Alencon Systems has successfully deployed it SPOT-ES in a unique, DC-coupled Solar + Storage project

Hatboro, PA – Alencon Systems is pleased to announce the first large scale deployment of its patented SPOT-ES in a DC-coupled Solar + Storage system in the eastern United States in concert with one of the nation’s largest energy companies. This deployment marks the first time a 1500-volt utility-scale DC coupled solar and storage system with string level MPPT was brought online.

The Alencon SPOT – which stands for String Power Optimizer and Transmitter – is a string level DC-DC optimizer which optimizes the power from PV string inputs with voltages ranging from 600 to 1500 volts. The SPOT outputs power at virtually any range of voltage that is completely configurable from one deployment to the next. This unique feature assures that it can be used to couple solar with storage in a way that is battery-chemistry agnostic. The ES suffix designates “Energy Storage.” The SPOT-ES family of products has been specifically designed for the needs of DC-coupled Solar + Storage deployments.

“The value offered by DC-coupling of Solar and Storage is clear,” states Alencon Systems President Hanan Fishman. “To date, the challenge for industry has been to find the appropriate power electronics to facilitate DC-coupling on a large scale. With this deployment, Alencon has demonstrated that its unique, PV-centric approach to the DC-coupling of Solar + Storage is indeed a solution to this challenge.”