Ampt, a company providing DC optimizers for large-scale photovoltaic systems, is working with Edison Power Co. Ltd. to integrate Ampt string optimizers into a solar+storage microgrid project being developed by Tocoo Inc. for utility Okinawa Electric Power Company in Miyakojima, Japan.
Edison Power is using Ampt technology to enable DC-coupled architecture, which marks the first project of this kind for the utility. Ampt string optimizers provide the critical link between the PV array, battery system and inverter to manage intermittency, control frequency and achieve 2% or less power fluctuation of rated output per minute, as required by the Okinawa Power Company and local legislation.
Edison Power is deploying Ampt optimizers with lithium-iron-phosphate batteries from Gotion and string inverters from Huawei. The microgrid system consists of 1.2 MW of solar linked through optimizers to 1,700 kWh of batteries.
Ampt optimizers are DC/DC converters that perform maximum power point tracking (MPPT) on each string of PV modules to increase the lifetime performance of the system. They are also inverter and battery-technology independent.
