New S-Series introduces industry-first safety technology and manages to reduce Balance of System costs with longer and more powerful strings
SolarEdge, a global leader in smart energy technology, has announced that the S-Series, its next generation of smart Power Optimizers, is now available for orders across Europe. Gradually replacing the legacy P-Series Power Optimizers throughout 2023, the new series is suitable for commercial PV applications and further reduces BoS costs while introducing expanded advanced safety features.
Alfred Karlstetter, General Manager of SolarEdge Europe, said: “Enhanced safety features and ease of installation are key differentiators of our technology, alongside advances in energy efficiency and improved economics which are additional important factors for the proliferation of solar energy. We will continue to set benchmarks in industry safety standards by focusing on innovative solutions that bring even more reliability to the market.“
Instead of detecting electrical arcs at the string level only after they occur, the S-Series Power Optimizers introduce SolarEdge Sense Connect, an industry-first technology that prevents potential electric arcs already at the connector level. By detecting and reacting to abnormal connector overheating, that may be due to faulty installations or connector wear and tear, SolarEdge Sense Connect technology stops power flow before an arc can occur. With module-level site visibility, operation and maintenance (O&M) providers are informed of the pinpointed location of the faulty connector so repairs can be conducted swiftly and easily. This helps maximise system safety, system uptime and reduce O&M costs.
The S-Series Power Optimizer is designed to accommodate higher power modules and bi-facial modules, where the module mismatch can be even greater due to any uneven rear-side power contribution. Providing 99.5% maximum efficiency and supporting two high power, high input current PV modules, the S-Series lowers Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) thanks to higher yield and enables longer and more powerful strings that reduces Balance of System (BoS) costs.
In addition, the S-Series offers a simplified cable layout with more accessible connectors, allowing for faster installation and reducing potential isolation faults.