Munich, June 20, 2018: Intersolar Europe, the world's leading exhibition for the solar industry, is predestined for the presentation of ground-breaking innovations within the solar industry. For the eleventh time, pioneering solutions were awarded with the Intersolar AWARD at the start of the fair. The coveted award 2018 was presented to ABB, Hanwha Q CELLS and Krinner Solar. The winners of the Intersolar AWARD were presented and honored at 5 pm on June 20, 2018 at The smarter E Forum in Hall B2, Booth 570.
The presentation of the Intersolar AWARD 2018 marks the solemn completion of the first day of the trade fair and attracts a lot of international attention within the industry. For eleven years now, the most significant developments in the solar industry have been awarded. The winners will help to motivate the industry to engage in new breakthrough innovations for a renewable energy based future. The requirement for the application for the Intersolar AWARD 2018 was participation in at least one of the worldwide exhibitions Intersolar, ees, Power2Drive or EM-Power, which find their place under the umbrella of The smarter E. In addition, partner companies of the exhibitors were also able to submit their innovation.
THE WINNERS OF THE INTERSOLAR AWARD 2018
ABB: PVS-175-TL impresses with numerous innovations
The PVS-175-TL inverter is a cloud-connected three-phase string solution for commercial rooftop applications and utility scale power plants. The new 1500 V DC platform delivers up to 185 kW at 800 V AC, enabling the use of decentralized plant architecture without increasing AC distribution losses. With this cost-effective solution, from 35 percent up to 65 percent fewer inverters are required for the same overall AC capacity, while maintaining the key benefits of string inverter technology.
Several innovations caught the jury’s attention. By increasing the AC output voltage to 800 V with additional and independent boost-converters, this inverter takes the next step in reducing electrical losses in large PV systems. With 12 MPP trackers, the PVS-175-TL inverter also provides high granularity, leading to higher yields and easier maintenance, while eliminating the need for fuses and combiner boxes. The solution is a cost-effective and modular structure that can be steered via Wifi, all while delivering top performance on core inverter functions. The jury was also impressed by the high power-density of 1.3 kW per kilogram, and the operating temperature range of -20° to + 60° Celsius.
Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH: Q.PEAK DUO-G5 – Highly efficient solar modules with Q.ANTUM technology
The new Q.PEAK DUO-G5 is a 120 half-cell solar module with power classes up to 330 Wp. The module efficiency of 19.9 percent results from Q.ANTUM DUO technology that combines the latest monocrystalline Q.ANTUM cells with a six-busbar advanced cell interconnection technology design, and smoothly cut edges that improve the mechanical stability of the cells. Both electrical and optical losses that usually accompany cell interconnection are largely avoided. The Q.PEAK DUO series sets new standards in power, energy yields and LCOE.
The jury was impressed by the technological evolution of this solution that combines many state-of-the-art technologies in one product. In a combination that is both innovative and effective, a very good temperature coefficient and improved mechanical reliability is realized, while the modular architecture leads to better resistance to shading and makes Q.PEAK DUO-G5 a drop-in-replacement for standard modules. This can be a new standard for residential and commercial roof tops.
Krinner Solar GmbH: CAS²– Computer Aided Solar Structure
This winner is an integrated software and hardware package that reduces the time for planning and installing large scale PV plants by 10 – 30 percent and is among the first of its kind. This includes the digital design, development, and installation applications for all kinds of ground-screw-based solar structures in all soil types. The CAS² combines the data from the surface and the soil in various depths from the surveying phase with the planned foundation of the solar racking systems on variable Krinner ground screws. This data base makes it possible to plan – and produce – variable lengths of the ground screws.
The jury recognizes this as an important solution for the new energy world, and it is just the beginning of digitalization and IoT impacting design and installation of large PV systems. Every step of planning, production and installation is reported online and documented in a central database, allowing specified reports to fulfill bank, insurance companies, and operator requirements. Mapping data created by drones and surveying robots are used to control the installation robots and vary the length of the screws, reducing steel consumption by 3 to 6 percent.
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