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SDG&E Meter Adapter Helps Solar Customers Avoid Upgrades, Save Money

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) says its Renewable Meter Adapter (RMA) invention has helped nearly 3,000 private solar customers collectively save more than $3 million on the costs to go solar since the utility first announced the technology in August 2015.

According to the company, it developed its RMA as an alternative for expensive and time-consuming electric panel upgrades that are often required to accommodate solar. Typically, homes built before 1995 - or nearly three-quarters of San Diego homes - require electric panel upgrades before connecting private solar, says the utility. These upgrades, which SDG&E estimates can cost up to $10,000, often include construction to walls, stucco and landscaping, introducing additional delays and permitting requirements. Not only do these upgrades take time, but they also require intricate electrical work that can pose safety risks.

“I work with a number of solar customers, and after many conversations, I realized that electric panel upgrades were becoming an obstacle in the pathway to solar,” says Ken Parks, SDG&E’s customer generation manager and co-inventor of the RMA. “I knew that we could improve the customer experience if we could find a way to avoid the time and money associated with panel upgrades.”

According to the utility’s website, the RMA costs about $1,300 and contains a meter collar with a 60 amp circuit breaker and a fused disconnect box that can accommodate up to an 11.5 kW system. It can be installed between the service meter socket and the utility revenue meter on a customer’s existing service panel in under an hour, and SDG&E will operate and maintain the device for the life of the product.

Robert Clossin, one of SDG&E’s Rancho Bernardo customers, comments, “When our solar contractor recommended the Renewable Meter Adapter instead of a panel upgrade, we knew we would save money. However, the best part was avoiding the annoyance and extra time of having to upgrade our panel, trying to match the exterior paint on our home and coordinating additional inspections.”

 

SolarCity Goes Bigger, Increases Utility-Scale Focus

Rooftop solar giant SolarCity is getting deeper into the utility-scale solar business, having launched a new set of services for utility and grid operators. The new services include installation, financing and consulting for utility-scale solar and energy storage resource development, as well as advanced controls for demand response, distributed energy resources and aggregated grid services.

SolarCity says it is offering development of utility-scale solar power plants and will manage the entire process from financing and design to installation, advanced controls and optimization, and system maintenance.

In addition, SolarCity is now offering firm and dispatchable utility-scale storage solutions to complement solar power. Furthermore, the company says its distributed energy solutions offer increased flexibility and resiliency and provide services such as capacity and peak shaving, ramping, frequency regulation, power support, and more - all managed through its software and control platform.

The company notes several power companies have already begun to use its utility-focused services. For example, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative previously worked with SolarCity to install a 12 MW AC utility-scale solar array and is currently implementing a solar and storage facility that will boast a 13 MW AC solar array and 52 MWh battery system. Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative is in the process of leveraging SolarCity to deploy 13 MW AC of solar coupled with 6 MWh of battery storage across a portfolio of sites throughout Connecticut. Additionally, Southern California Edison has partnered with SolarCity in a pilot to demonstrate the value of aggregated distributed energy resource portfolios.

 

Yingli Solar Modules For 1,500 V Projects Available In The Americas

China-based panel manufacturer Yingli Solar has announced its new utility-scale product line, the YGE-U 1500 Series, is available in the Americas.

Underwriters Laboratory recently certified the new multicrystalline panel series for use in projects with maximum system voltages up to 1,500 V, which Yingli says represents an improvement over traditional modules that are typically designed for a maximum of 1,000 V.

Available in power classes up to 340 W, the YGE-U 1500 Series drives balance-of-system savings by decreasing the required number of home-run cables, combiner boxes and fuses in a given project, the company claims. Yingli adds that the higher maximum system voltage also reduces resistive losses, thereby increasing system-level energy yield and improving the project’s overall performance.

“Demand for framed 1,500 V modules like our YGE-U 1500 Series is on the rise, but particularly in the U.S. and Latin America,” says Alan King, vice president of sales at Yingli Green Energy Americas.

 

Ecolibrium Solar Becomes TUV Rheinland Partner Lab

Ecolibrium Solar, a supplier of solar racking systems for commercial and residential applications, has announced that its research and development (R&D) laboratory in Boulder, Colo., has been certified under TUV Rheinland PTL’s Partner Lab Program.

Through the program, Ecolibrium Solar is now qualified to conduct testing, within its scope of accreditation, to ANSI/UL2703, while TUV Rheinland PTL will provide any additional testing required and UL2703 certifications for solar racking products.

“By handling UL2703 testing within our R&D lab, our engineering staff is now able to manage the test schedule while observing testing firsthand. With this new capability, we are able to conduct pre-compliance testing, allowing us to respond quickly during product development,” says Devin MacRostie, Ecolibrium Solar’s director of engineering and technology. “This enables us to optimize our products during the development phase and ultimately get the next generation of racking products to market faster.”

The company says it will also offer independent engineering and technical services to other manufacturers and product developers. Although the Partner Lab certification starts with UL2703 testing, Ecolibrium Solar has plans to add more testing and certification capabilities beyond that standard with TUV Rheinland PTL.