Another week, another bunch of announcements! To stay up to date on what’s new, check out this latest cleantech product roundup:
Home battery integration
Sunverge announced that the Sunverge Energy Platform and the Sunverge Infinity intelligent edge controller are integrated with EverVolt, the residential energy storage system (ESS) from Panasonic.
Together, Panasonic and Sunverge said they will provide homeowners with control over their self-generation and energy use, while providing advanced orchestration and aggregation virtual power plant capabilities, such as real-time flexible load management and grid services to utilities, grid operators, and third-party aggregators. All the features of Sunverge’s distributed energy resource control and aggregation platform are supported and running with the Panasonic EverVolt ESS. More info available here.
Spanish-language loans
Sunlight Financial, a point-of-sale financing company, announced the addition of Spanish-language loan products to enhance its technology platform, Orange. The company said that more than 15,000 people use Sunlight’s platform to streamline the sale and installation of residential solar systems and other home improvements. The Spanish option is aimed at further expanding solar to potential customers that have had difficulty accessing the market because of language barriers. More info available here.
EV charging test solution
Keysight Technologies Inc. launched the SL1200A Series Scienlab Regenerative 3-Phase AC Emulator. The company said the product is a test solution consisting of hardware, software, consulting, and support services for electric vehicle (EV) and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) charging applications and grid-edge applications.
Keysight’s SL1200A series handles 3-phase AC test needs up to 1,200 VAC, from 30 kVA to 630 kVA, without the need for a transformer. Two voltage ranges are available. The 600 VAC is for low-voltage inverter tests, as well as EV and EVSE charging test applications. The 1,200 VAC allows for high-voltage ride through (HVRT) testing without the need for a large, complex test setup. More info available here.
Energy meters
SATEC Inc. introduced the PRO Series of revenue-grade energy meters ideal for distributed energy resource (DER) monitoring. The new series of DIN-rail and panel-mounted meters accept either AC or DC voltage and current inputs.
The company said this input capability is flexible and will allow a PRO Series meter to monitor and record a large solar panel installation’s DC output power and, using a second identical meter, monitor and record the power output of the system’s inverter AC output. Data provided by the two instruments can be used to compute overall system efficiency and identify performance issues. More info available here.
Rapid shutdown device
APsmart launched a dual-module rapid shutdown device, the RSD-D. Part of a PVRSE solution to meet photovoltaic rapid shutdown requirements, the RSD-D is capable of serving two PV modules simultaneously and is designed for easy installation.
The company said its RSD-D meets NEC 2017 & 2020 (690.12) requirements, enabling the rapid shutdown function while improving product cost and performance. By using the RSD-D and Transmitter-PLC in solar PV installations, the connection between each module can be cut off remotely or manually in case of an emergency, thus eliminating any high-voltage DC in the solar array, which reduces the risk of accidents and improves PV system safety. More info available here.
Blade-coated perovskite cell
Scientists from the University of North Carolina developed a perovskite solar cell with an efficiency of 23.2% by adding benzylhydrazine hydrochloride (BHC) as an iodine (I) reductant agent in precursor solutions such as methylammonium iodide (MAI) and formamidinium iodide. The efficiency was certified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. More info available here.
Portable utility-scale storage
Northern Reliability Inc. and KORE Power Inc. launched Nomad Transportable Power Systems, a joint venture company to provide utility-scale mobile energy storage systems. The vendor will offer “plug-and-play” battery energy storage systems integrated into a mobile ESS and docking system.
The PowerDock platform is designed to provide customers in multiple industry segments with a flexible, reliable, and affordable way to incorporate storage for a range of use cases. Three models will be available this year: 2 MWh, 1MWh, and 600 kWh of energy with variable power output levels available to end-users up to a maximum 1 MW AC. More info available here.
Building-integrated PV
Mitrex, a solar technology manufacturer, announced a solution designed to transform a building’s exterior into a vertical, self-sufficient power system. The company said its building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology, via solar cladding and glass railing, can be installed on new developments and retrofitted on existing ones.
Mitrex said its solar cladding materials can retain the same esthetic as its non-energy-producing counterparts and can mimic construction materials, such as concrete, timber, or stucco. The company said it is investing in R&D to create other BIPV products, including windows and side paneling. More info available here.
Robotic solar construction
RE2 Robotics, a developer of intelligent mobile robotic manipulation systems, won $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop a robotic system for the Outdoor Autonomous Manipulation of Photovoltaic Panels (O-AMPP).
The O-AMPP program will enable RE2 to apply its outdoor, autonomous robotic technology, which uses computer vision and machine-learning techniques, to the solar construction industry. RE2 said its mobile robotic arm will be optimized to support the transfer, manipulation, and placement of photovoltaic modules to enhance solar field assembly. The company said it will partner with several industry players, including The AES Corp., Array Technologies, JLG Industries, Mortenson, and Pratt Miller, to provide the solar sector with robotic construction capabilities. More info available here.
Home solar loans
MAXEX, a digital mortgage exchange, announced the launch of two new lending programs to support the growth of green energy home improvements. The programs, developed in collaboration with J.P. Morgan, further expand MAXEX’s new environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) business line.
MAXEX’s ESG programs are available for loan amounts ranging from $400,000 to $3 million. MAXEX Sustainable includes preferred pricing on fully amortized 30-year mortgage loans, which can be passed on to borrowers in the form of discounted interest rates. Residential solar panels and geothermal units can be amortized in the loan either at purchase or refinance. MAXEX Sustainable Express includes the same benefits, along with the ability to reduce manual underwriting by leveraging certain results from Fannie Mae’s Desktop Underwriter and Freddie Mac’s Loan Prospector Advisor. More info available here.
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