Global trends in solar indicate a bright future for 1.5 kV solar technology. According to GTM Reseach an estimated 92.7% of future global projects will be based on technology at that voltage level.
GE has formed a partnership with Looop to take advantage of the trend. With higher numbers of PV modules per string and increased efficiency compared to 1 kV technology, the two companies say they are in the forefront of a development that will make the Japanese solar industry among the most advanced in the world.
In the first pilot project, GE will provide two 1 MW, 1.5 kV LV5 inverters, which have already been installed in numerous solar installations around the world, to the Looop Co project in Ibaraki. With this project Looop will become the first company to actively use 1.5kV technology in Japan. Delivery is planned for the end of 2016.
Soichiro Nakamura, president of Looop Co Ltd said, “We are confident that through this collaboration and by working together with one of the leading industrial companies, we will help the Japanese solar industry leap forward into a new era.”
GE’s Power Conversion business’ LV5 1.5 kV inverters are said to provide many benefits compared to the current standard market offering of 1kV. It allows a reduced number of electrical components, thereby reducing the infrastructure, deployment and running costs of a solar plant.
This is critical in Japan which is feeling the effects of a shrinking feed-in-tariff scheme. The LV5 product has been designed and tested for high reliability with reduced maintenance component replacement for a solar plant’s lifetime of more than 20 years.
