Power conversion technologies developer Ideal Power Inc. has unveiled its new SunDial solar PV string inverter, which includes an optional bi-directional third port for direct integration of solar with energy storage.
According to the company, the compact and fully isolated PV string inverter has an integrated PV combiner, disconnects, a built-in maximum power point tracker, and an optional “plug and play” bi-directional DC port kit.
With the third port connected to a battery, the SunDial is able to disconnect from the utility grid and form a microgrid to provide backup power to critical building loads and utilize the energy from PV and the battery, enabling customers to use their systems during a power outage, the company adds.
Ideal Power says the initial SunDial product is a 30 kW system based on the company’s Power Packet Switching Architecture with 1,000 V max PV DC input and 480 V, three-phase output. It is the first in a planned family of field-upgradable SunDial inverters and can be applied to both new PV installations and PV system retrofits where there is a desire to add energy storage to an existing array.
“The growing installed base of solar and resulting grid instabilities will increasingly force the coupling of solar and storage. Our new SunDial represents a tremendous opportunity for Ideal Power to capture a share of this market while giving our customers the flexibility to create additional value from their system via direct storage integration,” says Dan Brdar, CEO of Ideal Power.
Ideal Power plans to target commercial- and industrial-scale PV installations, and the 30 kW product will be UL-1741 listed and NEC 2014 compliant for behind-the-meter installations. The company is taking pre-orders now for delivery in September.
