AMPT and innovenergy® expand their partnership in Europe
80 innovenergy® DConnect® projects for commercial, industrial and agricultural applications in Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be equipped with AMPT string optimisers.
Press release from AMPT:
https://www.ampt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ampt__Innovenergy-Press-Release-FINAL.pdf
The DConnect® is a self-regulating DC microgrid with a simple integration of DC producers and DC consumers with the advantage of higher energy efficiency through the reduction of conversion losses. These conversion losses are reduced to a minimum of only 0.5 % by AMPT's patented Optimizer technology. This enables innovenergy® to create extremely efficient and also easily scalable DC microgrids.
AMPT's string optimisers are highly efficient DC/DC converters and an integral part of innovenergy®'s DConnect® systems. A DConnect® consists of a photovoltaic system between 100-1000 kWp, a DC link – the so-called DC link – between energy producers and consumers, as well as various bidirectional inverters, voltage converters and frequency converters. Also part of a DConnect® is the DC-linked saline battery storage system salimax® as well as an energy management system for maximum self-consumption or peak shaving. A variety of consumers can be integrated into this DConnect® system: DC charging stations for electric vehicles, DC coupled drives, hydrogen production and many more.
The project returns of such DC-coupled systems are impressive. Furthermore, innovenergy AG's customers benefit from greater flexibility in upgrading or expanding a DConnect® when new market opportunities, technologies or applications arise.
AMPT's optimisers perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT) on each string of photovoltaic modules, improving overall system performance. This power is then delivered to the DC grid at a high and constant voltage. This greatly simplifies the sharing of the various system components on the DC link. Loads are balanced and sporadic voltage dips that would occur without string optimisers are eliminated.
AMPT's technology acts as a link between the photovoltaic system and the DC link. All active components on the DC link, such as bidirectional inverters, bidirectional DC/DC converters from the battery storage and the AMPT DC/DC converters on the photovoltaics keep the DC link voltage constant. All uncontrolled DC consumers, such as charging stations, frequency converters and DC/DC converters for electrolysis, are supplied with energy by the active components. This makes the system much simpler, more predictable and responsive, and provides a cost-effective solution to simplify system design while increasing flexibility so that power supply and storage capacity can be expanded as required.
«The expanded partnership with innovenergy® demonstrates the benefits of our industry-leading optimiser technology, which enables high-performance, cost-effective solar projects for a wide range of use cases. DC-coupled systems like innovenergy®'s DConnect® are at the forefront of clean energy deployment. We are committed to helping innovenergy® meet the growing demand for its DConnect® systems across Europe to support the global clean energy transition,» says Levent Gun, CEO of AMPT.
«The integration of photovoltaics through AMPT's string optimisers into the DConnect® is crucial for the ability to offer our customers tailor-made and flexible solutions,» emphasises Max Ursin, CEO of innovenergy AG. «It is a complex task to connect a photovoltaic system to different systems with a large variety of applications in a standardised way. The AMPT String Optimiser solves this challenge and controls the photovoltaic system to dynamically respond to DC voltage fluctuations and maximise energy output, which in turn improves overall system performance. With more than two gigawatts of optimisers shipped and extensive experience with photovoltaic-plus-storage power plants, AMPT is the ideal partner to support our growing presence in Europe.»
innovenergy® plans to implement quite a few DConnect® projects – equipped with AMPT technology – in the European market over the next few years.
More information can be found at:
- DConnect® systems: www.dc-connect.systems
- Salt battery storage systems: www.innov.energy
- AMPT string optimisers: www.ampt.com