Page 71 - North American Clean Energy March April 2016

Interconnection
Getting timely interconnection approval from local authorities remains an impediment to energy storage system deployment. Batteries and power converters often receive critical reviews by local inspectors from both re and
grid safety standpoints. Converters must meet all appropriate safety standards including UL 1741 and IEEE 1547a to ensure they remain isolated and will not backfeed the grid during outages and, when connected, do no harm to the grid such as surges or current harmonics when exporting or importing power. Note these standards currently vary by utility and/or region which requires all newly installed converters be eld programmable and con gured to meet local interconnect requirements. Without this exibility, certain brands of converters may be denied interconnection, dictating the use of di erent equipment packages based
on geography.
e interconnection challenges outside
of North America are also signi cant. e European Union and vast parts of Asia
and South America operate on a 50Hz grid standard, requiring a completely di erent safety test and certi cation regimen than that of 60Hz environments. Japan is an extreme example, where both 50Hz and 60Hz grids coexist but operate at di erent voltages than found in either the E.U. or North America. Supporting both 60Hz and 50Hz standards in a single uni ed power converter platform vastly simpli es the deployment of energy storage solutions beyond North America, and should be a key consideration for systems integrators desiring expansion into new markets.
While interconnection standards and regulations will continue to evolve over time, many of the solutions to these
issues can be built into the design of
energy storage systems. Flexibility will be
a key factor in navigating the challenges associated with deploying energy storage for various applications. e other factor, cost, can be mitigated by increasing energy storage system e ciencies and decreasing the size and weight of the necessary components which make up these systems. As the market for energy storage grows,
the technologies will advance. at is why the ground work currently being laid by pioneers in this eld is crucial for the future development of the industry.
John Merritt is the director of applications engineering for Ideal Power
Low inductance impulse winding tester
Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc., a provider of power conversion and safety testing equipment and automated test systems, announces the release of their new 19031A Impulse Winding Tester designed for low inductance applications including transformers, power chokes, and other wound components. Combined with high/ low inductance applied technology, the 19301A Impulse Winding Tester has
1000V impulse voltage, 0.25V resolution, and a 200MHz high speed sampling rate to satisfy test requirements for a wide range of power inductance products from 0.1uH to 100uH. e function of the 19031A Impulse Winding Tester is to discover potential defects as early as possible. Defects can be winding layer short, poor electrode welding, and poor internal coil or core insulation. e built-in Area Size and Di erential Area Comparisons, Flutter Value, and Laplacian Value functions make it an e ective way to inspect the coils for poor insulation. Even when applied to low inductance winding components, Chroma also includes 4-wire test, contact check, inductance check and a voltage compensation that avoids voltage errors resulting from the variance of DUT inductance or equivalent wiring inductance.
e colorful display and screen capture function enables the user to save waveforms through the USB port on the front panel. e 19031A is well suited for on-site production as well as R&D and quality assurance.
Chroma Systems Solutions | www.chromausa.com
Next-generation energy storage system
Sunverge Energy announced the next generation of its Solar Integration System (SIS), o ering customers a cost-e ective package of more battery options and a streamlined design with even more system intelligence than the original SIS. e new Solar Integration System, available this summer, supports multiple lithium-ion battery chemistries and a wide range of storage capacities. Lighter, more modular, and easier to install than its predecessor, the new SIS maintains standards for performance, reliability, and safety and is suitable both for installation into existing home solar systems and for packaging with new solar panels. All of these features give utilities, retailers, solar providers, and developers the exibility and choice they need to integrate storage into their customer o ers. Sunverge Energy | www.sunverge.com
Thermal energy storage solution
Ice Energy has introduced the Ice Bear 20, a smaller-capacity version of its agship Ice Bear system. e new system combines Ice Energy’s patented thermal storage and smart-grid technology with integrated cooling, enabling utilities to control residential cooling load and reduce peak demand by up to 95% for up to four hours. It also allows increased load during periods of solar over-generation, while providing homeowners the cooling they desire.
e Ice Bear 20 is suited for residential and small commercial applications. In residential applications, it seamlessly integrates with the HVAC systems of new or existing homes.
Ice Energy | www.ice-energy.com
Ideal Power, Inc. | www.idealpower.com
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