NIST Scientist Selects SANYO HIT Technology to Optimize Home PV Energy Production
When it comes to technology, electronics engineer Xiaoyu Li has discriminating standards. The 66-year-old Boulder resident works for NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technologies, a government agency under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Li’s laboratories are responsible for calibrating and certifying laser power standards for the commercial power meters used by manufacturers in the automotive, biotech, electronics and defense industries.
When Mr. Li’s environmentally-concerned wife Gena suggested the couple look at renewable energy solutions for their home, he did what most scientists do when confronted with a problem: he started researching potential solutions.
“Anything I want to do I like to study very thoroughly,” explained Li, who came to the United States from China as a guest scientist back in 1986. “I thought the concept of renewable energy was interesting, but I wasn’t so sure I could afford it,” he said.
So Li got busy and unearthed information about a phalanx of federal, state and local incentives that could be combined to substantially reduce his up-front costs. Once he realized today’s incentives could make solar a completely affordable reality, he launched into phase two of his research: identifying the best available technology for the job.
“I took time to study what kind of solar panels I wanted. I downloaded the specs from a wide array of solar panel manufacturers: SunPower, SANYO, Sharp and Kyocera. I also researched and considered what kind of inverter I should choose, where I was going to put the array, and how much I should pay,” he said.
His work did not go unnoticed. “When it comes to technology, Mr. Li’s very thorough, a very knowledgeable man. And he was very particular in what he wanted for his home,” said Steve Bauhs, Director of Sales and Marketing for
Simple Solar, who designed and installed the solar solution Li selected. “He came to us with a few clarification questions, but overall he was very much on top of what he wanted,” observed Bauhs.
Li indicated to the folks at Simple Solar that his quest for the optimal solar solution required solar modules that were very efficient, very reliable and high quality. So who won the research test of this seasoned NIST scientist? “He wanted the good stuff,” recalls Simple Solar’s Bauhs, “He wanted Sanyo.”
The winning solution features 5.2 kilowatts of SANYO’s HIT Power® 200s, one of the industry’s most efficient lines of solar modules.
HIT Power® modules offer superior efficiency and energy output to provide businesses and home owners with more power per square foot, an important consideration for both installers and property owners facing the challenge of limited usable rooftop real estate.
SANYO’s HIT Power ratings offer 100% or more of their nameplate rated power, enabling owners to 1) generate more kWh per rated watt, 2) quicken investment returns and 3) help realize an unrivaled customer satisfaction experience.
“People tried to push cheaper solar options on me, but I wouldn’t budge,” said Li. He says another benefit that compelled him to go with SANYO is the company’s solar module workmanship warranty – it’s the best in the business. “The workmanship warranty is different from the module performance warranty, a value add many people don’t know about,” Li observed.
“I have a neighbor whose trees shade my roof in the fall and winter,” he added. “I needed a solution that would correct for that, but also allow me more solar output in a smaller rooftop footprint – more power per square foot of rooftop space.”
Li’s research also introduced him to the concept of microinverters. “It was a solution he thought made sense, in the way it dealt with shading -- and the way it optimized production panel by panel instead of string by string,” explained Bauhs. “Mr. Li was adamant about that.”
Microinverters are rife with potential for cost reduction and potential economies of scale in that they connect to the junction box of solar modules. Instead of DC being conducted from each module, current is immediately converted into AC. Less hand-off means more useable power.
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Enphase solutions improve the performance, intelligence, reliability and safety of solar systems by eliminating the ‘weakest link’ paradigm of energy production inherent in central inverters,” noted Raghu Belur, Enphase Energy’s Vice President of Products. Adding to the appeal is the fact that the microinverters come with advanced communications technology and Web-based monitoring systems that allow them to build upon the software it has to monitor solar panel performance to introduce home energy management techniques to gauge and address energy costs across the household.
“With a regular central inverter, you cannot specifically identify problems, with these microinverters you can,” added Li. “And with microinverters, you don’t need to bring your whole system down to correct issues.”
Bauhs says that Li’s research and insistence on the emerging microinverter technology made him Simple Solar’s first Enphase customer. And the solution has since proven to be a winning play for many Simple Solar clients. “We’re now big fans of Enphase. I’ve lost count on the number of Enphase solutions we provide our customers,” exclaimed Bauhs.
Bauhs is quick to note that there may be some instances where a centralized inverter makes sense for customers. He says Simple Solar’s aim is to provide its customers with the best custom solutions for their needs. “We’re not running away from string inverters by any stretch of the imagination,” he said, “but Enphase’s microinverters make the best of any challenging roof situation, whether it involves shading, or multiple tilts or orientation. And their monitoring tool is very interesting as well,” he added.
“I look at the Web site and monitor energy production all the time,” said Li.
In California, a bellwether state for solar trends, the share of residential solar installations that have microinverters has tripled over the past year, a sign validating Mr. Li’s research.
“In this business, roughly two-thirds of clients are all ears when it comes to our recommendations for solar energy solutions. They need the advice and appreciate the guidance,” noted Bauhs. “The other 25% may have an inkling, but there's still more explanation to be had. It’s the remaining 5-10% -- the caliber of client that Mr. Li represents – who are adamant about what they want.”