plants. Helping development, EPC, and solar engineering firms to reduce LCOE by maximizing energy production and reducing construction costs. pvDesign can reduce 85% of the time solar professionals spent designing PV plants from 4-6 weeks to under 2 minutes.

PXiSE is a vision for how to make the electrical grid work

www.ratedpower.com

www.spottracker.com

New Sun Road

DERMS Microgrid Controller Renewable Power Plant Controller

Product: Stellar Microgrid OS Application: Utilities, C&I Software category: Energy management Description: New Sun Road's Stellar Microgrid OS remotely monitors and optimizes fleets of renewables-based distributed power systems in real-time. Users can remotely monitor all their systems in a single dashboard and drill down to see the smart devices in each system.

Find and resolve issues fast with automated notifications, ticketing, and a graphical interface to compare systems. Remotely reboot systems.

Maximizes system renewable energy usage and minimizes fuel costs in hybrid systems. Effortlessly generate periodic reports showing performance and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

pxise.com

www.newsunroad.com

North American Clean Energy

37

SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SOFTWARE

SEE AD ON OBC

SEE AD ON PAGE 37 PXiSE Energy Solutions

DEWESoft, LLC Product: Dewesoft Application: Commercial

Product: Renewable Power Plant Controller

Software category: Data acquistion

Application: Commercial

Description: Dewesoft X is a data acquisition (DAQ), data recording, and data analysis software that is innovative, easy to use, and requires no programming to acquire, store, and analyze data synchronized from several data sources; analog, digital, CAN, CAN FD, CXP, GPS, video, serial, and many other data interfaces.

Software category: Energy management, grid management Description: The PXiSE Renewable Power Plant Controller (PPC) helps optimize the efficiency and production of any combination of utility-scale renewable energy assets. The PPC centralizes power plant and SCADA control, energy management system (EMS), human-machine interface (HMI), alarm notification functions, and data history in a single platform. Offering precise, intelligent control of voltage, frequency, and real and reactive power, the high-speed PPC processes and reacts to phasor measurement unit (PMU) data 60x per second. Proven in sites ranging from 20–250+ MW, the PPC guarantees the delivery of a fixed amount of energy even with intermittent renewables.

Key Features: •

DewesoftX Data Acquisition Software (DAQ) is included for free to all of their data acquisition systems;

•

DewesoftX is user friendly, and offers several interfaces for developers;

•

Historian Time-Series Database for monitoring and long-term testing.

www.dewesoft.com

Key Features: •

Independently controls real and reactive power;

•

Autonomously adjusts to demand response program and peak-load energy shifting parameters;

•

Protects equipment and extends the life of capacitors, inverters, relays, and gears;

•

Reduces capacitor quantities needed to manage power quality.

www.pxise.com

FUERGY

PV Complete

Ardexa

Application: Commercial, residential, utility

Product: Mega Suite

Product: Digital Control Platform

Solar-Log North America (SDSI)

Software category: Energy management

Application: Utility-scale

Application: C&I, DG, utility

Product: Solar-Log

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: Proposal, system design

Software category: Operations

Application: Operations, energy management, commercial, residential, industrial

www.fuergy.com

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

Description: With Ardexa, all OT data is collected securely, in real-time at the source, then resides in a centralized, normalized, vendor-independent OT data cloud that users control. Ardexa’s Digital Control Platform for OT establishes vendor independence and enables rapid scaling of energy portfolios by accelerating the on-boarding of new plants and equipment. It facilitates new energy models (VPPs, energy trading, microgrids, etc.)

Software category: Monitoring, controlling, power management Description: Quickly identify underperforming plants with pre-sorted, detailed diagnostics that allow users to analyze plant issues in fewer clicks and access all relevant data in a single view. Remote configuration reduces site visits and decreases back-end inefficiency. www.solar-log.com

www.ardexa.com

COMSOL Product: COMSOL Multiphysics Application: Engineering, scientific research Software category: Simulation Description: COMSOL Multiphysics is an integrated environment for creating physics-based models and simulation applications. Simulation experts use COMSOL Server and COMSOL Compiler to deploy applications to design teams and customers worldwide. www.comsol.com

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SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SOFTWARE

Nearmap

Anderson Optimization

NarrativeWave

Product: AO Prospect

MR Control Systems International, Inc.

Product: Nearmap Application: Commercial

Application: Commercial

Product: Sinolta

Application: Commercial

Software category: Aerial imagery, location data

Software category: Siting and energy system modeling

Application: Commercial

Software category: Asset monitoring

Description: Nearmap provides solar companies with comprehensive truth on the ground by using current and historic location intelligence to help them better understand their livable world. Save time by remotely surveying an entire neighborhood, including new developments, recent installations, and current roof conditions. Costly redesigns can be reduced with year-round captures displaying any seasonal shading or obstructions.

Description: AO Prospect is a renewable site selection and GIS mapping platform. The tool allows users to quickly find the best sites through automated buildable area analysis, constraint mapping, and more. GIS analysis can be saved and shared in the cloud providing dispersed teams the ability to communicate seamlessly.

Software category: Energy management, operation, optimization Description: Sinolta’s Unified System architecture allows users to design and manage their data transformation solutions in one place and typically with visual drag and drop ease.

Description: NarrativeWave connects to multiple data sources (SCADA, existing monitoring systems) and automates manual engineering processes, saving engineers time and allows them to proactively detect and prioritize issues.

www.mrcsi.com

www.narrativewave.com

Product: NarrativeWave

www.andersonoptimization.com

www.nearmap.com

McHale & Associates, Inc.

LO3 Energy

Blu Banyan

Qcells Geli

Product: McHale Performance Suites

Product: Pando

Product: SolarSuccess

Product: Geli Software

Application: Commercial

Application: Commercial, utility, C&I

Application: Commercial, residential, utility

Application: Commercial

Description: McHale offers their proprietary Excel Add-In package to add functionality to Excel, specific to performance testing and thermodynamic calculations. McHale Performance Suites is a complete function package designed to provide the foundational engineering calculations and meet the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) requirements for performance testing, providing results that are accurate, defensible, and minimize the risk of computational blunders. The defensibility of the calculations and test results is a core competency involved in multiple party performance testing. The functions are time-tested and verified in every performance and acceptance test that McHale performs.

Software category: Energy Management

Software category: Enterprise resource management

Software category: System design, automation

Description: SolarSuccess, built on Oracle NetSuite, is a cloud-based business management software designed to meet the specific operational needs of residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar installers and developers. SolarSuccess is an Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) system providing complete oversight on cash flow, sales, costs, profitability, project status, inventory, CRM, updates and alerts, and other functions key to a solar installer’s success. SolarSuccess is fully customizable.

Description: The Qcells Geli energy management platform supports the entire project lifecycle, from design to ongoing operations monitoring and management.

Designed to operate across a broad range of battery energy storage system configurations and system sizes, Geli software adapts to meet the diverse needs of different markets and projects.

www.mchale.com

www.lo3energy.com

Description: Pando enables suppliers and clean energy operators to support 24/7 load matching and offer intelligent incentives to drive renewable energy use. Pando’s tools for operators and their customers provide comprehensive data on energy usage and production with economic incentives to help users optimize consumption patterns while making maximum use of renewable resources.

The platform supports new models for net metering and feed-in-tariffs to make customersited clean energy a more financially attractive proposition. Pando also includes extensive GHG emissions monitoring tools to ensure customers can track progress towards their clean energy goals.

www.qcells.com/us

www.blubanyan.com

Extensible Energy

GreenLancer

Product: DemandX

Product: Solar Marketplace

Application: Commercial

Application: Commercial, residential, utility

Software category: Energy management

Software category: Proposal, operations

Description: DemandEx uses SaaS cloud software to monitor solar, HVAC, EV charging, and other flexible loads. It then reduces high demand peaks by automatically shifting time of use, saving solar and non-solar building owners money and time. DemandEx can also manage batteries and conserve more capacity for resiliency applications.

DemandEx savings are guaranteed, and installs in less than a day.

Description: GreenLancer is an app for solar installers to purchase, manage, and revise solar permit design and engineering deliverables with simple communication, quality design, and fast turnaround. Installers sign up for free to shop from a network of qualified designers and engineers. www.greenlancer.com

www.extensibleenergy.com

North American Clean Energy

39

SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SOFTWARE

SEE AD ON PAGE 25

SEE AD ON PAGE 22 Fortress Power

Princeton Engineering

Product: Guardian

Product: iRoofA

Application: Commercial, residential

Application: Residential Software category: Structural engineering

Software category: Energy management, battery gateway

Key Features: •

Connects Fortress Power batteries to the cloud using on-board LAN and Wi-Fi capabilities;

•

Commission Fortress Power batteries and easily complete battery warranty information;

•

Monitor state of charge, voltage, current, temperature and more, anywhere, anytime;

•

Remotely install firmware updates to connected Fortress Power Batteries;

•

Fortress Power engineers can remotely access battery data for fast, accurate technical assistance.

Description: The Guardian is the gateway to Fortress Power Batteries.

The new Guardian is Wi-Fi enabled, connects directly to the Fortress Power batteries, and allows for easy installation and battery monitoring.

The Guardian companion app will help to automatically discover connected batteries, and allow monitoring of key battery values such as state of charge, voltage, current and battery temperature.

The Guardian also allows for fast, accurate technical support. Remotely install firmware updates, submit support tickets, chat live with support engineers, and securely share installation and monitoring data directly with support engineers, right from the companion app.

Description: iRooF, Instant Roof Framing Analysis for residential PV solar projects. Stick frame, truss, IBC / CBC 5% analysis and seismic. Very easy to use online data input with graphic interface.

Structural engineering reports and plan checks for codes, wind / snow, structural, and electrical. AutoCAD integration.

Automatically produce BOM's, post installation affidavits, and select state construction permits.

Key Features: •

Instant roof structural analysis following data upload from the field or office;

•

3 to 5 hour turnaround time for sealed report and plan set;

•

PE Licenses in 34 US states;

•

Code and electrical checks: wind, snow, building code verification. Electrical calculations including wire and breaker sizing;

•

AutoCAD integration. Automatically insert project owner and location information, structural notes, location maps, inverters, electrical calculation tables, wire and breaker sizes, and product cut sheets.

www.iroof.solar

www.fortresspower.com

Scanifly

Solar Insure

Valentin Software

Cachelan

Product: Scanifly

Product: Solar Insure 30 Year Monitoring & Warranty

Product: PV*SOL premium

Product: SolarVu Monitoring and SmartGrid Control Solutions

Application: Commercial, residential (up to 2MW)

Software category: System design

Application: Commercial, residential, smallscale utility Software category: System design Description: Scanifly’s drone-based 3D-modeling software automates and centralizes the manual day-to-day tasks in the solar workflow. Their easy-to-use surveying solution and design software is specifically catered to the solar industry, reducing onsite survey time by up to 90% and providing dependable accuracy for each design.

Whether working on rooftops, ground mounts, canopies, or carports, Scanifly's platform helps organizations of all sizes work more safely and efficiently on residential, commercial, and small utility-scale projects. www.scanifly.com

Software category: Operations Description: Solar Insure Monitoring increases the after-install value for customers by identifying component failures allowing contractors the information they need to handle repairs accordingly. The proprietary software contains a Fleet Management System which works across multiple inverter manufacturers on the Solar Insure Approved Vendors List.

Monitoring from Solar Insure allows installers and contractors to increase their after-install service level to customers and ensures that customers receive the necessary repairs covered on their warranty. www.solarinsure.com

Application: Commercial, residential 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.valentin-software.com

Application: Commercial, utility, C&I, energy storage, microgrid Software Category: Monitoring, portfolio consolidation, SCADA, finance operations, energy management Description: Cachelan is a solar and energy monitoring company that provides utility SCADA and DAS systems to help with O&M and asset management of solar, storage, and smartgrid portfolios via their SolarVu platform.

Consolidate and manage portfolios of different OEM equipment types and 3rd party systems in one place. Receive high fidelity alerts and insights when performance deviates, and connect weather sensors, meters, site cameras, batteries, and information from building systems to users’ needs. Cachelan also provides microgrid controllers and for smart control solutions with interconnected batteries and building systems. Cachelan helps to meet site data utility interconnection and reports requirements. www.cachelan.com

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SOLAR PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SOFTWARE

Pylon

Enerflo

Ipsun Tech

RenuLogix

Product: Solar Design & CRM

Product: Enerflo Platform

Product: Sunvoy

Application: Residential

Application: Residential

Application: Residential, commercial

Product: RenuLogix cloud-based solar installer accelerator platform

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

Software category: CRM, system design, proposal, finance, operations, sales

Software category: CRM, operations, energy management, marketing

Application: Residential

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.

Description: Enerflo is a platform for solar industry installers who rely on multiple tools from lead to install. Enerflo connects them all together in one, cohesive sales and install platform. The Enerflo Platform is truly open, so installers and sales dealers can connect their favorite tools, refine their processes and provide a seamless experience for solar buyers across the U.S.

Description: Sunvoy is a white-label customer portal and solar fleet management system. It's built by solar companies for solar companies to solve pain points encountered in running an EPC business. Users are able to reduce their cost of acquisition and increase their reviews by using this app.

Description: RenuLogix feeds installationready-projects to EPC solar installers by RenuLogix omni-channel cloud-based referral platform backed by AI. EPC solar Installers only pay (for projects ready for installation) after completing the installation.

Software category: Project referral platform

www.renulogix.com

www.ipsuntech.com

www.enerflo.com

www.getpylon.com

OpenSolar

Electriq Power

EagleView

Product: OpenSolar

Product: PowerPod 2

Product: TrueDesign

Application: Residential, commercial

Application: Residential

Application: Residential

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

Software category: Energy management

Software category: System design

Description: Electriq Power’s intelligent energy management software powers its home battery system, and works with any home solar installation. The Electriq software cycles through several operating modes, guided by analytics on energy production, consumption, and storage data through an intuitively designed interface. Apps for web and mobile give residents the ability to track and adapt energy consumption during peak rates from the palm of their hand. Electriq’s software also provides insights on real-time power flow, day-to-day consumption patterns, periodic usage reports, and more.

Description: TrueDesign helps contractors sell an install-ready solar design from day 1. The web-based 3D visualizer autogenerates install-ready PV designs based on trustworthy data, no design experience required. Customize TrueDesign with presets based on local jurisdiction requirements and preferred panel hardware to quickly generate top-performing systems. EagleView offers guaranteed accuracy for roof dimensions and obstructions, ≥ 98% accuracy for TSRF and Solar Access Values (SAV), and shade data verified by DNV.

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

www.eagleview.com/truedesign

www.electriqpower.com

CASE STUDY: Bodhi Product: Bodhi Application: Residential

Circuit Breaker Monitor Predicts Breaker Failure

Software category: Customer experience Description: Bodhi is a solar customer experience platform that reduces post-sales headaches for solar businesses and their customers. They help residential installers drive customer lifetime value and reduce support costs by 50%. www.bodhi.solar

View the full story at info.dynamicratings.com/bpmna North American Clean Energy

41

WIND POWER

Wind Energy Drives Sustainability in Canada

by Jeff Chernish

I

n recent years, a number of initiatives, both public and private, have been taken around the world to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and achieve better environmental conditions. The recent COP26 highlighted the need for governments around the world to take immediate and effective action to limit harmful emissions, and meet the targets set in the Paris Agreement, which includes reducing global warming by 1.5 degrees.

Canada is no stranger to this need, with more and more of its citizens calling for greater use of clean energy in their daily lives. Canada is currently one of the world leaders in the production and use of energy from renewable sources, which now account for approximately 19 percent of all energy supplied.

The demand for this energy has also been growing exponentially. In 2009, renewable energies accounted for only 1 percent of all national consumption; by the end of 2020, this figure had already increased sixfold.

One of the most relevant sources in Canada, and probably the one with the lowest operating costs, is wind energy. It is an energy whose production does not generate emissions, does not produce waste in local waters, and allows energy to be stored effectively and efficiently so that it can be used on demand. Thanks to our country's orography, the number of onshore wind farms has continued to grow over the last few years; Canada is the ninth largest producer in the world, with approximately 14,300 MW at the end of 2021 (according to data from the Canadian Renewable Energy Association), compared to the 13,413 MW produced in 2019.

Thus, regions such as Ontario, Alberta, and New Brunswick already account for most of the facilities needed to produce and store the energy generated. These regions benefit financially, not only through the taxes collected by municipalities and local authorities for their presence, and by paying rent for the land on which they are installed, but also thanks to the generation of thousands of jobs in local communities.

The fact that the number of wind farms continues to grow is also a major boost to construction. Each of these wind farms requires foundation work, transport of the wind turbines (from where they are manufactured, to their subsequent hoisting), and placement in their final location. For these tasks, a prior study of the land where each of the wind turbines will be located is essential to ensure the viability of the installation. This also helps to maximize precision in the transport. Due to the magnitude of the infrastructure, specialized and purpose-built trailers and transporters are usually used to move these delicate components, often over distances of hundreds of kilometers.

One of the most delicate moments of the installation is when the wind turbine is lifted. Faced with multiple physical and environmental challenges,

lifting the load is a challenge for the engineering teams; they have to use mobile cranes with longer than usual booms to lift loads of several tonnes, and up to 150 metres high, with the utmost precision. Overcoming all kinds of obstacles, such as travelling long distances, ensuring that the crane is stable enough to start the process, and positioning the wind turbine, are just some of the challenges that teams of wind farm installation experts have to face dozens or hundreds of times, depending on the scale of the wind farm.

Offshore wind energy as a new sustainable alternative

As a complement to wind farms built on land, recent alternatives have appeared in the coastal waters of countries around the world, to harness the power of the wind flows that occur in these areas. While Canada has not yet made use of this type of offshore wind farm, by the end of 2020, there were already 31 projects for their installation that should be operational in the second half of this year.

As with onshore wind farms, these installations pose significant challenges.

The first, and perhaps most complicated, is the need to connect the entire generation infrastructure to the grid, which is usually quite far from coastal areas. The installation and transport of the equipment is also a challenge, as it is necessary to load each wind turbine on barges, sometimes self-submersible, to facilitate the task. Then, each piece of equipment is either attached to the seabed (it is important to assess the depth of the water for this), or installed on floating structures; these tend to be more respectful of the seabed and ecosystem, and allow for faster and more efficient installation and dismantling.

Regardless of the type of installation - offshore, onshore, or floating offshore all of this equipment requires frequent maintenance. Having the equipment and expertise to carry out that work, and only interrupting the operation of each unit for as long as necessary, can be an important competitive advantage.

Now is the time to act. Only with a strong commitment to wind power generation will Canada be able to stay ahead of the environmental targets that are essential for the coming years. This will require the commitment of all of us – companies, institutions, and individuals.

Jeff Chernish is Country Manager at Sarens Canada, which provides every level of lifting solutions, from bare crane rental, to turnkey projects with an all-in TCI (Transport, Craning, and Installation) service coverage.

Sarens /// www.sarens.com

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

CASTROL® OPTIGEAR® SYNTHETIC CT 320

YOUR EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZED AT EVERY TURN Castrol® Optigear® Synthetic CT 320 gear oil meets all major wind turbine OEM specifications and has out-performed major competitors in independent lab tests*. We offer an industryleading 10 year warranty that guarantees performance and have demonstrated compatibility for ease of conversion with major products in the market. More than 175,000 MW choose Optigear® Synthetic CT 320 for main drive lubrication and our oil continues to run for over 13 years without requiring an oil change in customer field tests.

Discover how to optimize the efficiency of your gears with Optigear.® *Based on independent MPR testing

Scan for more info or visit www.castrol.com/wind-us

North American Clean Energy

43

WIND POWER

Cracking Under Stress What causes blade bearing cracks and where to find them before it’s too late Photographer: Carsten Selak

by Cory Mittleider

Inspection of cracked bearings Pitch bearings, also known as blade bearings, connect the wind turbine blade root to Once the cracked face is exposed, it is easy the turbine rotor hub. The blade bearings allow the blade position to be optimized at to see the beach marks, which are a classic various stages of operation. This includes optimized angle of attack to control drivetrain indicator of fatigue driven by load cycling.

These beach marks can be traced back to a load, usually to maximize output. In other words, properly functioning pitch bearings central point (Figure 4). This central point are critical to maximize productivity of wind tubine generators (WTGs). is the initiation point of the crack.

In recent years, the occurrence of cracking rings on blade bearings has been increasing. In our efforts to understand what is causing this problem we have inspected many failed bearings, as well as discussed with operators, consultants, and manufacturers worldwide.

Root causes of cracking rings

At the core of the failure is the combination Figure 1 of bearing design and the structure it is attached to. The bearing consists of 2 rows of balls with a 45 degree preloaded contact angle. When a moment load is applied to this bearing, from either aerodynamic thrust load or gravity bending, the 45-degree contact angle resolves these forces into axial and radial components (Figure 1). The roller and raceway system is capable of carrying these loads, but requires an attached structure that can resist substantial deformation of the bearing from this loading. If the bearing is allowed to deform, it will no longer be able to live its full intended service life.

Figure 2

When this bearing type is highly loaded in a pitch application, the highest stress concentration occurs within the bolt holes on the outer ring, just behind the outboard raceway (Figure 2). When the bearing is allowed to deform under load (Figure 3), this emphasizes this stress concentration.

Figure 3

LEADING THE WAY IN WIND ENERGY CONSTRUCTION

The blade bearing application in a wind turbine accumulates load cycles quickly. A turbine that turns 12rpm, will rotate 17,280 revolutions every day, 24/7.

Every time a blade goes through the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions, the gravity bending moment changes direction (2 times per revolution). The blade bearings on this turbine could accumulate up to 34,560 cycles per day, and up to 12.6 million cycles per year!

In all the inspections we have performed on cracked bearings, this initiation point has been found in the same place: in the bolt hole, just behind the blade side raceway. This is the same place that we already know will have the highest concentration of stress.

In the early days of the wind industry, there were some applications and some sites with cracking failures, but they remained somewhat isolated; they were largely attributed to poor protection of the bolt holes, combined with long transportation or laydown periods. This allowed corrosion to form inside of the bolt holes, further exacerbating the stress concentration described above. These were addressed with better care and corrosion protection during production.

In the last few years, we have seen the cracking ring failure mode start to increase, especially on turbines with 100m and larger rotor diameters. In some cases, corrosion pits as small as 250µm are found at the initiation point. We have also torn down bearings that had corrosion protection, but still failed from cracking.

Bearings failing with corrosion protection in the bolt holes confirms that, although corrosion can accelerate the failure, it can happen without a corrosion pit. When these bearings are replaced, this problem

www.blackandmcdonald.com Figure 4

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Figure 5

Figure 6

Cory Mittleider is a Mechanical Engineer with 13 years of experience in bearing applications, working on several wind projects including IOR Planet Bearings, other Gearbox Bearings, Main Bearings, and Blade Bearing inspections and evaluations. He helps provide solutions and long term reliability with upgraded replacement bearings.

Malloy Wind /// malloywind.com Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

can be solved with upgraded bearings.

For operators of these turbines, it is important to identify cracks early.

A cracked bearing is only the beginning

Once the crack starts in a blade bearing, there is no stopping it. The crack will continue to propagate from initiation point outward, and is known to lead to failing hardware (Figure 5), and even cracks in the hub. Additionally, one of the cracked bearings torn down and inspected had a second crack that was already approximately ¼ of the way through the cross-section, on the opposite side of the primary crack (Figure 6).

It is critical to the safety of personnel working in and near the turbine that cracked blade bearings be identified early, and shutdown, before additional damage to equipment puts their safety at risk. It is hard to predict the rate at which a crack will grow – if a crack is found, the turbine should be removed from service immediately. The eventual failure mode of a cracked bearing is the blade falling from the turbine.

Where to look for cracks

Because the cracks initiate in the outer ring bolt hole, just behind the blade side raceway, and grow in a circular pattern (Seen previously in figure 4), the first external area where a crack should become visible will be next to the seal, just inside of the mounting hardware (Figure 7).

Around the circumference of the bearing, there are multiple areas where cracks tend to form. The most obvious place to look is near sudden changes in system stiffness, such as lifting plates or stiffening plates (figure 8). These plates create a stiffness joint, leading to additional concentration of stress; the bolt hole just outboard of the plate is often a cracking point. We have also seen cracks form near hub entry ports, and other areas without obvious attachments to the bearing that change the structural stiffness of the hub. Cracks through the filling plugs (Figure 9) are also known to happen. These manifest slightly differently than the cracks found through bolt holes, but ultimately have the same consequences, and need to be addressed immediately when found.

Don’t be let down by a lift.

Installation and preventative maintenance by IUEC elevator mechanics will keep your elevators moving SAFELY and more EFFICIENTLY. We have more than 675 elevator companies ready to serve your elevator lift needs.

Contact us today.

Carisa Barrett cbarrett@eiwpf.org 410-701-2206 Vance Ayres vayres@iuec.org 540-490-0476

North American Clean Energy

45

WIND POWER

Digitizing the Grid Keeping renewable energy on track

by Gabriel Prado

R

enewable energy is on track to help meet climate targets, but there's a catch: The energy transition depends on getting more renewables on the grid, faster. According to current estimates, a digital version of the power grid can reduce the time for analyzing new connections by 50 percent or more.

There’s no doubt that renewables are on the rise. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA1), this clean and green energy will likely overtake fossil fuels as the primary source of electricity by 2026. It’s all according to plan, as growing incentives, government regulation, global pressure, and public activism move the world in a planet-saving direction. But generating enough renewables to power an electricity-hungry world is only half the equation. We also need power grids that are ready to handle it.

Renewables developers queue up for connection

Imagine, for a minute, the changing demands on the grid. In a fossil-filled world, there were fewer providers and fewer sources of electricity that needed to be connected. Now, with a bounty of incentives ready for the taking, renewable energy developers are cropping up around the world. We need all of them if we are going to achieve this monumental transition.

But there are two factors keeping the grid from being able to absorb, transmit, and deliver this clean energy. First, the grid faces challenges with having enough transmission capacity built out to properly distribute the energy from these new distributed energy resources (DERs). Secondly, the sheer volume of requests to connect to the grid these days has resulted in significant gridlock when it comes to approving new connections. While the ultimate fix here – building more transmission capacity – is a long term plan, we can focus on the shorter-term opportunities to integrate more renewables today at the existing capacity. Unless we can ease this gridlock, we may not see the use of renewable energy required in time to hit our climate targets.

Smarter analysis of the power system is required Let’s first get at the root of what’s causing this gridlock for grid operators. Take the national Transmission System Operator (TSO) in Norway, for example. They have experienced a significant increase in applications to connect to the grid over the last five to ten years. On top of that, their existing infrastructure, like

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that of many other grid operators, is aging. Recognizing this, the Norwegian TSO set their sights on finding a fix through more efficient analyses of their power system, which they believe would ultimately lead to faster decision time on the connection requests.

Processing an application to connect to the grid can take at least several weeks to the better part of a year. It requires complex analysis to understand how this new connection will impact the grid, and to identify if additional infrastructure is required to reliably deliver the power. A team of analysts would typically be tasked to answer these questions, leaving it in their very human hands to make the final decision – thus, the gridlock begins to grow.

Employing more humans, or creating around-the-clock work shifts, isn’t the answer to this problem either, as the amount of renewables developers seeking connection will only increase.

Instead, grid operators need to create an environment in which the analysis can be conducted in a faster and smarter way. But there is so much data! And it’s sitting in various silos, in a wide variety of formats, going back years and years. Seeing the bigger picture when the data is so scattered is a tedious process that makes the analysts’ job a time drain.

A centralized data source is key to quicker analysis

The first step to solving this problem is to make all the data available in one place.

Once it is centralized, made relevant through contextualization, and monitored for quality, it becomes a digital twin of the entire operation. This is a game changer for the analysts. Now they can access a single source of information to get everything they need to perform the analysis and make a decision.

Grid operators that centralize their data in the form of a digital twin save as much as 50-70 percent of their time, as they no longer search multiple sources and structure the data themselves. Redundancy is also reduced, as once the data objects have been modeled and contextualized, they can be reused by another analyst. This translates into a meaningful amount of

time saved for far faster processing of new connection applications.

The Norwegian TSO confirmed that being able to process these applications faster had significant and direct social impact. They aim to encourage new entrants to the power market, and believe that bringing these customers to the grid far faster is critical to ensuring a stable supply of renewable power for the market.

Let’s not let our grids fall behind

Data is also essential to helping us understand the current state of the grid. According to a recent investigative piece, the American grid is in desperate need of a trillion-dollar overhaul. This so-called “antiquated” infrastructure stands as the biggest threat to the U.S. making the transition to clean energy, as adoption of renewable energy depends on its reliability. And blackouts certainly won’t help the clean energy cause.

This challenge can be alleviated, in part, with better insight into the current infrastructure. A central source of data can lead to making better connections in the grid, and it can identify the areas of investment so that money is spent where it’s needed most critically. The bottleneck we see now in the U.S. is the result of the influx of renewable sources coupled with the challenges related to sending that power where it’s needed. Unless we get the full picture of both the opportunities and shortcomings of our grids as they are now, we're likely to end up with a lot of wasted energy.

Demands on grid operators won’t disappear

Data is the best defense. The growth in the number of renewable energy business cases is a positive sign of momentum for our energy transition. If connection gridlock keeps these new entrants off the grid for too long, however, some of these important business cases may disappear. That will be the sign that things won’t be going according to our climate plan anymore.

The burden on the grid operators will continue to be great during this critical period, but the data is ready and waiting to help reduce the load and ensure that the infrastructure – aging and all – is being used as optimally as it can be before any further investment is made.

Gabriel Prado is Senior Director Product Marketing at Cognite, which creates software for oil and gas, power and utilities, renewable energy, manufacturing, and other asset-heavy industries.

Cognite /// www.cognite.com energyfuse.org/iea-sees-renewables-overtaking-fossil-fuels-and-nuclear-by2026/#:~:text=hit%20climate%20targets.-,Renewables%20have%20grown%20quickly%20 in%20recent%20years%2C%20but%20are%20now,overall%20as%20soon%20as%202026.

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Bearing Protection Kits (BPK) on your wind pitch motor will mean longer motor life, less downtime, and fewer up-tower repairs.

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North American Clean Energy

47

WIND POWER

Monitoring Wind 4.0

Latest technology for turbines

by Richard Harada

Figure 1: Access to the nacelle requires special training and equipment.

Maintenance Challenges

As the percentage of wind power generation increases, the level of importance in maintaining these systems grows. Many of the conventional assets such as generators, transformers, and breakers are used for wind applications - but on a totally different scale, and located in a moving nacelle, on a tower, 100m off the ground. The maintenance techniques for wind generation are evolving as the technology matures.

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Wind farms are usually in remote locations, requiring extra time and logistics to get to sites with the proper equipment. Offshore windfarms are even more challenging; they require more planning, training, and transportation to reach the site. Once at a windfarm, it takes additional time and physical exertion just to access the equipment inside the nacelle. Wind turbines inspections are much more complicated when compared to the inspection of land-based substation equipment; and require specially trained wind turbine technicians. In the US, a medium-sized windfarm will have 50 to 100 turbines per site. Inspecting each turbine manually can take days, or even weeks. In addition, the fact that wind turbines are shut down during the inspection means that electrical issues that occur under load will not be detected.

With these challenges in mind, wind farm operators recognize the value of online condition monitoring.1 Through automated and early detection of anomalies, condition-based maintenance can prevent serious failures, allowing operators to optimize resources and reduce repair costs.

Technology to Overcome Challenges

Some utilities are implementing the same technologies that are driving the fourth industrial revolution in the manufacturing sector. The Industrial Internet of Things, (IIoT), machine learning, and cloud computing are among the new technologies that are already being used by electric companies for asset monitoring, predictive maintenance2, and the operations of distributed energy resources3 (DER). Industry experts have started calling this trend “Energy 4.0,” to highlight the magnitude of the transformation they expect it will bring to the electric industry. Energy 4.0 technologies can provide the tools utilities need to adapt to this new industry environment, and move to a greater adoption of these technologies by the electric industry.

Monitoring the Wind Turbine with Thermal Imaging

Thermal imaging sensors measure the infrared radiation from an object and convert it into a temperature value. An important feature of thermal imaging is that it is ‘non-invasive’; it uses a sensor that can measure temperatures without physically touching the object. Therefore, outages are not required to install the sensor or make the temperature measurements.

Thermal imaging is commonly used in electrical applications to detect faults in connection points, switches, bushings, transformers, generators, and motors.

Thermal sensors can also detect excessive heat due to friction in the bearings of the generator, gearbox, or motors that control the positioning of the turbine components.

An advantage of thermal imaging is that a single sensor can monitor a variety of different pieces of equipment, instead of having separate, specialized sensors for each. Thermal asset monitoring can be used to track temperature fluctuation over the course of a day, a week, and even seasonally to monitor if there is a trend in the asset temperature that could be an indicator of an impending problem.

Automated and continuous thermal monitoring can also provide measurements during changing environmental and load conditions, as well as provide the data directly to operators, SCADA, and asset management systems.

With the advancement of IoT and infrared technology, the two are now able to be combined onto a single sensor.

This brings thermal imaging into the IoT world, and makes the technology and associated data much more accessible and cost effective.

Work confidently in hazardous environments

Figure 2: Electrical and mechanical systems inside the nacelle can be monitored with infrared sensors.

Monitoring Inside the Nacelle with IoT Sensors

An IoT sensor with onboard thermal and visual imagers, and built-in wireless communications, is an ideal solution for monitoring inside the nacelle. The sensor can take temperature readings on live systems, which will detect overheating bushings, cables, joints, and insulators – even in enclosed and confined spaces. Thermal sensors can also detect thermal anomalies in mechanical equipment such as motors, bearings, and the gearbox. Due to the small size and low power requirement of IoT sensors, they can be installed quickly using magnetic mounts to keep the units in place.

The sensors take snapshots that give operators a visual and thermal view of the system, with analysis done on a continuous basis. A dashboard provides a comprehensive view of the data with graphs of the temperature points, as well as visual and thermal images.

Alarm thresholds can be set in the dashboard to alert operators instantly if pre-set temperatures are exceeded. The data and alarms can be sent to SCADA or APM systems, allowing the utility to use the data in a condition-based maintenance program.

A wholly-new design in torque tools, the Snap-on Intrinsically Safe ControlTech Torque Wrenches are engineered and tested for operation in Class 1 Division 2 hazardous environments (where flammable gases, vapors, or liquids may potentially be present). Snap-on’s Intrinsically Safe ControlTech Torque Wrenches comply with key safety standards, including: IEC60079-0, IEC6007911, UL121201, and CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 213-17, UL 508 (Part One), and CAS C22.2 No. 14-13. Additionally, the wrenches’ custom-designed battery packs meet UL 2504 standards. Designed for repeated use, Intrinsically Safe ControlTech Torque Wrenches are accurate to +/- 2% clockwise, +/- 3% counterclockwise, providing instant data on the exact torque applied. Snap-on’s Intrinsically Safe ControlTech Torque Wrenches come with a selection of interchangeable ISO/IZO heads to handle a wide variety of torquing applications. The wrenches are also Bluetooth compatible, enabling users to record the torque and turn angle data in real time, and transfers data using Snap-on’s CONNECTORQ app for increase quality and traceability of their work.

Snap-on Industrial /// www.snapon.com

Summary

Using IoT and thermal sensing technology will allow windfarm operators to perform remote inspections, with 24/7 monitoring on sites and equipment that would otherwise be difficult, costly, and time-consuming to inspect. The sensors provide remote visual and thermal imaging of equipment inside the nacelle. The IoT sensors can be installed quickly and easily due to their small and lightweight form factor, low voltage requirements, and built-in communications. Continuous thermal monitoring ultimately improves safety and reliability, while reducing operating and maintenance costs.

Richard Harada heads the Marketing and Product Management teams at Systems With Intelligence. He has over 20 years of experience in industrial networking communications and applications, and ensures that products are developed that meet industry requirements.

Systems With Intelligence /// www.systemswithintelligence.com M. Rebolini, A. Valant and F. Pepe, "Terna's approach for on-line monitoring system Intelligent management of Assets in a large scale infrastructures," in AEIT International Annual Conference (AEIT), Cagliari, ITALY, 2017.

2 www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tepco-to-implement-ecgs-predict-it-analytics-solution-300836700.html 3 www.powermag.com/innovative-microgrid-will-power-finnish-distribution-center/ 1

Figure 3: Comprehensive dashboard provides status, trending and visualization information.

North American Clean Energy

49

WIND POWER

US Offshore Wind Ambitions Hinge on Supply Chain

by Declan Slattery

Bold action comes from bold ambition, and ambitions don’t come much bolder than the United States’ plan to scale-up offshore wind capacity from 42 megawatts to 30 gigawatts by 2030. That goal will require windfarms across almost the entire coastline1.

As yet, there are no commercial-scale offshore windfarms operational in the country.

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

This goal will require an unprecedented pace of development. The US is not allowing itself the luxury of the multi-decade timescales European pioneers like the UK have followed. That’s okay though, because the US is not starting from zero; it can build on the expertise and technology developed in Europe to accelerate the roll-out. After all, if any country has proven its ability to deliver on supersize projects, it’s America.

How exactly then, can America incorporate the best of the European offshore wind industry to meet its ambitions? It helps to be specific, so let’s focus on supporting installation infrastructure and supply chains.

The Problem of Ports and Vessels

Installing and commissioning turbines offshore requires a variety of specialized vessels, ranging from wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs) to jack-ups, crew transfer vessels, and cable laying vessels. These, in turn, rely on specialist port infrastructure shoreside to load, service, and deploy them.

The US has a shortage of the necessary specialized2 vessels. An obvious solution would be to source them from elsewhere, but this avenue is restricted by the Jones Act, which prevents foreign-built, -owned, or -manned vessels from transporting goods between US ports, hindering the import of fleets from more mature markets. Although the first Jones Act-compliant WTIV wind farm service operations vessel3 is projected to be sea-ready by 2023, the tight timelines involved in installing 30GW by 2030 makes it unlikely that a new compliant vessel supply will suffice. Even if the order book balloons tomorrow, designing and commissioning such vessels is itself a multi-year undertaking.

However, the challenge is surmountable. Indeed, the Jones Act has been in place since 1920; in that time, another offshore industry with similarly complex requirements has thrived – the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas sector.

Possible workarounds include operating out of Canada for projects in the Northeast, or relying on US-flagged barges. The Jones Act applies from port-to-port, so components could, for example, be transported by barges from the shore to waiting WTIVs that have sailed from Europe or Asia.

Such solutions come with ingrained inefficiency; they don’t obviate the need for investment in US specialist vessels, but they can make the short-term pain less acute.

Onshoring the Offshore Supply Chain

Currently, the US also lacks a fully-established domestic supply chain4 for offshore wind; relying on an internationally dispersed and disparate supply chain could also impede development. Capital projects worldwide – and not just in the offshore wind sector – are suffering from materials shortages at the time of this writing, and that problem is harder

In this context, it will be instructive to watch the progress of the 800MW Vineyard 1 project off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard – “a project that the industry has long treated as a harbinger of the industry’s fortunes5” and the first commercial scale offshore wind farm in the US. The US can benefit from Europe’s more mature offshore wind market, which has been able to join up everything from supply chains to design and engineering – both by sourcing services and components directly, and by looking to its development for instruction. If it can get the balance right, the nascent US offshore wind industry could become a tremendous source of jobs and wealth for the country, and even bring that lofty 30GW by 2030 target within reach.

Declan Slattery is Chief Financial Officer at Motive Offshore Group Ltd. From equipment design and build, to inspection and testing, through to equipment mobilization and operation, Motive offers all the ‘tools’ necessary to complete your project successfully and on time, along with a friendly, knowledgeable team 100% invested in delivering your solution.

Motive Offshore /// www.motive-offshore.com www.nytimes.com/2021/10/13/climate/biden-offshore-windfarms.html 2 cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/477837/Collateral/White Papers/ Supply-Chain-Challenges-Facing-US-Offshore-Wind-Projectswhite-paper-burns-mcdonnell-11057.pdf 3 www.offshore-mag.com/renewable-energy/article/14206400/ ihs-markit-offshore-wind-installation-vessel-market-booming 4 www.renewableenergyworld.com/wind-power/u-s-offshorewind-generation-goals-have-a-supply-chain-problem/#gref 5 energypost.eu/new-u-s-offshore-wind-target-from-standingstart-to-30-gw-by-2030/#:~:text=Then%2C%20on%20March%20 29%2C%20the,2020%20(around%2034.4%20GW).

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– and more expensive – to manage when suppliers are extremely remote.

As an added incentive to build out the domestic supply chain for the sector, local economies can be bolstered by local content and skilled employment opportunities. This is particularly important in the US, which takes pride in supporting a healthy ecosystem of independent service and equipment suppliers, such as those which are so prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico and in the onshore oil and gas sector.

Fortunately, there are signs that elements of the US offshore wind supply chain are clicking into place. Homegrown giants and specialists have rich expertise earned abroad to bring to bear at home.

Then there are other companies doing the reverse – taking expertise developed in far-flung home markets and applying it to the States. These not-so-newcomers have made strides in manufacturing subsea cables out of the US, with other major players poised to leverage expertise built in US onshore wind, US offshore oil and gas, and European offshore wind to move quickly in the space.

This appears to be a winning combination – a balance of American companies supplying American projects, with specialists from abroad plugging the gaps and creating American jobs in the process. However, there is a significant stumbling block in this regard, as it can be difficult for foreign companies to know where to base their US operations. Different states apply different offshore licensing rules, employment law, taxes, and incentives, all of which creates a level of uncertainty; the day after you make a decision, another state may announce

an even better deal, leading to decision paralysis. In time, this problem will fade as different areas generate a critical mass of certain businesses and become the de facto centers of gravity for their respective niches – but time is of the essence, and an expedited solution would help maintain momentum.

All Eyes on Martha’s Vineyard

There is an urgent imperative to integrate and simplify buying services across a complex, far-flung international supply chain. US developers could benefit from neutral conveners capable of bringing together an ecosystem of equipment, and providing an integrated end-to-end offering from equipment sourcing to operation.

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North American Clean Energy

51

WIND POWER

AI

An operational must-have in the new global energy economy

by Rob Budny

D

Light when you need it Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems

espite the raging pandemic, the global supply chain, and project construction disruptions, 2020 and 2021 were banner years for renewable energy. The global wind industry installations surged, as did solar photovoltaics, hydropower, and the pressing need for energy storage. Renewable power capacity rose to 290 gigawatts (GW) in 2021, outpacing net installations in fossil fuels and nuclear power combined.

Although renewable energy is now considered a new global energy economy, there are still impediments to widespread adoption. Political pressures (which vary by country and sector), government regulations, and corporate influences are all issues outside the power of technology; high material costs, managing outdated infrastructure and asset failures, and cyber threats, however, are not.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have become revolutionary for renewables, unlocking the vast potential of renewable energy data, and transforming the industry. By leveraging the power of these technologies, power companies can accelerate production, predict and prescribe maintenance, maximize operational efficiency, and improve overall grid management operations.

The headwinds of renewable energy adoption Find out more:

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

As an example, commercial wind turbines carry a hefty price tag of $2.6 – $4 million per average-sized turbine. Operation and maintenance costs average $42,000 – $48,000 per year. This is a cost that climbs with the age of the turbine, mainly due to the harsh environments in which they operate.

Wind turbines, along with all renewable energy assets, create a flood of data, especially when digitized. Turbines generate SCADA data, outputting values for up to 500 different metrics each second. Project operators are tasked with spending far too much time and too many resources sifting through this data. Without any technological assistance, they inevitably miss opportunities to optimize projects, identify and address underperforming assets, and prevent failures and downtime.

Wind turbines are also complex mechanisms, comprised of more than 8,000 different components, including electronics, sensors, hydraulics, yaw motors, rotor blades, mechanical brakes, gearboxes, generators, and more. Failures of any of these can cause varying periods of downtime. Gearbox failures are rare, but cause an average of six days of downtime. Electrical damages are

more common, but the downtime duration is shorter, so wind technicians tend to focus on preventing failures that result in long periods of downtime (gearbox, generator, and drivetrain).

After installation, the most complex and costly aspect of wind energy production is maintenance. Global onshore wind operations and maintenance costs reached nearly $15 billion in 20191. Of that amount, $8.5 billion was spent on unplanned repairs and corrective actions caused by component failures. Given the cost of hardware components and labor, wind power plants and asset owners have sharpened their focus on operational expenditures.

Using AI to reduce costs and improve performance

There are numerous ways artificial intelligence can be applied to renewable energy. In utilizing an AI-enabled asset management platform designed specifically for clean energy, owners can take advantage of the latest in cloud computing and data

analytics with AI and ML technologies. Comprehensive platforms, complete with dashboards, monitoring, automated reporting, alarm and event management, and natural language processing (NPL) of unstructured data, can significantly benefit and augment the operators who deploy them.

Structured and unstructured data can be turned into predictive maintenance, production forecasting, energy optimization, parts forecasting, and data aggregation capabilities – in real-time, and with visualization and reporting. Combining the power of data analytics with physics-based digital twin technology results in comprehensive models with incredibly high accuracy and long lead prediction horizons.

AI and ML can also be used to simplify the highly complex process of managing decentralized grids, and balancing supply and demand in real-time. Decentralized energy sources can send excess electricity to the grid, while utilities direct that power where it’s needed.

Fight technology with technology

Cyber threats are a serious challenge for the renewables industry. Many of the systems currently in use were built to prioritize efficiency over security, with original equipment manufacturers and third-party operations and maintenance providers granted open access to assets and networks. Each physical and online access site presents a possible intrusion point. The resulting gaps (technical, people, and process security) leave the entire renewables value chain vulnerable to malicious actors, disgruntled personnel, and/or nefarious third-party vendors.

Cyber breaches on renewable assets have potentially severe consequences, including (but not limited to) loss of data, production, revenue, and reputation, as well as health, safety, and environmental risks. To mitigate threats, security must take priority; it must be assessed at every stage of the project lifecycle, with AI embedded in all processes.

Bad actors (hacktivist groups, lone wolf hackers, and state-sponsored cyber warfare units) are becoming more sophisticated in their endeavors. They continuously devise new forms of cyberattacks like crypto-jacking and malware attacks on the Internet of Things, or smartphones and cross-site scripting. By leveraging machine learning, companies benefit from real-time monitoring and security threat detection, which can prompt quick action. Low-profile, cognitive endpoint agents learn the common behavioral patterns of devices so they can be analyzed to detect anomalies, without impacting user experiences. AI technologies prevent zero-day and polymorphic malware attacks, such as the malicious computer worm Stuxnet, the banking Trojan called Ursnif (also known as Gozi), Vobfus Windows worm virus, and Bagle, an email worm, as well as advance masking techniques like weaponized documents, scripts, macros, and memory injection attacks.

There is no doubt that renewable energy is the solution to the climate challenge – fossil fuels are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. But renewable energy powered by next-generation, endto-end AI technology is what will take renewables from a newsworthy buzzword to a sustainable and safer future, all while increasing automation and cost savings, digitizing maintenance, creating higher operational efficiencies, and improving our bottom lines.

Rob Budny is the VP of Sales for Renewable Energy at SparkCognition, where he leads the sales organization for SparkCognition’s Ensemble Asset Performance Management solution for renewable energy operators. Prior to joining SparkCognition, Budny was the COO and Co-Founder at Ensemble Energy, which was acquired by SparkCognition in May of 2021. He has held executive positions in several organizations, including RBB Engineering and Clipper Windpower. Rob has been an invited speaker at events such as the NREL Drivetrain Reliability Collaborative, and the AWEA Operations, Maintenance and Safety Conference. He holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

SparkCognition /// www.sparkcognition.com 1

www.woodmac.com/press-releases/unplanned-wind-turbine-repairs-to-cost-industry-$8-billion-in-2019/

North American Clean Energy

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WIND POWER

Passive Oil Containment for New England’s Ocean Wind

by Bill Gannon

A new permitted wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts has been under construction since November of 2022. This project is located 35 miles from the coast. Consisting of 90 wind turbines, each 1 nautical mile apart from each other, it’s the first large wind farm off the coast of New England. It’s expected to produce electricity for 400,000 homes. This is a huge project with many environmental concerns, both at sea and on land.

The power from the offshore substation will be brought onshore via cables buried below the ocean floor, which prevents disruptions from any outside source once the project is completed. The power cables will be brought into the mainland of Cape Cod, then trenched and buried for several miles to the two substations, where the power transformers will be located. Given Cape Cod’s reputation as a pristine area and vacationer’s paradise, years of research went into minimizing the environmental and aesthetic impact of this project.

Only after all areas of concern were addressed would permitting be granted for construction to begin. Many engineering firms were involved in the earlier stages of the project. A main concern was how oil containment would be employed at the substations on Cape Cod. One method, called passive containment, involves no moving parts. This allows rainwater to flow through the filter media draining the containment pits. This innovative passive containment system allows for removal of oil sheen to non-detectable levels in rainstorms, while also providing 100 percent oil containment in the event of a total failure, by instantly shutting down all drainage in seconds.

Cape Cod Massachusetts water supply is from the underground aquifers; preventing any contamination is vital. The benefits of passive filtration, along with limited maintenance, would safeguard the needs of Cape Cod and its sensitive aquafer.

The passive technology can be demonstrated by having water flow through a media tube, then introducing transformer mineral oil. As the water level drops, the oil enters the tube and is absorbed into the media. The media dissolves on oil contact and tackifies, causing a solid seal in seconds. This passive approach also works on oil – contaminated water running through the filter to the point where any oil sheen is removed to non-detectable levels. Since 1999, this passive technology has been proven in the field to contain oil from both spills and transformer explosions with fire. No oil has ever been released.

After years of planning, the first of two substations is finally under construction.

This substation will have eight oil containment areas for 4 large power transformers, 2 shunt reactors, and several GSU transformers and capacitors – all requiring complete oil containment. Each containment area is sized for the

amount oil in each piece of equipment. The large transformers and shunt reactors contain up to 23,000 gallons of oil, and must have 110 percent containment. An additional free board of 30” remains for rainwater, while at the same time being able to drain the water. The containment areas are concrete, approximately 49' X 39' with a depth of 5'3" sloped toward the passive oil barrier.

These barriers are manufactured using a 36" inside diameter High Density Polyethylene pipe (HDPE), 30" in height with a 4" lateral drain on the bottom floor of the HDPE housing. After the housing is installed, hooked up to drainage piping, backfilled, and with concrete poured around it, the area inside the containment must be thoroughly cleaned to remove all concrete dust and debris. The sumps are then covered until the barriers and dirt filter are installed.

The picture below on the left shows the completed barrier, with the top hat filter resting on the black housing (as delivered). The canister is attached with stainless steel screws to the top flange on the housing. Lastly, the top hat filter attaches above the canister to filter dirt and debris before entering into the barrier canister.

Each passive barrier has a flow rate of 50+ gallons per minute while continuously draining during a rain event. Passive filtration provided for oil containment is relatively maintenance free, provided the area is clean when installed. The top hat filter is the first stage of filtering, keeping most dirt and debris out of the barrier canister. The canister also has internal dirt filters that can be cleaned by removing the top grate; if dirty, the round 2" thick batting disk can be replaced.

Because passive filtration oil containment does not require pumps or opening ball valves for drainage, it offers a major advantage regarding maintenance. Draining water from containment areas requires time taken away from other important jobs. Many containment areas can be overlooked, and not properly drained, which creates other problems like too much rainwater without the volume for oil, mosquito breeding, algae growth, or oil sheen. Passive filtration solves all these problems.

Passive oil containment is used in thousands of applications, in many different forms.

By allowing only clean water to be discharged, and sealing off in an oil or fuel spill, this technology has set a new standard for oil containment.

Bill Gannon is President at Solidification Products International, which he founded in 1991 to develop and manufacture solidification technology and products for passive oil containment and unique industrial applications.

He can be reached at bgannon@oilbarriers.com.

Oil Barriers /// www.oilbarriers.com

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55

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…

SEE AD ON PAGE 43 Castrol Product: Castrol Tribol GR SW 460-1 Application: Tribol GR SW 460-1 with Castrol’s unique MFT-PD additive technology provides wear protection and a low coefficient of friction under extremes of pressure, vibration, shock loads, at high/low speeds.

Recommended for wind turbine main bearings, pitch, and yaw bearings.

Shell Lubricant Solutions

Fuchs Lubricants

Product: Omala S5 Wind

Product: Gleitmo 585K 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.

Flash Point: 392°F (200°C)

Application: Shell Omala S5 Wind is specifically designed to provide optimum performance and long service life. It is formulated to lubricate and protect wind turbine main gearboxes, even under harsh conditions, and is also suitable for yaw and pitch drives that require an ISO 320 viscosity specification.

NLGI Grade: NLGI Grade 1

cSt @ 40°C: 320 cSt

Key Features:

cSt @ 100°C: 39 cSt

cSt @ 40°C: 460 cSt @ 100°C: 53 Viscosity Index: 180

• •

Compatibility-tested for ease of conversion;

Viscosity Index: 170

Excellent adhesion, structural stability, sealing effects and water resistance;

Flash Point: 464°F (240°C)

•

Reduces wear from static vibration (false brinelling) and axial thrust;

•

Outstanding high and low temperature performance

Pour Point: -54.4°F (-48°C) shell.us/windpower

cSt @ 40°C: 50 cSt Temperature Range: -49°F to 284°F (-45°C to 140°C) Dropping Point: >356°F (>180°C) Oil Type: Synthetic Thickener Type: Lithium NLGI Grade: NLGI #2 Oil Separation (40°C for 40 days): <5% www.fuchsus.com

www.castrol.com/wind.us

AMSOIL, Inc. Product: Synthetic Power Transmission EP Gear Lubricants

Petro-Canada Lubricants, Inc. Product: HARNEX 320 Wind Turbine Gear Oil

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: 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: 326.7 cSt

cSt @ 40°C: 323 cSt

cSt @ 100°C: 34.8 cSt

cSt @ 100°C: 34.9 cSt

Viscosity Index: 151

Viscosity Index: 153

Pour Point: -36°F (-38°C)

Pour Point: -44°F (-42°C)

Flash Point: 473°F (245°C)

Flash Point: 459°F (237°C)

www.amsoilwind.com

www.lubricants.petro-canada.com

Hydrotex

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Product: SYN-Nth Gear Oil

cSt @ 40°C: 390 cSt

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 @ 100°C: 43.6 cSt Viscosity Index: 167 www.hydrotexlube.com

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.

Clobotics Corporation

Nearthlab

DroneBase

Product: Clobotics Blade Inspection Service

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

Product: Dronebase Insights

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.

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 delivers intelligent imaging for high value infrastructure in the solar, wind, T&D, properties, and telecom markets in a single platform. They provide a scalable, single source of actionable insights to help users recover revenue, reduce risk, and improve build quality.

Industries: Wind

Industries: Wind, commercial

Industries: Wind, solar, AEC/EPC, buildings

Services: Inspection, Drone-as-a-Service

Services: Inspection, maintenance, drone-as-a-service

Pilot: FAA Part 107 exam

Pilot: FAA Part 107 exam

Autonomous: Intelligent pathing, blade aware, no predefined path

Autonomous: Intelligent pathing, blade aware

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

Image capture: Resolution up to 3 pixels per mm

Length of operation: 30 minutes

Inspection time: Under 25 minutes

Flight features: Hover capability

Flight features: Hover capability

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

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

Safety features: Geofencing, GPS redundancy, emergency landing

Software: Modeling, LiDAR

Software: Modeling, LiDAR, interactive, AI algorithms Data analysis: Analysts, AI (predictive analytics), Customer-led

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

Pilot: FAA Part 107 certified (UAV operators), FAA Part 61 or Part 141 certified (manned aircraft operators) Image Capture: RGB images, HD video, thermal imaging Length of operation: 15 minutes Flight features: Multi-rotor, vtol, fixed wing Software: Photogrammetry, CAD, thermography, GIS Data analysis: Human augmented AI www.dronebase.com

www.nearthlab.com

www.clobotics.com

Civ Robotics Product: CivDot 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.

Offering Turnkey Solutions & Engineering Services

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, collision-tolerant Software: Interactive, CivPlan mission planner www.civrobotics.com

Renewable Energy Solutions.

Proven Energy Professionals. www.manganpower.com North American Clean Energy

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ENERGY STORAGE

Thermal Management Unlocks Safety, Dependability, Range, and Longevity for Commercial Electric Vehicles

by Gina Bonini

H

umans have designed and built motorized vehicles for more than a century. Deciding which method of propulsion to use did not start as a question about environmental impact, but rather as a pragmatic tradeoff between technical feasibility, availability of the fuel source, and safety. Although electric vehicles (EVs) appeared as early as 1886, most models have been powered by the internal combustion engine (ICE).

As the dominant choice for as long as anyone can remember, ICE-powered vehicle technology is mature, rarely presenting novel engineering challenges outside of making the technology cleaner. While more recent innovations such as alternative fuels, exhaust gas recirculation, hybrid drivetrains, and shut-downon-idle have helped reduce emissions, progress is increasingly marginal. As the transportation industry pivots its substantial engineering resources to EVs, the innovation cycle for EVs is only just accelerating.

Today, EV propulsion, energy storage, and near-countless incomprehensibly complex microelectronics components are subject to a blinding pace of advancements, inventions, and breakthroughs. With this relentless pursuit of faster, safer, and more efficient technology, vehicle manufacturers don't face marginal engineering decisions, but near-revolutionary ones regularly.

Commercial and specialty vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are focused on bringing their all-electric vehicle platforms to market in time to meet strong demand, driven by corporate and government commitments to reducing emissions. States like Washington, for example, have moved to ban all ICE vehicles before 20301, leaving OEMs just eight short years in which to deliver all types of zero-emission commercial fleet vehicles. Furthermore, a growing number have stated their intentions to stop investing in new ICE platforms and models; many more have already defined a specific date to end ICE vehicle production. OEMs now face mounting resource constraints as they design, validate, and ramp production on an entirely new propulsion system – and decide which elements of EV powertrains and their supporting systems should be developed in-house, or outsourced. New electric platforms must meet the range, durability, and reliability required by the commercial vehicle market.

Is it possible to spin up multiple new technology teams (software, chemical engineering, and semiconductors, to name a few) in-house in time to meet escalating customer demand?

Similar to ICE engines, but different in profound ways, the impact of ambient operating temperature on electronic is significant. EVs are Integrated Energy Storage System components chock-full of power electronics and • Scale power & capacity independently with inverters & batteries batteries; thermal management (at both ends of the mercury) determines • Smart, easy to use app puts the power of an energy storage system (ESS) in the palm of your hand for total control & reliability vehicle longevity, performance, and safety. Designing a thermal management • Simple installation, programming & setup saves time & money system to efficiently manage the thermal • Indoor & outdoor rated I AC or DC coupled I On or off-grid loads, and a system that fits the space SCALABLE. AFFORDABLE. SAFE. constraints of a commercial vehicle while reliably meeting the heavyduty operation environment, requires specialized thermodynamics expertise.

Anyone who has ever tried to use a smartphone left on a car dashboard on a summer day, or overnight in winter, knows the impact of operating temperature on electronics. So do owners of hydrocarbon-powered cars in Arizona, or Minnesota. For EV owners, however, rather than simply waiting for the temperature extreme to pass (or in the worst case, swapping the battery, SIMPLIPHIPOWER.COM | 805-640-6700

The NEW SimpliPHI ESS!

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

heating the engine block, or refilling the radiator), their electronics and batteries are not limited to providing starting power or running vehicle accessories; they are the whole show. Commercial EVs, by definition, must be productive assets. Electronics and battery performance are essential to reliably generating value and getting the job done. Extreme heat and cold can significantly degrade electric powertrain performance, range, and longevity. More profoundly, a catastrophic thermal runaway in batteries (in severe cases) places thermal management at the heart of EV safety, beyond the operator's actions behind the wheel.

Thermal management in EVs is one of the least visible, but most cutting-edge frontiers in EV transportation. From dissipating heat generated during power conversion and electrochemical processes, to warming components up to the optimal operating range, the right temperature improves performance, longevity, and safety, and enhances battery charging speeds. While many of these issues are, for the most part, problems already solved in EV passenger cars, the inordinately larger workloads and duty cycles of commercial, purposebuilt, and off-highway EVs result in correspondingly higher voltages and battery capacities. When combined with the harsher operating conditions of these work vehicles, these technologies cannot simply be scaled up from the passenger car domain. Innovations in efficiently controlling temperatures of EV propulsion components are at the apex of making electrified commercial fleet vehicles viable. Similarly, and perhaps even more so, thermal management will be at the forefront as the industry moves again from EV technology to fuel cells. So, keep an eye on the thermostat in this space.

Gina Bonini is Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Thermal Systems at Modine, which designs, manufactures, and tests heat transfer products for a wide variety of applications and markets.

Modine /// modineev.com 1

lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Bills/Senate Passed Legislature/5974-S.PL.pdf?q=20220330091416

North American Clean Energy

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ENERGY STORAGE

Software for Fleet Management Inflection point for EV success

by Jon Leicester

The commercial fleet vehicle market is already substantial, accounting for 3.5 million annual vehicle sales in the U.S.1 – and it's growing in step with fleet operators' evolving operational and emissions needs. As clean fleet technology2 advances, fleet owners and operators are no longer faced with the challenge of electrifying existing vehicle pools. Still, they are focused on how to manage them at scale. Whether it's school buses shuffling kids to and from school, or box trucks dispatching packages, we all rely on transportation in myriad ways. Electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to carry out the same jobs as their Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) predecessors.

Accomplishing the tasks demanded of EVs remains the primary goal for any fleet – electric or not. Fleet operators, therefore, must understand and master the many differences between running ICE vehicles and EVs. The management and operational dynamics of electricity-fueled vehicles start with a shift from focusing on hardware, to concentrating on software. ICE vehicles are dominated by moving parts, involving everything from conventional engine repair and maintenance intervals, to replacing fluids during a routine oil change. Conversely, EV hardware includes fewer moving parts; software is the core component.

Everything from EV charging to energy management, including grid and utility interaction, represents an array of digital transactions and data flows, including realtime charger and vehicle operations data. These all rely on a software-driven connective fabric to work together. Chargers, vehicles, and software all must interact seamlessly for this to work. Fleet operators new to EVs find themselves pressured to 'spin up' electric fleets without a clear path to understanding how these new components function together, much less how to manage the entire ecosystem through new software. An integrated software platform that can provide in-depth analytics is essential to ensuring reliable and consistent operations and, ultimately, achieving their various missions.

As a service-oriented business, fleet charging is a complex system that depends on a wide variety of players to generate value. Software can handle the added complexities of EV fueling, including monitoring charging station health, charge levels of vehicles,

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and operators can view everything down to the lowest level of operation.

They are able to control various aspects of their fleets, from dynamic power allocation that maximizes fleet readiness, to real-time energy consumption and lower total cost of ownership. By allowing fleets to manage energy, track charge time, and notify managers of potential problems through real-time alerts, software helps to repurpose their chargers for public consumption and more large-scale deployment; successful operation of EV fleets becomes possible. Acting as the digital connective tissue between vehicles, charging stations, telematics, and more, software is the key that unlocks fleet management. energy usage, and so on. An added layer of complexity comes into play when chargers and vehicles from multiple OEMs are deployed in the same environment.

This is only compounded when integrated with the installed base of ICE-vehicle fleet management systems, whether off-the-shelf or internally developed.

These systems generally encompass all aspects of fleet management, from fuel card data, maintenance reports, or driver assignments, and allow fleet managers to see their fleet's state easily. EV fleet management is no different.

A fleet manager needs access to key operational data on fleet inventory, vehicle usage and status, maintenance levels, and more. Adding EV charging to the mix adds an extra layer of monitoring needs, but using multiple systems to get this information is not ideal. Adding EV charging management into the mix, and a modern, API-enabled system for EVs, should provide fleet managers with indepth information and analysis about their EV fleet ecosystem, without having to deploy new software or switch between multiple applications or platforms.

Integration and real-time data exchange between EV systems and incumbent 'designed for ICE' fleet systems is essential to efficient EV fleet management. By offering a flexible, robust, and scalable API, software companies can help build EV modules into platforms that accept API function calls, making EV deployment much more straightforward.

For fleet operators, this means utilizing telematics devices and platforms that promote fleet efficiency and up-time through the ability to monitor and communicate location, fuel consumption, driver behavior, and similar data. From a business perspective, these advanced capabilities transform how operators manage fleet vehicles by providing reliable operational data, which can then be leveraged to optimize charging schedules, and understand energy consumption and vehicle state of charge.

With countless unique metrics, linking EVs with an intelligent route planning system gives drivers and operators the insights required to get the work done.

The way we manage fleets is rapidly evolving. Whether operators are just starting to add EVs to their fleet, or managing several vehicles already deployed, having the foundational support of high-quality software is critical. Through real-time insights into depot-specific data, owners

Jon Leicester is Vice President, Fleet at EV Connect.

The EV Connect management platform optimizes EV charging by seamlessly connecting utilities, businesses and organizations, charging stations, and drivers.

EV Connect /// www.evconnect.com drive.google.com/file/d/1otPs_qj1fw2lTLHZbKUHBOV-moq-DoSh/view cdn.stateofsustainablefleets.com/2021/state-of-sustainable-fleets-2021fact-sheet.pdf 1 2

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ROLLSBATTERY.COM North American Clean Energy

61

ENERGY STORAGE

A New Look at Performance Monitoring for Energy Storage

by Stefan Greens

P

erformance monitoring for the energy storage industry has traditionally meant a hodge podge of different systems, often based on outdated technologies and interfaces, with limited or no ability to communicate with other systems. This has led to a lack of trust in what, if any, insights are provided.

A new look at performance monitoring in battery-based energy storage systems (BESS) brings a holistic, cloud-based approach that incorporates data from disparate systems and workflows into a single, value-based view. Before we talk about what this looks like and what value it adds, let’s first consider what “performance” really means.

In the context of a battery energy storage system, “performance” is such a multifaceted term that it requires some organizing principle for it to become useful.

Different stakeholders approach performance differently, since each has different optimization targets and timescales in which to reach them.

Specifically: • Operators aim to optimize direct operational metrics, such as state of health and availability.

• Utilities value maintaining grid stability and reliability, via applications for frequency and voltage regulation.

• Owners aim to maximize financial metrics such as ROI, remaining useful life (RUL), and NPV. • Societies and their representative governments increasingly demand renewable energy, where reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the key success metric.

Ancient Archaea. A New Energy Solution.

Electrochaea’s grid scale power-to-gas methanation process stores renewable power in synthetic methane. Co-located renewable power, biogas source and archaea enables long duration energy storage and decarbonizes the gas infrastructure. joe.feldman@electrochaea.com mark.pastore@electrochaea.com www.electrochaea.com

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These success criteria are, for the most part, aligned with one another; but they also build on each other. With modern monitoring tools now able to capture, parameterize, store, and process data at scale in the cloud, a layered approach to generating successively more sophisticated and context-specific performance indicators from a foundation of directly sensed streaming data, in real time, becomes feasible. The approach, in effect, is to build a “value chain” for data.

The levels of data build upon each other, like links in a chain, to provide increasingly sophisticated insights. The initial, most basic “link” in the data value chain is empirical data, captured in real time by sensors in the cells, strings, and energy blocks, and visualized directly as time series — for attributes such as voltage, current and temperature.

The next link is derived metrics, directly enabled by the raw inputs. Calculating the maxima, minima, and distributions of voltages and temperatures across cells in a string or block provides a quick sense of balances (or imbalances) in the system. Various algorithmic models allow the accurate calculation of state of charge of a string as a live attribute, based on current and voltage.

These outputs, when fed to a condition-action rules engine, can generate many of the alerts that an operator needs to monitor for events such as overheating, voltage imbalances, and downtime.

The following link in the data value chain provides the data required for maintenance planning, where discrete data points for each charge and discharge cycle are calculated by collapsing the millions of live granular points into algorithmically derived metrics that characterize a battery’s state of health. These cyclic attributes include equivalent cycles, a measure of battery use, and indicators of battery health such as energy efficiency across a cycle and maximum capacity at top of charge, both of which degrade with aging.

A number of links, or levels of data insight, exist beyond these initial three. Let’s talk about what those include. Firstly, while the data attributes we’ve already spoken about are sufficient for condition-based maintenance regimes, where individual batteries are replaced when they show sufficient performance degradation, machine-learning algorithms can go one better. By training them on the historical time series and cyclic data of individual serialized batteries, they can provide Remaining Useful Life (RUL) estimates or flag incipient anomalies, enabling predictive maintenance regimes that can dramatically cut downtime and costs.

It’s always good to keep in mind that performance is, above all, a financial metric.

Maximizing the ROI of a BESS means using its available cycles smartly. To accomplish this, we can link the existing value chain datasets with time series data sourced externally. For example, weather data subscriptions provide forecasts for temperature, humidity, cloud cover, and wind speed, while market data subscriptions provide dayahead energy prices. These external data sources can add an additional dimension to your dataset, driving new insights such as determining when to charge or discharge a BESS to maximize revenues for the cycle. A modern energy management system (EMS) can automate these decisions, locking in maximized cost savings.

Stefan Geens is Director of Product Design for Peaxy, Inc. For over two decades, Stefan has focused on user-centric design and communication. He co-founded the Swedish design agency Äventyret, where he helped major institutions develop digital product strategies. Working for the Swedish foreign ministry, Stefan developed and implemented the national digital strategies for public diplomacy in China and the Middle East, and helped design Sweden’s current brand identity. Stefan’s user interface design experience covers data visualization projects, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Stefan holds an MA in International Affairs and Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. View LinkedIn ›

Peaxy /// peaxy.net

While optimized charging cycles can have a positive impact, even smarter financial optimization is now possible with a modern performance monitoring solution. Purchasing power agreements, warranty agreements, and leasing arrangements are essentially codified rulesets for BESS operating envelopes, with penalties for transgressions and rewards for beneficial use patterns. A condition-action rules engine can ingest these rulesets as data, with verifiable proof of transgression events and automated score-keeping.

It now becomes possible to pursue an operating regime where the occasional out-of-envelope event is justified, if the expected revenue gain outpaces the penalty. Conversely, with all this available data, it becomes possible to accurately model the Net Present Value (NPV) of a BESS when a leasing arrangement ends, or the asset is sold or held as collateral.

Perhaps the most holistic — and freshest — measure of performance is a societal metric: How efficient is a BESS at reducing greenhouse emissions?

Every kilowatt-hour of renewable energy provided by a BESS to the grid (because of peak shaving, curtailment avoidance, or price arbitrage) directly impacts the global cumulative carbon footprint. That number, in tons of CO2 equivalent, is calculable once we know how much the BESS is contributing to the energy mix of the local grid.

While a strategy of using a renewable energy BESS to avoid curtailment events at all costs is likely the most impactful in terms of reducing CO2 equivalent, this may not be the strategy that maximizes revenue.

But since both strategies can be modeled from the abundance of data in the holistic data value chain, so can the revenue differential, which can form the basis for calculating governmental incentives to do the right thing.

Modeling performance scenarios for a specific BESS based on its unique historical data, and then seeing how well the real-world equivalent matches its “digital twin” (and adjusting the model accordingly), puts us at the apex of the data value chain. A modern performance monitoring solution can derive a unique degradation curve for each and every battery under management – preferably down to the individual serial number – and calculated from the usage patterns and ambient conditions described above.

The battery data value chain is an approach to analyzing battery data down to the individual serial number. Unlike fleet or system-wide metrics, serialized data threading allows for increasingly sophisticated analysis of an individual battery’s health and performance, with each level or “link” building on the one before it.

Not only have the analytical insights grown increasingly more sophisticated as we’ve added link after link, they are, above all, more relevant and able to adapt to the specific optimization criteria of the stakeholder. A modern performance monitoring solution should be flexible enough to accommodate both these varying levels of criteria, as well as build a full data value chain based on the data you already have, no matter where it resides.

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North American Clean Energy

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ENERGY STORAGE

Clean Energy Storage in Synthetic Methane

by Mark Pastore

Power-to-gas is a technology by which the energy of a power source is stored in the form of a gas. When power-to-gas is combined with methanation, a clean synthetic methane is produced from CO2 and hydrogen, which is a renewable and clean drop-in replacement for fossil natural gas. Power-to-gas methanation has many advantages, including efficient use of power that would otherwise be curtailed, long-term and high capacity (TWh) energy storage, and production of low carbon intensity (CI) fuel. This long-duration (weeks to months) energy storage cannot be accomplished with traditional batteries.

As an example of power-to-gas methanation, CO2 and clean hydrogen are combined by a microorganism, called ‘Archaea’, to produce clean, synthetic methane with a CI that is significantly lower than fossil natural gas. Thus, use of low CI synthetic methane significantly reduces GHG emissions, utilizes investment in existing gas distribution and storage infrastructure, and promotes full use of renewable generation assets, all while supporting the market for construction of new renewable resources. A two-step power-to-gas methanation process is illustrated in Figure 1.

MORE POWER. LESS WEIGHT. LEOCH® 48V LIFEPO4 BATTERIES

Figure 1. (1) Renewable electricity is used to produce clean hydrogen by electrolysis, (2) hydrogen and carbon dioxide are delivered to the reactor (3) in which clean, synthetic methane is synthesized by the archaea. (4) Synthetic methane is prepared for grid injection or use.

Storing power that would be otherwise curtailed

Size Your Next Energy Storage Application with LEOCH® LFELI Series: www.LeochBatterySizer.com LEOCH® BATTERY CORPORATION 20322 Valencia Circle, Lake Forest, CA 92630 +1.949.588.5853 www.leoch.us

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Reliable Power Solutions

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Power-to-gas methanation technology makes it possible to store renewable energy and recycle CO2 in a costeffective way. This technology eliminates the temporal link between energy supply and demand, allowing efficient energy storage in methane. When renewable power is available but cannot be used immediately, the power must be curtailed. If this otherwise curtailed power is available to produce synthetic methane,

achieve 100 percent renewable electricity.

The power-to-gas process can provide a perpetually sustainable fuel, stabilize economic returns for the developers of renewable power, and reduce the risks involved in the development of additional renewable generation assets.

Mark Pastore is Director of Sales and Business Development, North America at Electrochaea Corporation, which produces renewable methane at industrial scale that can be used to green the gas grid, continue to green the power grid, and recycle any source of CO2.

Electrochaea Corporation /// www.electrochaea.com

Figure 2. An illustration of synthetic methane as a means to store renewable energy. the energy will not be lost; it can instead be stored in the gas infrastructure (Figure 2).

This enables full use of renewable energy production, even in the absence of available consumers, which allows for the continued growth of the market for renewable electric power. Application of power-to-gas methanation produces clean methane that can be used for power generation in both combined cycle gas turbine baseload plants and gas turbine peaker plants.

Long-duration energy storage that outlasts traditional batteries Power-to-gas adds a critical and additional advantage to renewable energy generation by providing seasonal storage of renewable energy. Analogous in many ways to pumped hydro or other forms of gravity-based storage, power-to-gas methanation converts wasted power generation into synthetic methane for much later future use. In this way, the existing gas grid and connected storage facilities become the largest battery in the US, storing renewable energy for use later in the day, month, or even year. The US has the design capacity to store ~4,690 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which is equivalent to 1.37 billion MW; ~6,000 MW of battery storage capacity was planned for 2021. Thus, there is as much as 23,000 times the amount of storage in the natural gas infrastructure as in the 2021 battery storage capabilities. Unlike traditional battery technologies, the ‘state of charge’ of the gas grid is effectively insensitive to a charge/discharge cycle. The gas infrastructure would essentially never be full of renewable energy, and would not degrade its state of charge during storage. Using existing infrastructure reduces capital investment, technology risk, and land use concerns.

Accelerate development of renewable power generation assets

When stored in the existing natural gas reservoirs, clean, synthetic methane can provide reliability benefits to the power grid while providing renewable electricity. A renewable gas reserve enables continued use of current electricity generation assets to produce low CI electricity, maintaining jobs and existing infrastructure with known reliability and performance metrics. Developing a renewable gas transmission system for power ramping needs is critical. For example, the recently projected load ramps in California (in excess of 25,000 MW by 2030) are unlikely to be met by solar and wind alone, which cannot respond on demand. Increasing the intermittent renewable resources on the grid will exacerbate not only the ramping needs in the afternoon, but also the intermittency and curtailment issues seen throughout the day. The loss of renewable production for even short periods of time, due to weather conditions alone, could jeopardize the power grid in the absence of reliable, proven gas generations assets.

A synergy exists in the coupling of the renewable power sector with renewable gas production. As intermittent renewable electricity generation increases, there will necessarily be greater curtailment of electricity generation. The power that is being curtailed could be stored in the synthetic methane molecule using power-to-gas processes. By providing a buyer for economically curtailed power, production of lowcost renewable gas is enabled, and lost revenues for the renewable power producers are recovered. In addition, clean fuels produced using power-to-gas processes are capable of providing very-long-duration storage. This can play a significant role in addressing the seasonal mismatch in supply and demand that makes it difficult to

visit us at www.enact-systems.com

North American Clean Energy

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ENERGY STORAGE

High performance modular storage solution

Tigo Energy’s EI Battery Storage high-performance LFP battery provides energy during grid outages. As a modular solution, it provides blocks of 10kWh batteries to serve home needs. Up to four batteries can be paired per EI Inverter to extend flexible energy storage.

Tigo Energy /// www.tigoenergy.com/product/ei-battery

AC wall-mounted charging station

The ENECTOR wallbox is an AC wall-mounted charging station that KOSTAL has developed in-house. In keeping with the classic design requirement of form and function, the robust housing with its dynamic lines fulfills several tasks at once. Firstly, it serves as a receptacle for the 7.5m long charging cable with type 2 charging plug, which is included in the scope of delivery. Secondly, the central LED display on the front of the housing makes it easy to see the charging mode and all important status messages. Thanks to its compact dimensions and protected housing, the KOSTAL wallbox can be installed safely both indoors and outdoors without taking up too much space. The ENECTOR wallbox is delivered ready for connection and is immediately ready for use thanks to its user-friendly “Plug & Charge” principle. It is also compatible with a wide range of fully electric vehicles and hybrid models. The ENECTOR wallbox can charge compatible fully electric vehicles and hybrid models quickly and safely from all available power sources.

The wallbox offers a single-phase charging power of up to 3.7kW and a three-phase charging power of up to 11kW. The ENECTOR wallbox comes into its own when combined with the KOSTAL Smart Energy Meter and the KOSTAL Solar App. With the appropriate activation code, the user has access to various charging modes.

In addition to Solar Pure Mode (pure solar charging), the wallbox also offers Solar Plus Mode (solar-assisted charging). The wallbox can then be controlled in real time via the KOSTAL Solar App.

All-in-one energy storage solution

Fortress Power presents their new integrated solar storage solution.

Consisting of 4 eFlex batteries and a 12K or 15K inverter, the new all-in-one solution offers peak shaving for demand charge management, load shifting for time-of-use savings, standalone operation in off-grid mode for power backup, as well as storage of excess solar energy.

This new all-in-one solution is IP65 water and dustproof for indoor and outdoor installations. Included are active cooling fans for hot climates and an easy to add din rail thermostat for cold climates. The built-in busbars and cables help make installations 45min or less. The system is UL 9540 certified and meets the UL 9540 (A) large fire test standard. Furthermore, it allows customers flexibility to size up inverter and battery capacity based on their needs and budget.

Fortress Power /// www.fortresspower.com

KOSTAL Solar Electric /// www.kostal-solar-electric.com

Off-grid electric vehicle charger C&I BESS

PowerCube-M3 is a high voltage battery storage system based on lithium iron phosphate battery which can be used to support reliable power for various types of equipments and systems in series. PowerCube-M3 is especially suitable for application scene of high power, limited installation space, restricted load-bearing, and long cycle life. 3 levels BMS (battery management system), which can manage and monitor cells information including voltage, current, and temperature.

The BMS with build-in protection elements (relay/fuse/ breaker) can manage the protection of entire battery system when failure comes out. Additionally, the BMU (battery management unit) inside each battery module can balance cells during each cycling to extend cycle life.

Certification: UL9540A/IEC6269/CE/UL1973

Pylon Technologies, Co., Ltd. /// www.en.pylontech.com.cn

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EV charging company L-Charge has created a fully functioning off-grid station for electric vehicles. Running on an internal supply of LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) and Hydrogen mixture, it greatly lowers the barrier to entry for local and federal acceptance. L-Charge’s stationary off grid stations provide full charge for up to 144 vehicles per day and are designed for highways, gas stations, and parking lots.

L-Charge /// www.l-charge.org

2022 ENERGY EFFICIENCY

BUYERS GUIDE

Image provided by:

Eagleview /// www.eagleview.com

DIRECTORY B2B Equipment Exchange Backsheets Battery Management Systems BIPV Components Condition Monitoring Consulting Services Electrical Electrical Wire, Cable, & Connectors Electrolysers Enclosures Energy Management Energy Monitoring Energy Storage Engineering EV Charging

Fans & Ventilators Fasteners Floating Offshore Wind Floating Solar Platform Foundations Generators | Generator Components Ground Covering Heat Dissipation Integrator | EPC Inverters Lifting slings Manufacturers | Installation Equipment Modules Off-grid Solar Performance Monitoring Performance Testing

Safety Equipment Site Assessment & Forecasting Software Solar Distributor Solar Plus Storage Solar Thermal Manufacturing & Equipment Testing & Certification Testing Equipment Tools Tracking Systems Training Valves Wildlife Management Wind Measurement

North American Clean Energy

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2022 ENERGY EFFICIENCY BUYERS GUIDE B2B Equipment Exchange

EnergyBin EnergyBin is an online business community for the world’s PV professionals to collaborate, buy and sell new and used solar equipment, and share market intelligence. Buyers can send RFQs to members to receive multiple quotes. Sellers can position inventory in front of pre-qualified buyers and resell excess PV material. The B2B exchange is a subscription-based service and does not charge transaction fees. www.energybin.com

BIPV

Pytes Energy (USA), Inc. Pytes 48100R LFP batteries collect and store the surplus electricity produced by solar panels during the day for use during outages and peak rate periods. The all-in-one system with waterproof and dustproof design can be equipped with 2 to 6 LiFePO4, 48V batteries, which can flexibly meet the electricity demand of the house with a minimum of 280kWh and 6000 cycles. 10-year warranty, UL1973,IEC62619,CE,UN38.3 certified. www.dig-battery.com

Backsheets

The Griff Network The Griff Network carries a wide range of film products designed to protect solar panels including durable solar backsheets that protect panels from UV, moisture, and weather. Their backsheets are tested by quality control technicians for conformity and peel strength.

With custom options available, their research and development team is ready to create an innovative solution to any product challenges.

Aplus Energy Co., Ltd. APLUS POWER ROOF combines with the solar directly infused with the metal.

These corrugated metal solar panels are lightweight, provide roof strength, and can easily be installed on buildings. A single 81" x 33" corrugated metal solar panel is rated at 270W. This corrugated metal solar panel has been tested and certified for residential and commercial use, so there is no need for a double-layer roof, one for solar power and one for weather. www.apluspvt.com

Shaanxi Dyness Renewable Energy Group Co., Ltd Dyness is a battery manufacture headquartered in China. They specialize in grid-tied and off-grid LFP battery solutions for residential applications. Their battery products are produced in accordance with international standards, and have obtained CEC, CE, IEC, EMC, ROHS, and other certificates. www.dyness-tech.com

www.thegriffnetwork.com

Battery Management Systems

GAF Energy Designed with roofers in mind, GAF Energy’s Timberline Solar is a roof system which directly integrates solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials.

It incorporates a nailable solar shingle, the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle (ES), which installs as readily and easily as a traditional roofing shingle. With a GAF-backed warranty, it protects from the elements while generating solar energy for the home.

Available in select markets. www.gaf.energy

Components 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

Bal Seal Engineering SimpliPhi Power Vertically integrated Energy Storage System. Modular components scale power and energy capacity independently. Increase power to satisfy higher electrical loads with the SimpliPHI 6kW Inverter/MPPT. Increase energy storage for longer runtimes with the SimpliPHI 4.9kWh Battery. Monitor and control any customized solution with a simple but sophisticated mobile app to optimize efficiencies and cost savings for indoor/outdoor, AC/DC coupled, on/off-grid installations. Scales 4.9kWh to 358.56kWh. www.simpliphipower.com

Bal Seal Engineering 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

c3controls The c3controls product portfolio of 15 million+ configurations includes push buttons, pilot lights, miniature circuit breakers, relays, contactors, disconnect switches, and much more. UL 489 and UL 1077 MCBs carry a 277VAC / 60VDC rating all the way to 63A for B, C, and D curve ratings. c3controls provides the OEM with durable, well-designed components for all energy management applications including electric vehicle infrastructure, solar, and energy storage systems. c3controls also has a full UL 508A panel shop. Vertically integrated and based in the USA, c3controls offers supply chain efficiency with a same-day shipping guarantee.

All products carry a lifetime warranty. www.c3controls.com

Polywater The PHRD-SG conduit seal is designed with segmented ring technology to save labor and reduce inventory. It is UL and CSA Mark certified as gastight and watertight and is backed by a 10-year warranty.

Multiple cables with a wide range of outer diameters (OD) can be sealed, and some models have a removable outer segment to accommodate schedule 40 and schedule 80 conduit. Onsite field crews can easily adapt the seal by removing the segments to fit the OD of cables and the conduit ID. The unique split design of PHRD-SG enables use on already laid cables or on new construction. Durable stainless steel and rubbers are rodent resistant. www.polywater-haufftechnik.com

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 areused 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

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Techspan

Schaltbau North America An international supplier of safety-relevant electromechanical components since 1929, Schaltbau develops and manufactures contactors, plugs, and switching systems with a focus on direct current (DC) technology. They work across industry applications, including high-voltage battery management systems for electric vehicles, charging stations, and battery test stands. Their DC technology is embedded in their newest production facility, enabling significant contribution to energy savings.

Techspan is an independently owned distributer of CSA approved electrical and automotive products, providing these products to the Canadian market for the last 30 years. Their Fusetek line includes a wide range of solar fuses and fuse holders, as well as the IMO solar product line. They carry a substantial inventory to provide fast, reliable delivery for their customers. www.techspan.ca

www.schaltbau.com

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. www.siballc.net

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2022 ENERGY EFFICIENCY BUYERS GUIDE Condition Monitoring

Electrolysers EZ Solar

Dynamic Ratings Dynamic Ratings provides conditionbased monitoring products and services to the utility industry. Realtime data provides awareness of high voltage electrical equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, switchgear, and more. Condition-based monitoring is a way for utilities to increase workplace safety, reduce unexpected failures, reduce unplanned outages, gain visibility of asset condition, increase load and overall safety, and nurse aged or critical assets.

EZ Solar products increase an installer's efficiency by allowing them to quickly install a worry-free junction box that gives installers the flexibility to enter multiple sides of the roof junction boxes and enter the attic anywhere through the drill zone inside the box. EZ Solar roof junction boxes come with din rail and ground bars and ample space in the box to allow a clean and efficient wiring of the system. The new JB-2 Tile roof solution also allows for a reduced inventory of parts and a clean install.

MotorDoc, LLC

www.ezsolarproducts.com

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.

Nel Hydrogen Nel Hydrogen manufacturers Alkaline and Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolysers, producing from 0.27 Nm3 to 19,400 Nm3 of H2 per hour. Units can be grouped together into electrolyser plants for even larger production rates. Electrolysers are used to store excess electricity from renewable resources in the H2 bond. The H2 can then be sold to industry (converting curtailed power to cash), or burned in a turbine or run through a fuel cell to put the stored energy onto the grid during periods of low generation or peak demand.

Due to their fast response times the PEM electrolysers are also used by renewable energy plants to balance the power the plant puts onto the grid. www.nelhydrogen.com

www.empathcms.com

Enclosures

www.dynamicratings.com

MotorDoc, LLC

Consulting Services

Bales Energy Associates In the residential/commercial/institutional sector, Bales Energy Associates provides mini-consults, consulting and design for residential heat pumps, energy recovery ventilators, and other green heating and cooling systems. BEA provides investmentgrade energy, renewable energy system studies, and HVAC design for commercial and institutional buildings and facilities.

BEA takes a whole-systems approach to each facility or home, informed by current building-science standards. www.balesenergy.com

Station A The Station A platform and marketplace help clean energy buyers instantly grade their buildings, get competitive bids from qualified providers, and track their journey to zero emissions in a transparent and all-digital way. www.stationa.com

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

Westlake Consultants, Inc. For nearly 20 years, Westlake has been providing civil engineering, land survey, and land use planning services for solar, wind, and battery storage facilities. Services include site development, installation of solar arrays, high-tech manufacturing sites, and solar battery storage facilities. Their energy team works on due diligence/feasibility studies, drainage studies, transportation planning assistance, civil site design, permitting assistance, and a full array of surveying services.

Electrical Wire, Cable, & Connectors STEGO The STEGO CSS 014 Smart Sensor is for temperature and humidity monitoring inside cabinet enclosures. Captured data gets converted into analog or digital electronic signals and then transmitted to a master or a PLC. To avoid failures and equipment malfunctions before they happen, temperature and humidity inside an enclosure must be monitored.

www.westlakeconsultants.com

Electrical

With over 111 years of global experience, DEHN provides lightning, transient and over voltage protection, and grounding for wind turbine and photovoltaic systems. They provide turnkey solutions, including design, engineering, manufacturing, and implementation of systems

Paige Renewable Energy has been a provider of wire and cable solutions for over 60 years. Paige offers 35kV, 2kV, 600V PV, hybrid aluminum/wire cables, and more. With expertise in overmolding and redundant North American factories, Paige offers overmolded harnesses, string extenders, and jumpers. All orders can be custom labeled, prefabricated, kitted, and bundled with coordinated shipping and delivery, for a truly plug and play installation.

www.dehn-usa.com/en-us

www.paigerenewableenergy.com

Dehn USA

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www.stego-usa.com

Energy Storage

Moduly

Trachte Trachte is an engineering and manufacturing firm of electrical control enclosures 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

Energy Management

Moduly’s technology intensifies the energy conversion to make it accessible and affordable.

Moduly is a smart energy solution behind the meter with an integration of battery storage, IoT control, AI learning process that helps residential and commercial users to reduce their energy consumption, peak demand, carbon footprint, and an energy backup for power outages. www.moduly.io

Nuvation Energy The nController Energy Management System (nController EMS) is a demand charge management and asset prioritization and control system for energy storage and distributed energy resources operating behind the meter. Whether adding energy storage to a facility for peak shaving, or creating a multi-asset microgrid, this site controller will coordinate the operation of the energy assets. It natively supports a range of power conversion systems and power meters.

Aggreko

Sol-Ark Sol-Ark provides technical support from engineers for their hybrid inverters, microinverters, integrated units, and other upcoming products. Their products have high efficiencies, outputs, and available options, and they can power practically any residential or small industrial setup. Their warrantied products allow repairs to be made remotely, or in the field with ease.

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

www.sol-ark.com

Energy Monitoring

www.nuvationenergy.com

Bioenno Power

FUERGY 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

Peak Power Synergy is Peak Power’s energy management technology which underpins the software for three applications: GridPredict, energy storage optimization, and V2G EV chargers. GridPredict software visualizes real-time grid conditions, with notifications for peak event forecasting.

For energy storage, Synergy uses signals from electricity markets to charge/discharge at the most opportune time. Within V2G EV chargers, Synergy manages demand costs by predicting the most cost-effective times for charging.

Carlo Gavazzi, Inc. Carlo Gavazzi manufactures, promotes, and sells energy and power quality solutions for industrial and commercial applications. Carlo Gavazzi incorporates current technologies in hardware, software, and communications including Edge controllers with full certification for Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS.

Michels provides comprehensive low-carbon energy solutions. Their solutions are developed by the Michels Energy Transition Committee and include carbon capture and storage, natural gas, hydrogen, offshore wind, onshore renewables solar and wind, and methane recovery systems.

www.peakpowerenergy.com

www.michels.us

SCHURTER SCHURTER’s FMER SOL single-stage DC filter is designed to limit noise generated on the DC side of the inverter. EMC standards EN 61000-6-3 and EN 55014-1 specify interference limits for non-grid connected conductors such as those going to solar panels. www.schurter.com

www.bioennopower.com

www.gavazzionline.com

BMZ USA, Inc. Phoenix Contact USA

Michels Corporation

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.

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.

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

www.phoenixcontact.com/empro

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2022 ENERGY EFFICIENCY BUYERS GUIDE

Electrochaea Corporation e-On Batteries, Inc. Crown Battery Crown Renewable Batteries are an innovative array of responsible battery energy storage products, including their popular 2CRP1200 model which has capacity up to 55.9kWh (48VDC) for best available performance and ROI, is flexible and easy to handle, configure, deployable for new or existing systems and resilient in extreme operating temperatures, and earthfriendly being 99% recyclable. Crown can supply grid-connected with back-up power, off-grid, or custom storage applications. www.crownbattery.com

Darfon America Corp.

Darfon’s outdoor-rated energy storage solution consists of the H7 hybrid inverter and the B17 high-voltage LFP battery. The H7 supports loads up to 7.6kW and the B17 has a capacity of 17.5kWh. The H7 can be both AC- and DC-coupled, so existing PV systems can easily be modified to have energy storage as well as additional solar power.

The B17’s high voltage design also increases the conversion efficiency, lowers the current, and reduces the cable thickness. www.darfonsolar.com

e-On Batteries, a Fort Worth, TX area supplier with national scope, is a developer of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) based energy storage systems with a focus on product safety. The company’s UL 1973 listed and CEC approved and 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 4.8MWh container-based systems and more. With over 20 million deployed calls and zero catastrophic failures, combined with cell-level BMS monitoring and control systems, expert engineering liaison and certified installers, e-On Batteries provides full value to their customers. www.e-onbatteries.com

Electrochaea’s grid scale power-to-gas methanation process stores renewable power in synthetic methane. Co-located renewable power, biogas source, and archaea enables long duration energy storage and decarbonizes the gas infrastructure. www.electrochaea.com

FNS Power FNS POWER is a turn-key residential and C&I energy storage system provider in the USA. They have two nationwide shipping centers in US offering two-day delivery and a full-range of batteries; 48V 100Ah battery module, stackable 51.2V 100Ah module, and high voltage battery module and banks to meet 5kWh to 2MWh capacity. Hybrid inverters available in 8kW, 12kW, or 30/60/120/250kW to meet any power demand. Their systems have passed fire safety UL9540A, UL1973, and UL1741.

The Electriq PowerPod 2 is 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. www.electriqpower.com

Discover Battery Fortress Power The new Fortress Power DuraRack is an iron enclosure which stores up to 4 eFlex 5.4kWh batteries. The DuraRack paired with multiple eFlex batteries can build a 48V UPS server rack or provide storage capacity to home solar arrays.

The DuraRack includes integrated busbars, wheels, and a DIN rail heater mount. This enclosure can be free-standing or pad mounted and the IP65 rating makes for water and dust resistant indoor or outdoor installations. www.fortresspower.com

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Lithion The U-Charge RT series offers built-in automatic protection and a State of Charge indicator (Battery Discharge Indicator) and can be put in systems up to 48V. The lightweight U-Charge RT offers 70% more runtime and is suitable for applications that are restricted by lead acid battery limitations and replacement down time. www.lithionbattery.com

Lithium Power, Inc.

Electriq Power

www.discoverbattery.com/solar

LEOCH 48V LFELI Series, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LIFEPO4) batteries offer exceptional cycling performance of 10,000 cycles @ 50% DOD, 3500 cycles @ 100% DOD, and can be put into parallel for 48VDC, 1600AH capacity. These batteries are equipped with a built-in Battery Management System (BMS) and optional LCD screen for hassle-free maintenance. www.leoch.us

www.fnspower.com

Discover AES LiFePO4 lithium batteries feature a proprietary high current BMS that delivers superior peak power and fast 1C charge and discharge rates. AES LiFePO4 Lithium batteries are maintenance-free, deliver up to 100% depth of discharge, and up to 98% round-trip efficiency.

Plug-and-play installation with off-grid inverters using the LYNK II Gateway makes closed-loop communication simple and easy and dramatically improves charging performance.

LEOCH Battery Corporation

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. www.lithiumpowerinc.com

Mango Power Mango Power Union is a large-capacity (6.9kWh), high power output battery (4000Wac and 350Wdc) modular power station with a heavy-duty home base and a smaller, detachable unit at the top. With its 19 ports, it can safely be removed anytime through patented mLink technology and taken on road trips. Up to 10 of them can be stacked together into a micro-grid, providing up to 69kWh. Its in-built PV inverter makes it easy to charge by solar panels, power grid, or others. Mango charges to 80% in just 1.5 hours and 100% in 2.5 hours.

Redflow

U.S. Battery Manufacturing

Redflow manufactures the ZBM3 which features a modular, scalable design that is suitable for a wide range of applications from small commercial installations to large GWh storage solutions. Each battery is rated at 10kWh, with a 3kW continuous and 5kW peak power rating.

The ZBM3 is small, simple, and compatible. The compact and flexible design includes a more compact stack and an Energy Extraction Device (EED) built into the Mark box, allowing flexibility of energy output of 0-60V, making it compatible with a wide range of applications without needing any external voltage conversion.

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.redflow.com

Sinexcel, Inc. NEMA3R Cabinet ESS with built-in HVAC/ aux power is compatible with most lithiumion battery systems based on 90-280Ah cells. With the newly released 30kW bi-directional storage inverter, optional 3MPPT DCDC PV charger, and smart transfer switch, it is compatible with flexible power up to 90kW and energy of 140-240KWh, with support up to 135kWp PV input.

Smart transfer switch offers automatic and fast switching between grid-tied and off-grid, suitable for commercial and large residential applications. www.sinexcel.us

www.mangopower.com

SolaX Power Co., Ltd. Rolls Battery Engineering Designed for true drop-in replacement in standard BCI sizing, Rolls new R-Series 12V and 24V LFP lithium models offer a maintenance-free, lightweight flooded, and SLA alternative with fast charge/discharge capability, built-in BMS with operating protections, 50Ah to 300Ah capacity, up to 4x series and 4x parallel connectivity for 48V system configuration, >6000 cycles @ 80% DoD, and backed by a 3-year full replacement manufacturer warranty.

MK Battery MK Battery introduces the DEKA Duration DD5300, a 48V, 5300Wh battery module utilizing Lithium-Ion technology.Tested and validated, and branded with the DEKA name from East Penn Manufacturing Co., this modular design allows for either wall mount or floor mount installation and is stackable up to eight modules high.Stocked in the USA, the product ships complete with accessories included. The DD5300 is a universal module that has a programmable BMS, Dual usage, for low voltage and high voltage applications.

Low voltage (48V, 5.3kWh, 212kWh). High voltage (150V to 1000V, 21.2kWh, 763kWh).

Remote monitoring and firmware updates are just one click away on any smart phone, utilizing a proprietary APP. www.mkbattery.com

SolaX Power’s latest energy storage system, A1-ESS G2, is a modular-designed body containing inverter, BMS, batteries, and BI(backup interface). When outage happens, A1-ESS G2 can switch to off-grid mode instantaneously and power all the home appliances. Moreover, customers are able to set the prioritization of essential appliances to optimize the energy consumption though SolaX Cloud System, it is a powerful system under smart control.

www.usbattery.com

Engineering

POWER Engineers, Inc. From U.S. urban centers to remote African villages, POWER Engineers delivers solar PV systems that meet complex on-the-ground needs across the globe. Their experienced staff provides owner’s engineering, environmental, and engineering design services for medium voltage collection systems, site civil, communications, SCADA, substations, and transmission interconnect lines.

They perform upfront interconnection support and complete electrical system studies, as well as construction management, inspection services, and testing and commissioning. Their team lays the foundation to help make the most of an investment by designing reliable and cost-effective plant systems which also minimize O&M costs. www.powereng.com

www.solaxpower.com

www.rollsbattery.com

Sun Xtender Batteries

RytEnergy RytEnergy provides a comprehensive line of renewable energy storage solutions (ESS) ranging from residential, Commercial & Industrial (C&I) to utility large utility products.

RytEnergy ESS systems use Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LFP) chemistry. RytEnergy batteries are designed and manufactured to the meet current market standards, trends, and requirements. RytEnergy provides the warranty, service, and support of their batteries. www.rytenergy.com

Sun Xtender batteries are fully contained, maintenance free, lead acid batteries and therefore are hazmat exempt and can be shipped worldwide with any carrier. This design is beneficial in the field where watering, spillage, and acid spray are considerations materials fees. This maintenance-free non-spillable nature also allows for installation in a variety of configurations that would be dangerous with typical flooded batteries. Sun Xtender Batteries are 100% recyclable. www.sunxtender.com

Princeton Engineering iRooF, is Instant Roof Framing Analysis for residential solar projects. Stick frame, truss, IBC / CBC 5%, and seismic analysis. iRooF has an easy-to-use online data input with graphic interface. Their database includes PV modules, inverters, and racking products. They check plans for codes, wind / snow, structural, and electrical.

AutoCAD integration. Automatically BOM’s. Post installation affidavits and state construction permits. www.iroof.solar North American Clean Energy

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2022 ENERGY EFFICIENCY BUYERS GUIDE EV Charging

Fasteners

Foundations

Heat Dissipation

Baknor EvoCharge

Williams Form Engineering Corp.

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.

Williams Form Engineering Corporation has been involved in the geotechnical support industry for over 100 years. Along with their original product line of concrete form hardware, they offer rock, soil, and concrete anchors, micropiles, post tensioning, and wind turbine foundation systems featuring fully threaded steel bars.

www.evocharge.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 60kW 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

Fans & Ventilators

Continental Fan Manufacturing, Inc. 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

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 Offshore Wind

Principle Power The WindFloat is a permanently moored semi-submersible, three-column stabilized floating platform for offshore wind turbines, with proprietary performance-enhancing features such as damping plates and a smart hull trim system. The WindFloat allows wind farms to be optimally located, independent of depth and seabed conditions, enabling customers to access previously untapped sites with higher quality wind resources and minimum impact to stakeholders or the environment. www.principlepower.com

Floating Solar Platform

Ciel & Terre USA, Inc. 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. www.ciel-et-terre.net

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www.williamsform.com

Generators | Generator Components

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

Integrator | EPC

Polar Power, Inc. Polar manufactures DC generators and energy storage systems for solar hybrid, EV charging, microgrid, and microcogeneration applications. Their natural gas and propane fueled DC generators are unique due to their high fuel efficiency, long life, and low maintenance.

Performance resulted by combining Toyota engines and Polar PM alternators. There are no belts and pulleys, SLI alternators, mechanical coolant pumps, overhead cam chains or belts, starting batteries, or alternator bearings. Diesel available. www.polarpower.com

Ground Covering

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

Ampirical Ampirical delivers full turn-key EPC renewablebased electrical infrastructure solutions.

Ampirical’s solutions include, but are not limited to, electrical energy collection systems (PV and substation), electrical energy storage systems (BESS), and T&D electrical interconnection 13.8kV through 500kV. The Ampirical team's renewable market experience spans more than 25 years and has delivered domestic as well as international electrical project solutions. Over this same period, the Ampirical team has developed proprietary renewable design solutions that deliver a high system reliable service to price point ratio. Ampirical is an electrical system solution provider with in-house capabilities which includes power systems analysis through installation, physical construction, and test. www.ampirical.com

Invaleon Solar Invaleon Solar is a national solar developer EPC headquartered in Haverhill, MA. Having developed and installed more than 120+MW to date, Invaleon applies design solutions for commercial distributed generation and utility solar photovoltaic installations.

Their diverse in-house team of engineers, financial planners, utility experts, and fully licensed electricians have a wealth of experience in designing, building, and operating solar PV installations. www.invaleonsolar.com

Inverters New Dawn Energy Solutions

SolarEdge

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.

SolarEdge's Energy Hub Inverter with Prism technology presents a centralized solution that manages and coordinates solar production, storage and backup, EV charging, and future smart energy devices. System power and energy capacity are increased through battery and inverter stacking, so when DC coupled with batteries and the new SolarEdge backup interface, the solution can back up additional loads or even power the entire home, up to 200A, during grid outages. It also enables higher energy yield since energy that would be lost in an AC-coupled solution can be redirected to a battery. Built-in metering and generator compatible.

www.newdawn-es.com

Ingeteam AIMS Power AIMS Power launches a new DC to AC power inverter that bypasses 50A at 240VAC and 30A at 120VAC. Suitable for homes, RVs, and boats that need 50A service. No need for extra transfer switches or equipment. ETL and CSA listed. 12VDC, 9000W Surge and charges 8 different battery technologies including lithium. www.aimscorp.net

Rosendin Electric

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 7.650 MVA into a single skid platform.

Available with INGECON SUN PV inverters or INGECON SUN STORAGE battery inverters, this compact, customizable station is reliable, easy to transport and install, and offers a flexible design which can fit up to two inverters on one skid. Combining Ingeteam’s expertise in the power conversion field (+75GW supplied worldwide) with plant control technology, and monitoring solutions, its highly efficient electronic conversion, and protection devices allow for efficiency values of up to 98.9%. www.ingeteam.com

Rosendin is leveraging its long standing BESS experience and expertise to provide BESS integration services in conjunction with its solar and wind utility scale offerings. Their energy storage solutions are tailored to meet the requirements of the customer while maintaining the quality and safety Rosendin has provided since 1919.

www.solaredge.com

Lifting Slings

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

Manufacture | Installation Equipment

www.rosendin.com

Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd. Scarlet Solar SCARLET TiltPort is a single-axis tracker carport which is code compliant and panel agnostic.

TiltPort increases the solar panels’ efficiency to produce more and less expensive energy.

Designed for scale, modular, and warrantied, TiltPort is installed in hours in public, business, or commercial parking lots and agriculture applications. Several sizes available: from 30kW to 60kW per unit. Waterproof, bifacial, and other options available. www.scarlet.red

Designed for flexibility and performance, Solis’ hybrid storage inverter RHI-1P(5-10) K-HVES-5G brings efficiency to solar-plusstorage systems, combines 98.4% efficiency with a wide product range (5 to 10kW), and dynamic MPPT (2 MPPTs with 4 DC inputs) to generate high yield and strong ROI for residential customers. Customers can maximize their self-consumption with flexible operating modes such as time-of-use and off-grid backup, enabling smart time shifting to leverage TOU schedules and optimize energy use. RHI-1P(5-10)K-HVES-5G is a good choice for on/ off-grid integrated storage solutions, providing the option to select the electricity consumption mode in real time according to the market price. It can be operated out of the power grid, and international brand components provide high efficiency less than 10ms from the grid. www.solisinverters.com

Annealsys

Morningstar Corporation Six all-new inverters from 150W to 2500W; 120 or 230V output, 12, 24, or 48VDC input options. Industrial-grade design over built in the Morningstar tradition, including a low-frequency toroidal transformer for improved sinewave stability. Engineered for system-level integration with Morningstar charge controllers. Full communications capabilities include Bluetooth, RS-485, USB, Ethernet, and MS-CAN. AC hardwire terminal options. Fanless convection cooling for maximum efficiency and reliability.

Annealsys manufactures Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP and RTCVD) and Direct Liquid Injection deposition (CVD and ALD) systems.

RTP systems with cold wall chamber, high temperature lamp furnaces and vacuum capability from 3" to 200mm. Applications: RTA, RTO, RTN, contact annealing, CVD of graphene and h-BN, diffusion of dopants, selenization and sulfurization (CIGS) Direct Liquid Injection deposition systems for deposition of metals, oxides, nitrides, metals, 2D materials, etc. www.annealsys.com

www.morningstarcorp.com

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Qingdao Wangbaoqiang Industry Co., Ltd. WBQ is solar mounting equipment manufacture since 1999 with ground, roof top, BIPV, and carport series products. www.mounting4pv.com

Stracker Solar

Aptos Solar Technology Aptos Solar Technology’s DNA Split Cell Series uses advanced selective emitter PERC technology with thin film layers to improve heat tolerance, increase photon capture, minimize resistive loss, and use 5% more of the available active area for optimal power performance. www.aptossolar.com

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, commercial operations, farms, and schoolyards. The robust pole can be equipped with LED lot lighting and EV charge stations. The low maintenance design comes with 50-year warranty and is microgrid ready. www.strackersolar.com

Ulbrich Solar Technologies CE+T America Stabiliti 30C3 is a 3-port bidirectional (AC/DC/DC) converter which easily interconnects to various power sources for high performance. Is able to configure for peak shaving, energy arbitrage, and microgrid. With the internal high frequency galvanic isolation almost doubles the life of batteries and PVs by protecting them from grid transients, reducing installation costs. www.cet-america.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. www.kurdex.com

Ulbrich Solar Technologies reveals its newest energy efficient specialty solar ribbon development: Reflective Ready Ribbon (RRR). This brand new, plug and play, power enhancing solution for multi-busbar solar cell manufacturing offers a power increase of up to 0.8%. This added energy is generated by a special diffuse-reflecting flux coating that gives modules an extra power boost. Additionally, Ulbrich offers a fully black PV module solution designed to blend with the dark color of a solar cell after the stringing process known as Black Ready Ribbon (BRR). Both products eliminate the use of liquid flux in an automated cell-stringing process and enable a plug-and-play process integration. Eliminating liquid flux simplifies the process and removes all costs and efforts associated with buying, storing, and using liquid flux. www.pvribbon.com

LONGI Solar LONGi Hi-MO5 features optimized gallium-doped M10 standard silicon wafers (182mm) to produce a P-Type Mono PERC module with low LID, increased attenuation, and power performance well as long-term reliability. Hi-MO 5 adopts "Smart Soldering," which uses integrated segmented soldering ribbons that maximize light capture and connect cells with reduced gap distance and reduce the tensile stress of the cell.

www.auxinsolar.com

Qcells offers performance and reliability with the Q.PEAK DUO residential module lineup. The modules are offer Q.ANTUM cell technology, with high power yields, power classes up to 405Wp and high efficiency rates. Qcells complies with the VDE Certification Institute’s Quality Testing Program. As an added layer of assurance, the modules adhere to Qcells’ internal Yield Security Quality Checklist, guaranteeing resistance to Potential Induced Degradation (PID), Hot Spots, and Light Induced Degradation (LID). www.qcells.com/us

RenewSys India Pvt., Ltd. RenewSys is an integrated manufacturer of solar PV modules (1.75GW) and their key components including encapsulants (3GW), backsheets (4GW), and solar PV cells (130MW). Headquartered in Mumbai, with manufacturing facilities at Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Patalganga.

2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

Continental Control Systems CCS provides high accuracy, PV production, consumption, and export limiting power metering equipment. New current transformers are their improved revenue-grade (ANSI C57.13 Class 0.6 and Class 0.3) ACTL split-core current transformers, (0.2% and 0.3%). Their new line of flexible Rogowski coils with integrated signal conditioning provide easy installation. Revenue Grade metering features include SunSpec compliance, UL 2808, and ANSI C12.20 accuracy. www.ctlsys.com

www.renewsysworld.com

Off-grid Solar HuksefluxUSA, Inc.

SunWize 3 Module Power Ready Express system is a PRE system which provides a fast and easy installation and is available to ship now. They come with a prewired control panel and everything needed to connect solar and batteries. Their new system supports continuous loads up to 75W and features a 110MPH rated SunWize mount with 960W + of solar.

The SunWize chest enclosure houses four 8D batteries and a Morningstar charge controller with monitoring capabilities. www.sunwize.com

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www.accuenergy.com

Qcells

SunWize Power & Battery

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.

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.

www.longi.com/us

Modules

Auxin Solar

Accuenergy

The digital SR30 Secondary Standard pyranometer features an internal maintenancefree heated ventilation system. The circulation of heated air flow between the inner and outer domes suppresses the formation of dew and frost on the pyranometer optic. With < 2.1 Watts max power consumption, SR30 delivers a high level of performance and data availability. Critical sensor data, including irradiance, sensor serial number, and calibration data, are all available via RS485 RTU / Modbus connection. The sealed desiccant cartridge free design with internal ventilation translates into reduced sensor maintenance and cost of ownership. www.huksefluxusa.com

OTT HydroMet

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

Omnidian, Inc. Omnidian manages the health and performance of 2GW of solar assets nationwide for both commercial and residential systems. Their advances in asset monitoring, issue detection, diagnosis, and remediation, drive insights and operational efficiencies for their clients. They are a technology-enabled services company that ensures their clients maximize their energy investments. www.omnidian.com

ONYX Insight ONYX Insight is a flexible, independent service provider, combining real-world engineering expertise with innovative software and advanced sensing solutions. Their approach to predictive maintenance can minimize downtime, boost profitability, optimize operations, and extend the life of an asset. They work collaboratively at every stage of the asset life-cycle, enabling operators to make informed, future-proof O&M decisions. www.onyxinsight.com

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

Ping Services Ping Services provides condition monitoring technologies with a device that uses advanced acoustic analysis to continuously monitor the sound of wind turbine blades and detect damage. Self-contained, solar power, cellular communication, and attaches magnetically to the base of each wind turbine tower in less than one minute to start monitoring immediately. Cloud access anytime with notification for any damage. www.pingmonitor.co

PowerDash, Inc. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, PowerDash is a Benefit Corporation providing web-based software tools for the management and monitoring of alternative energy installations. Their software collects data in real time from energy systems such as inverters and revenue-grade meters. This data is then processed through PowerDash’s secure web services, which provide their customers with visualization, performance analysis, alerting, and independent REC/SREC reporting of their energy performance. www.powerdash.com

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

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. www.solmetric.com

SDSI Solar Data Systems (Solar-Log North America)

Performance Testing

Solar-Log is a hardware agnostic, inverter neutral system and is compatible with more than 100 different brands of inverters, meters, weather sensors, and storage systems.

As a result, users can monitor and manage all of their plants from one single platform and reduce solar plant downtimes with accurate performance data. It is an enhanced monitoring and management tool for industrial, commercial, and residential fleets. Detailed performance insights avoid lasting negative effects on solar plant return. www.solardatasystems.com

DEWESoft, LLC

Sensoria by MISTRAS Group Sensoria is a 24/7/365 blade monitor that remotely detects and reports damages, taking the guesswork out of wind blade integrity management. Sensoria helps make wind blades more efficient by maximizing uptime through reducing the need to take blades out of service for inspection. The innovative wind blade monitor also promotes a proactive maintenance strategy by allowing early repairs to be completed so blade damages don’t worsen over time and negatively impact generating capacity.

DEWSoft offers innovative data acquisition instruments for power analysis and power quality with 0.03% accuracy for high voltage and AC/DC current measurement.

Their power and power quality analyzers can be used for any power-based test and measurement application. Flexible, robust, and accurate DAQ hardware with easy-touse DAQ software form innovative power and power quality analysis. www.dewesoft.com

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Raptor Maps

EagleView

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

www.empathcms.com

www.empathcms.com

Safety Equipment

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.

Software

Affinity Energy

3S Lift The 3S Lift Climb Auto System is a single technician ladder-mounted lift that eliminates the physical and mental strain of climbing.

It features safety control switches on both handles and a remote mode for the easy transport of tools. The collapsible footboards make for rapid evacuation in the event of an emergency. The Climb Auto System offers independent Fall Arresters for the operator and the system itself, providing utmost safety. The Climb Auto System can be easily retrofitted to almost any wind turbine, often in 8 hours or less. Because it is mounted to the existing ladder, the installation typically requires no changes to the wind turbine structures. It is CE, UL, ANSI, OSHA certified, and has been installed in over 50,000 towers worldwide. The Climb Auto System is a safe and cost-effective way to ascend a tower and lets technicians keep their minds on the job and not on the climb. www.3slift.com/climbauto

Affinity Energy’s utility-scale PV and BESS SCADA solutions are based on Ignition or VTSCADA software. They design, program, install, and commission power plant controls (PPC) using Schneider-Electric (PLCs), Schweizer Engineering Lab automation controllers and Novatech remote terminal units (RTUs).

TrueDesign helps contractors sell install-ready solar designs from day 1. The web-based 3D visualizer auto-generates final PV designs based on trustworthy data, no design experience required. Simple design summaries by facet and pre-built CAD files help expedite the design and plan sets, and reduce the risk of manual error.

EagleView offers guaranteed accuracy for roof dimensions and obstructions, ≥ 98% accuracy for TSRF and Solar Access Values (SAV), and shade data verified by DNV. This means fewer re-designs, lower soft costs, and better profit margins. eagleview.com/truedesign

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. www.ellume.net

www.affinityenergy.com

Blu Banyan Blu Banyan’s SolarSuccess is a cloud-based business management suite specifically optimized for the needs of solar installers who are seeking an integrated solution that includes solar-specific accounting, CRM, project management, inventory, and team collaboration functionality. SolarSuccess is fully customizable enabling solar businesses to accelerate soft cost reduction and increase project profitability. www.blubanyan.com

ENACT Systems, Inc. ENACT offers a two-sided softwareplatform for solar and energy storage projects.

ENACTENVISION is used by developers and installers to remotely design complete solar and storage solutions, as well as finalize contracts and track execution.ENACTENGAGE is used by end-customers to track financial savings, energy usage, and predict their future outcomes.The platform is used in 23 countries by thousands of users, with over $1.5B of projects annually. www.enact-systems.com

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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 RatedPower’s software, pvDesign, is a cloudbased software for designing and engineering utility-scale photovoltaic plants, which helps development, EPC, and solar engineering firms to reduce LCOE by maximizing energy production and reducing construction costs.

Developer teams use pvDesign to quickly prospect plots of land and try out different plant configurations in order to find the best investment opportunities. Teams at EPC companies use pvDesign to cast winning quotes to their offtakers, minimizing PV projects costs. pvDesign can reduce the time solar professionals spend designing PV plants from 4-6 weeks to under 2 minutes. www.ratedpower.com

Solar Insure Solar Insure’s 30 Year Monitoring and Warranty improves the back-end efficiency for homeowners transitioning to solar energy.

Reduction in time and effort for repairs is accomplished by the proprietary monitoring software that tracks system needs and includes a 30 year warranty.Solar Insure is embedded in the installation, providing homeowners with covered components, labor, and repairs throughout the lifetime of their system. Solar Insure’s 30 Year Monitoring and Warranty includes parts, labor, travel time, panels, inverters, optimizers, roof penetrations, and hassle-free transferrable ownership. If a homeowner’s installer or manufacturer becomes insolvent or shutters, Solar Insure will deliver needed repairs and replacements detected by monitoring and covered under warranty. Every homeowner going solar with Solar Insure’s 30 Year Monitoring and Warranty can rely on post-installation efficiency. www.solarinsure.com

Solar Distributor FAFCO

NEFIN Group NEFIN’s innovative approach offers bespoke carbon neutral technologies and financing solutions to large corporations and MNC clients worldwide. As a one-stop turnkey renewable energy project management provider, their services include: advisory and consultancy, technology deployment with safety standards and performance, O&M services, project financing, asset management for system optimization and automated ESG reporting, energy storage systems, and renewable energy certifications. www.nefinco.com

Solar-Plus-Storage

FAFCO's Connected Tube and Separated Tube thermal panels are suitable for solar swimming pool heating. They are high performing solar systems that can heat swimming pools for beyond the few warm pool days of summer. They have a wide range of panel sizes for all styles, shapes, and sizes of in-ground swimming pools. www.fafco.com

Canadian Solar provides solar photovoltaic modules, solar energy, and battery storage solutions to customers. Over the past 20 years, it has successfully delivered over 67GW of solar modules across the world.

Panasonic Eco Systems of North America The outdoor-rated EverVolt 2.0 home battery storage system offers a modular design and usable storage capacity of 17.5 to 25.65kWh per system. The weatherproof power cell delivers continuous output of 7.6kW off-grid and 9.6kW on-grid. AC- and DC-coupled models work with new and existing solar systems. Monitor and manage system operation with the EverVolt mobile app.

Includes complete EverVolt AllGuard 10-year warranty from Panasonic.

Solar Thermal Manufacturing & Equipment

The SunHopper-D from GreenPWR is modernizing solar hot water systems. Coming in late summer of 2022, the SunHopper inverter includes a learning algorithm which monitors usage, weather conditions, electricity rates, and installation parameters to minimize energy cost to the homeowner while providing a reliable hot water source using backup electricity or fossil fuels. The SunHopper uses a dedicated PV array and wires to off-the-shelf electric immersion storage water heaters to make installation as simple as possible and reduces energy consumption by as much at 80%. The SunHopper also supports off-grid installations to provide a simple renewable water heating system. www.greenpwr.com

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. www.aquathermsolar.com

Solarflux Energy Technologies, Inc.

The Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (ICC-SRCC), a program of ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), is a certifier and standards developer for solar heating and cooling products in North America. Their certifications and listings are designed to help manufacturers comply with regulatory requirements in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean Region. Their unbiased efficiency ratings provide independent measure of the performance of products used by incentive programs and consumers. They certify solar thermal collectors, solar domestic water heaters, solar pool heaters, and solar air heaters, and offer listings for major codes and standards applying to solar heating and cooling products in North America.

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 SRCC USA standard, European Keymark, Australian standard, ISO and more. www.chromagen.com

Testing Equipment

The FOCUS offers low cost, zero emission solar thermal energy for industrial processes, in a compact, space-efficient, modular package. With an output temperature range of 122°F to 734°F (50°C to 390°C), a wide range of applications can be serviced. Well suited to contributing heat to food processing, brewing, pasteurization, and sterilization processes, particularly in geographies with high solar availability. www.solarflux.io

DEWESoft, LLC

Chromagen Hot Water Solutions

na.panasonic.com/us

ICC-ES

www.icc-es.org

Aquatherm Industries, Inc.

Panasonic’s EverVolt Series 400-watt solar module is fueled by high conversion efficiency and a low .25% annual degradation rate, resulting in more clean energy over the long haul. High module efficiency and greater high-temperature performance provide a high-output renewable energy source for residential solar systems. AllGuard warranty covers performance, product, parts, and labor for 25 years.

www.sunearthinc.com

GreenPWR, LLC

www.csisolar.com/na

Panasonic Eco Systems of North America

SunEarth Inc. was incorporated in the state of California in May 1978, and is a solar thermal product manufacturer. SunEarth provides engineering, manufacturing, and distribution of solar water heating collectors, mounting hardware, ancillary components, and integrated systems at competitive prices for each channel customer.

Testing & Certification

na.panasonic.com/us

Canadian Solar

SunEarth

Stiebel Eltron, Inc. 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.

DEWSoft offers innovative data acquisition instruments for power analysis and power quality with 0.03% accuracy for high voltage and AC/DC current measurement.

Their power and power quality analyzers can be used for any power-based test and measurement application. Flexible, robust, and accurate DAQ hardware with easy-touse DAQ software form innovative power and power quality analysis. www.dewesoft.com

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Tracking Systems

Valves

P4Q Electronics

Asahi/America

EYE Lighting International Applied Optix 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.

alkitronic, Inc. The universal alkitronic program provides speed, precision, efficiency, and productivity. Recently, they have launched their latest electric torque multiplier, alkitronic EF, with a repeat shut-off accuracy ± 2% for the same bolting application and a lot more. www.alkitronic-na.com

www.eyeappliedoptix.com

Suntrack offers 3D Backtracking to maximize tracker performance. An advanced algorithm backtracking algorithm portfolio is embedded in the solar Tracking Control Unit (TCU). Designed to optimize the most challenging terrains, parameters are embedded in each TCU with no need for external commands or additional devices. On-site validation of shade elimination. Compatible with all kind of trackers (1P, 2P, 3L, dual-row)

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

Wildlife Management

www.suntrack.p4q.com

Training Fluke Corporation The Fluke IRR1 Solar Irradiance Meter has been designed from the ground up to simplify the installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting of photovoltaic arrays by measuring irradiance, temperature, inclination, and direction of the solar array with a single handheld tool.

The simple user interface, instantaneous solar irradiation measurements, and built-in temperature sensor make it easy to meet IEC 62446-1 requirements for testing, documenting, and maintaining photovoltaic systems.

Slick Tools, LLC The Mod Spacer Peg is easy to grasp and hard to forget on the roof due to its high-vis color. It can either be used by itself, or installers can attach several Mod Spacer Pegs to any length of ¾" EMT. The benefit of this design is that installers can stage multiple panels at once. It sets a ½" gap and thanks to its long arm, the Spacer can perch on the side of a panel, freeing up installers’ hands and increasing efficiency

Bird Control Group

www.slicktoolsllc.com

www.fluke.com

Abaris Training Resources, Inc. Solar Tools USA Solar Tools USA's Solar Panel Caddy improves the efficiency of manually lifting and carrying solar modules around the job site. It features a gravity-fed grip and evenly dispersed pressure on modules when lifted. Using this tool allows for an ergonomic lift, reduced strain on the body, decreased risk of dropped panels, and the effortless movement of each panel by only one installer. Reduced labor hours provides a more efficient install.

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

Abaris offers training in composite windblade repair for technicians, supervisors, inspectors, and other support staff. They have two 5-day courses, basic and advanced, that can quickly get teams up to speed and on the same page with proper materials, methods, and techniques.

They offer regular classes for individuals and special group classes at their facility in Reno, Nevada, or onsite.

AVIX Autonomic is a fully automated laser bird repellent that keeps birds away 24/7.

Birds perceive the moving laser light as a physical threat and flee immediately when the beam passes by. This solution can reduce bird nuisance by more than 70%.

Bird habituation doesn’t occur. The system can be programmed and monitored through an iOS and Android app. www.birdcontrolgroup.com

Wind Measurement

www.abaris.com

www.solartoolsusa.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

Tech Wind Services Training Center Tech Wind Services Training Center is certified to offer GWO BST (Basic Safety Training) Classes. This includes GWO training standards on modules of First Aid, Manual Handling, Fire Awareness, and Working at Heights. Keep technicians up to date on all their training to ensure they work safely on every job to reduce risk of injury from the most common hazards when working on a wind turbine. www.tws-training.com

Vaisala Anchored by the suite of WindCube lidars, Vaisala offers a 360° set of global weather and environment solutions for wind and solar. From the WindCube lidar suite to weather sensors, lightning data, and weather forecasts and historical data, they offer solutions to support users throughout the wind and solar farm lifecycle. vaisala.com/renewable-energy

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

INVESTING IN CLEAN ENERGY

Transformer Asset Tax Qualification in Renewable Energy Projects

by Balram Ramamurthy

Renewable Energy projects have been blessed with tax credits. Tax credits are incentives provided for green energy by the federal government; certain qualifications must be met in order to receive them. Wind and solar projects, in particular, have benefited the most from these assets.

The Solar investment tax credit (ITC) is a tax credit that can be claimed on federal corporate income taxes, for up to 30 percent of the cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system placed in service within the period specified. Other types of renewable energy are also eligible for the tax incentive, but are beyond the scope of this guidance.

In December 2020, Congress passed an extension of the ITC, which provides 26 percent for systems commencing construction in 2020-2022, 22 percent for systems commencing construction in 2023, and 10 percent for systems commencing construction in 2024, or thereafter. Any PV system placed in service after 2025, regardless of when it commenced construction, can receive a maximum tax credit of 10 percent. A subsequent amendment extended the 26 percent eligibility up to 2022.

For those in the wind industry, the Production Tax Credit (PTC) provides a tax credit per kilowatt-hour. This benefit follows a similar scale down and has a sunset similar to solar projects.

While the Solar ITC and the Wind PTC differ in their treatment application, we’ll focus more on the qualification process using an asset like a Power Transformer.

An important aspect referred to and evaluated is the “physical work of significant nature” commenced on the project site, or on project equipment at the

manufacturing factory. Physical work has to be “integral” to the project; preliminary activities on site (e.g., clearing the site, or building a fence or access road, do not count as “integral”). “Continuity safe harbor” is an important test of qualification, and is satisfied in reasonable ways rather than through the demonstration of real, continuous, and physical work.

Transformer equipment and renewable tax credits

Custom engineered, designed, and custom-manufactured transformers can help a project to qualify for a renewable tax credit. This begins when a Developer/Owner/ Operator is able to pin down specifications for custom transformers. They are designed to this spec and sought for approval by the transformer manufacturer. The manufacturer then identifies and proposes the custom engineered and designed components within the custom transformer; upon approval, it completes manufacture of these identified components before the end of the calendar year as required for tax qualification.

This whole process – and the offering of a custom transformer for the renewable project – aims at offering support to the renewable energy industry. Some pioneering work was done to offer dual process models to qualify – a “Continuous Process” and a “Stop-Go NTP process” (NTP - Notice To Proceed) based model. While the “Continuous Process” model continues manufacture and assembly of the transformer (after the qualification ITC components are completed by the year end), the “Stop-Go NTP” model completes the ITC qualification components by end of the year, then stops to await an NTP; upon receiving NTP, it then goes on to complete the transformer. Given the uncertain commercial operation deadlines so typical of renewable projects, it’s important to factor in the storage, care, upkeep, and maintenance of the finished transformer until the site is ready to accept delivery. This 360-degree customer support helps qualify the transformer for the tax qualification under either of the two models, and is the reason many developers consider it an excellent proposal.

TAX CREDIT QUALIFICATION MODELS FOR RENEWABLE WIND & SOLAR PROJECTS (POWER TRANSFORMER SCOPE) Developers covering a large number of projects have used these unique process The Conformance Regulation models to get qualified for tax credit under 2022 2023 & beyond both the ITC and PTC. Keep in mind that 2022 is the final year to take advantage of the extended 26 percent ITC credit for the tax sunset period ending 2025, for project completion. To guarantee you’re getting the Continuous Progress Model most bang for your buck, be sure to work with an industry professional experienced in making these tax credit projects qualify with transformers.

End 2022

Custom engineered, designed and manufactureed asset to be applied to the Renewable project

Identified Custom engineered components made ready before end of qualifying

Safe Harbor documentation formalities

Safe Harbor regulation check on asset ownership required

year

RFQ (Clear Specs)

Full Proposal

Agreement to

FullProposal Proposal

PO Release

Design Completion / Drawing

Report ref: ………………………….

Customer : ……………………………………

Component count

Progress to full Job completion

Job Ready for Witness Testing

FAT completion

Shipping & Delivery to Site

Progress to completion (Custom Components)

PO No :………………………..

Status of Progress

strat of production / Progress Report

Procurement Action (Custom

Design No:…………………………….

Component / Material Custom Components released after design / engineering

Drawing Approval

Completion

Test Report provided with traceable Unique identification number on components 1. Redacted PO Released on vendor.

2. Inspection offered at Vendor

Fully finished compionents inspection offered and photos provided

Stop-Go / NTP Model

RFQ (Clear Specs)

Full Proposal

Agreement to Proposal

PO Release

Full Proposal

Report ref: ………………………….

Customer : ……………………………………

Component count

Component / Material Custom Components released after design / engineering

Tax credit custom components Design Completion / Drawing submission

Tax credit components Drawing Approval

Procurement Action (Custom

PO No :………………………..

Design No:…………………………….

Status of Progress

Completion

Test Report provided with traceable Unique identification number on components 1. Redacted PO Released on vendor.

2. Inspection offered at Vendor

Fully finished compionents inspection offered and photos provided

Progress to completion (Custom Components)

STOP

Final drgs submission and approval

Complete final drg for approval will be submitted based on expected NTP

Progress Restart - NTP release

Job Ready for Witness Testing

FAT completion

Delivery at Site

Balram Ramamurthy is Director Renewables at Virginia-Georgia Transformer Corp. With experienced Engineers using over 15,000 designs, four integrated transformer facilities in North America, state-of-the-art equipment and testing facilities, Virginia-Georgia Transformer Corp. provides power transformers up to 400MVA/500kV to Renewables, Utilities, and Industrial markets in North America. Balram Ramamurthy can be reached at balram_ramamurthy@vatransformer.com

Virginia-Georgia Transformer /// www.vatransformer.com

North American Clean Energy

81

EVENTS CALENDAR

ADVERTISERS’ WEBSITE DIRECTORY Page

JULY

Company

Website

50

Abaris Training

www.abaris.com

23

ACE Clamp/PMC Industries

aceclamp.com

24

Allied Tube & Conduit

atkore.com/atcm

12-14

Solar Power & Storage Mexico

Poliforum León – Guanajuato, Mexico; www.hfmexico.mx/solarpowermexico/

12-14

SEMICON West 2022 Hybrid

55

American Clean Power

cleanpower.org/events

Moscone Center – San Francisco, CA; www.semiconwest.org

25

American Earth Anchors

americanearthanchors.com

12

American Ground Screw

www.americangroundscrew.com

APA

www.apasolar.com

Aptos Solar Technology, LLC

www.aptossolar.com

Baja Carports

bajacarports.com

AUGUST

3 29 5

16-17

Revolutionizing the Corporate Renewable Energy Procurement: Transactions and Trends Shaping the Energy Transition

60

Bioenno Power

www.bioennopower.com

TBD – San Francisco, CA; infocastinc.com

49

Bird Control Group

www.birdcontrolgroup.com

44

Black & McDonald

www.blackandmcdonald.com

30

Canadian Solar (USA) Inc.

csisolar.com/na

43

Castrol

www.castrol.com/wind-us

34

Continential Control Systems

ctlsys.com

SEPTEMBER

22

Crown Battery

www.crownbattery.com

07-08

24

Delta Steel

www.deltasteel.com

Renewables, Wholesale Electricity Markets & The Energy Transition

TBD – Houston, TX; infocastinc.com

52

DeTect

www.detect-inc.com

DEWESoft, LLC

dewesoft.com

07-09

ACP Resource & Technology Conference

41

Dynamic Ratings

dynamicratings.com

TBD – Las Vegas, NV; cleanpower.org

53

Electricity Transformation Canada

www.electricitytransformation.ca

19-22

62

Electrochaea

www.electrochaea.com

RE+ 22

Anaheim Convention Center – Anaheim, CA; www.solarpowerinternational.com

45

Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund

www.eiwpf.org

65

Enact Sytems Inc.

www.enact-systems.com

26-30

SolarPACES Conference

18

e-On Batteries

www.e-onbatteries.com

Albuquerque Convention Center – Albuquerque, NM; www.solarpaces-conference.org

25

Fortress Power

fortresspower.com

27

Ginlong Technologies Co., Ltd.

solisinverters.com

47

Helwig Carbon

www.helwigcarbon.com

23-25

The Energy Expo

Miami Airport Convention Center – Miami, FL; www.theenergyexpo.com

OCTOBER

OBC

19

IMT Solar

imtsolar.com

Kong USA

www.kong.it

11-12

RE+ Florida

25

Doubletree by Hilton Miami Airport Convention Center – Miami, FL; events.solar/florida/

64

LEOCH BATTERY

www.leoch.us

51

Logisticus Group

logisticusgroup.com

18-19

Offshore WINDPOWER

Rhode Island Convention Center – Providence, RI; cleanpower.org/events/offshore-windpower-2022/

57

Mangan Inc.

www.manganpower.com

63

Mango Power

www.mangopower.com

26-28

Mistras

sensoriawind.com

Electricity Transformation Canada

Metro Toronto Convention Centre – Toronto, ON; electricitytransformation.ca

69

MK Battery

mkbattery.com

9

Nucor Corporation

www.nucor.com

17

Power Electronics

www.power-electronics.com

22

Princeton Engineering

www.iroof.solar

FEBRUARY 2023 07-08

Operations & Maintenance & Safety Conference 2023

Kalahari Resorts and Conventions – Round Rock, TX; cleanpower.org/events/operations-and-maintenance-and-safety-conference-2023/

14-16

Intersolar North America (ISNA)

Long Beach Convention Center – Long Beach, CA; www.intersolar.us

14-16

Energy Storage North America (ESNA)

Long Beach Convention Center – Long Beach, CA; www.esnaexpo.com

22-23

IFC

PV Label

PVLabels.com

37

PXiSE Energy Solutions

pxise.com

15

QuickBOLT

quickbolt.com

33

Rainwise Inc.

www.pvmet.com

IBC

RE+ (formerly SPI)

RE-plus.com

61

Rolls Battery

rollsbattery.com

20

RPM Rollformed Metal Products

www.rpmsteel.com

59

Siba Fuses

www.siballc.net

58

SimpliPhi Power

simpliphipower.com

RE+ Northeast

66

Sinexcel

www.sinexcel.us

Westin Boston Seaport District – Boston, MA; re-plus.events/northeast/

21

Solar Connections International

solarconnections.com

APRIL 2023 05-06

RE+ Texas

JW Marriott Austin – Austin, TX; re-plus.events/texas

Send us your clean energy show and event listings.

Email information to the editor at editor@nacleanenergy.com

82

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2022 JULY• AUGUST /// www.nacleanenergy.com

28

Sol-Ark

www.sol-ark.com

56

Solidification Products International, Inc.

www.oilbarriers.com

35

Solmetric

www.solmetric.com

13

Soltec

soltec.com

11

Staubli

www.ecs-ecart.com

48

Transportation Partners and Logistics LLC

tpandl.com

57

VelociWrapper

www.velociwrapper.com

23

Word Rock Drills

wordrockdrills.com

14

ZTZ Services

www.ztzservices.us

Powering the clean energy Powering transitionthe clean SEPTEMBER 19-22, 2022 ANAHEIM, CA

energy transition SEPTEMBER 19-22, 2022 ANAHEIM, CA

POWERED BY

co-locating with

POWERED BY

DEWESOFT DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS power measurements | power quality measurements | converter/overall efficiency direct/diffused solar radiation evaluation | IEC-61000-4-30 Class A compliance

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