Page 35 - Green Builder January 2017 Issue
P. 35
CREDIT: OZY.COM (SMARTFLOWER)
smartflower Self- SMA Inverters and
Contained Solar Power Smart Controls
Smartflower had a successful launch in Europe, and will be The SMA Smart Home is an energy-ef-
available in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2017, with an SRP ficient solution for whole-house energy
of $17,840. This cleverly designed unit automatically fans out management that will result in net-zero
its solar petals at sunrise to face the sun, then follows it at a independence from utilities. It also helps
90-degree angle all day, using GPS-based dual-axis tracking reduce peak power demand, thus elimi-
(not unlike a flower). It then closes up as the sun sets. nating potential demand charges for
homeowners, depending on their util-
This close tracking allows smartflower to produce up to ity rate structure. An SMA Smart Home
40 percent more output than static solar arrays, making it can operate connected to the grid and
the equivalent of a 4- to 5-kW rooftop system. The efficiency off-grid.
of smartflower improves even more, because the panels are
self-cleaning. Every time they unfurl or close, tiny brushes Key components of the SMA Smart Home include a Sunny Boy storage
on the back of each panel brush dust, dirt and snow off battery inverter, a Sunny Boy PV inverter and a high-voltage battery.
the one underneath it. Each “petal” is also rear-ventilated, Together, these elements function as the “brain” of the system, ensuring
so hot air won’t accumulate within the system. This keeps simple and reliable operation.
the petals cool enough to deliver up to 10 percent more
output than other panels. A PV system, tied to a Sunny Boy-US PV inverter, will charge the high-
voltage battery during the day so that it can be discharged in the evening,
In winds higher thxan 40 mph, the petals automatically when electricity rates are often higher. The inverter constantly fine-tunes
fold in and stow away, leaving a fully shuttered unit the flow of energy and information, to optimize how power is used in an
that will withstand hurricane level conditions. Lastly, intelligent home.
smartflower units with storage provide remote monitoring,
allowing the owner to access by any smart device at SMA’s Sunny Portal (shown) allows for easy monitoring and management
any time of day a wealth of data about the unit’s power of the entire Smart Home system via web or smartphone. This scalable
generation and use. software not only manages data, but allows for quick diagnosis of any
potential issues.
https://www.smartflower.com/en
www.sma-america.com
www.greenbuildermedia.com
January/February 2017 GREEN BUILDER 33
