Intelligent microchips bring significantly higher yields
Munich/Germany, May 15, 2014 – Scandinavian-German manufacturer Innotech Solar (ITS) has developed a new photovoltaic module that uses in-laminate integrated circuits (IC) to deliver yields that are up to 20 percent higher than those supplied by standard modules. The ‘SmartPlus’ module exploits the full potential of an installation, even when individual cells are shaded or soiled. As a result, roofs that were previously considered unsuitable even for smart modules now offer attractive prospects for solar power generation. The company is to showcase its innovative product at the Intersolar trade show in Munich.
Press photos are available to download at:
www.innotechsolar.com/downloads/press-and-media.html
“In standard modules, if a single cell underperforms due to factors such as shading or soiling, this compromises the yield of the entire string. However, intelligent microchips laminated into our new SmartPlus modules ensure that PV installations generate the maximum possible output power right down at cell level – not just at module level as is the case with conventional power optimizers,” explains Knud Clausen, Global Product Manager at Innotech Solar. “This has the added advantage that rows of modules in both flat roof and ground-mounted systems can be placed much closer together, despite the partial shading this causes, without concerns that significant yield will be lost. More energy can therefore be generated from the same area – not only compared to standard modules, but other smart modules too,” adds Clausen. The I/V curve of the SmartPlus modules also means that they are well suited to other applications, such as off-grid solar systems.
Three chips are installed in the laminate of each SmartPlus module, replacing both the bypass diodes and the junction box. Each chip optimizes the output of 20 solar cells connected in series. The IC technology has been used successfully for over 20 years in servers and communications technology with proven durability and reliability. Calculated over the entire lifetime of a solar installation, it is possible to achieve a yield increase of up to 20 percent, depending on installation and shading conditions.
Innotech Solar has rigorously analysed the performance of the new SmartPlus module in varying shading situations under laboratory conditions. The company is also conducting climate chamber tests at the Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin in order to verify the long term performance of the modules.
Innotech Solar will present the new SmartPlus module at Intersolar from June 4-6, 2014 in Munich.
Trade show booth: hall A2, booth 560
About Innotech Solar
The Scandinavian-German company manufactures solar modules in Europe and delivers them worldwide. Innotech Solar specializes in the production of particularly environmentally friendly modules with optimized solar cells and uses innovative processes developed by in-house research teams to do so. The company optimizes solar cells in Halle an der Saale, Germany, and manufactures its modules in a former REC solar factory in Glava, Sweden, which thanks to its fully automated production lines is one of Europe’s most modern manufacturing plants. The production process is powered at both sites using 100 percent renewable energy.
