Page 67 - North American Clean Energy May/June 2019 Issue

damage to electrical equipment inside a seemingly safe concrete building. While the building itself withstood Category
5 hurricane force winds, the roof ventilation fan did not. Winds removed the fan, and heavy, continuous rain ooded the inverters inside, leaving the facility inoperable. To avoid costly system upgrades, developers should design and construct every part of their project to withstand worst case scenarios, down to the storage building’s ventilation fan.
Aiming for calm, after the storm
After a system is built, developers and owners should expect that hurricanes and severe storms will pass their
facilities regularly. Operations and maintenance strategies that include storm mitigation techniques can help prepare for the e ects they leave behind. Building a proactive and trustworthy relationship with the local utility will
help institute hurricane preparedness programs in the days leading up to the storm. Preparedness programs can help arrange backup power systems to combat outages, develop post-storm repair plans to ensure timely system maintenance, and spread outreach campaigns to keep customers informed. ese mitigate long- term impacts from damage to the facility, saving developers and local communities time and money.
Designing, developing, and operating renewable energy projects to withstand worsening climate conditions has a ripple e ect. As islands strive to decarbonize their energy systems, and new industry players ood the region, decisionmakers will look for trustworthy and long-term development partners for their projects. ese extra measures not only make stronger energy systems, but also boost reputations in communities. Above all,
as the e ects of climate change continue to threaten economies and lives in the Caribbean, developers have an obligation to do their part and build clean, cost- e ective, resilient energy infrastructure. In the wake of a devastating storm, reliable power should be last on a community’s list of concerns.
Bruce Levy is CEO and President at
BMR Energy (part of the Virgin Group) which develops, nances, constructs and manages clean, renewable energy projects in the Caribbean and Latin America.
BMR Energy /// bmrenergy.com
Charging solution provides reliability and charge quality
Delta-Q Technologies (Delta-Q) announced the addition of a 1000W, 24V battery charger to
its RC Series. e RC1000 is a high frequency charging solution capable of charging both lead- acid and lithium-ion batteries. e new charger also o ers Controller Area Network (CAN bus) communications for seamless machine integration. e RC1000 is suitable for use in battery- powered scrubbers, sweepers, and burnishers. Similar to its family series, the RC1000 has an IP66- rated ingress protection to seal out dirt and uids, while its mechanical design and component selection resists vibration, shock, and temperature extremes.
Delta-Q Technologies /// www.delta-q.com
Intelligent lithium ion batteries
Trojan Battery Co., LLC announces the Trillium line of Trojan Intelligent Lithium batteries. With life expectancy over 5,000 cycles, Trillium maximizes total energy throughput and lowers lifetime operating costs. Trillium is suitable for meeting demanding deep-cycling requirements across a wide range of stationary and motive power applications. Trillium is designed and engineered in
the USA and is initially available in 3 popular sizes that can be used in a variety of applications. Trillium o ers a range of advanced safety, environmental, and electronic features including an intelligent built-in diagnostic as well a superior cell and battery design. Trillium is designed
to be a replacement for existing lead acid batteries. e built-in battery protection system guards the battery from the extreme demands of various motive and stationary applications. Aftermarket customers without Lithium battery experience are now able to switch to this advanced energy technology without the need for sophisticated expertise in Lithium Ion technology or system integration. In addition, OEM customers can quickly add the Trillium range of products into equipment without signi cant investments in custom pack design and development. Trillium features automotive-grade safety components, CAN-bus communication, and an integrated state-of- charge indicator. e electronic controls allow for voltage compatibility for all 12V, 24V, 36V, and 48V applications including the ability to use most existing lead-acid chargers.
Trojan Battery Company
/// www.trojanbattery.com
Bi-directional DC-DC optimizer
e Alencon BOSS is a solution for both improving
and bringing down the cost of DC-Coupled Solar + Storage deployments while extending useful life of the batteries and improving battery rack utilization. e BOSS controls the charge and discharge of individual battery racks in both DC and AC coupled deployments. e BOSS supports the integration of energy storage with 600V, 1000V or 1500V PV strings. e BOSS features Alencon’s Galvanically Isolated DC-DC conversion topology. is architecture o ers users a number of bene ts not available from other non-isolated DC-DC converters, including
the ability to incorporate grounded PV systems with oating batteries on the same DC-bus as well as the ability to pair high voltage 1500V PV with lower voltage battery chemistries. Additionally, because the BOSS is a rack level DC-DC converter it assures the most optimal utilization
of each battery rack in the cabinet. By addressing each battery rack individually, the BOSS also improves system safety by limiting the fault currents in the case of a sudden short to ground thus potentially reducing system cost
by eliminating the need for additional safety devices. Additionally, the BOSS makes battery rack augmentation over the life of a storage project much easier and cost e ective by allowing battery racks with di erent charge- discharge voltages to be installed onto the same DC-bus. e BOSS also makes it easy to deploy DC-coupled Solar + Storage projects with string inverters.
Alencon Systems /// www.alenconsystems.com
An interface between inverters and a monitoring solution
Trimark Associates, Inc. has launched the Trimark SMA Gateway product. Designed around the Trimark Data Gateway (TDG), the SMA Gateway is a drop-in replacement for the discontinued SMA Sunny WebBox. e TDG is an industrial gateway loaded with a derivative of Trimark’s SCADA software. is platform provides a robust and resilient solution that will provide many years of reliable non-stop service in the demanding environments of photovoltaic power plants. e Trimark SMA Gateway ships with easy-to-understand instructions on how to remove the old unit and install the new one. Once the unit is energized and connected to the inverter and a laptop computer, the technician will use a web browser to trigger the Trimark SMA Gateway to scan each serial port to nd all connected SMA inverters and map the data into the Trimark SMA Gateway.
Trimark Associates, Inc. /// www.trimarkassoc.com
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