INVERTERS, THE HEART OF SOLAR ENERGY PLANTS, AT THE CENTRE OF INVEX 2011

Reduction of costs, smart grids and the more recent developments in norms are the main topics discussed during the only Italian event entirely dedicated to the world of inverters for solar applications

The third edition of Invex, the only Italian fair and conference dedicated to the industry of photovoltaic inverters, electronic devices that transform electricity produced by solar modules from DC to AC, available, therefore, for home appliances and for connection to the grid, started today at fieramilano di Rho-Pero. Invex is taking place from 16 to 19 November during Enersolar+, the Milanese event of 2011 dedicated to renewable energies. Participants in the conferences of Invex 2011, which will also continue tomorrow, include main national and international manufacturers, discussing the most recent technical and commercial developments for solar energy converters: the role of inverters in the creation of smart grids, margins of improvement in efficiency and performance, micro-inverters and power optimizers, the choice and size of inverters with regards to type of plant.

"The decrease in price of photovoltaic components that has taken place recently, despite the upcoming reaching of grid parity are pushing manufacturers of inverters to invest in the development of high-efficiency equipment, with costs that continue to decrease," said Francesco Groppi, Head of the Work Group 2-Inverter of the Comitato Elettrotecnico Italiano- Italian Electrotechnical Committee, and chairman of the conferences of Invex 2011. "Moreover, manufacturers of inverters must now face the new challenges of the market, such as the imminent introduction of the CEI 0-21 norm, the creation of smart grids and, in some cases, innovative scenarios regarding plants, which foresee the use of micro-inverters and power optimizers. The evolution of norms goes hand in hand with that of technology, offering tools that are closer to the present technological panorama," continued Groppi. "The recent CEI EN 62116 and CEI EN 50530 norms are those that probably represent better these changing needs." During his presentation, Raffaele Salutari, general manager of Sputnik Engineering Italia, made a careful consideration of how manufacturers analyze market requests to determine the range of products to offer, and therefore enable clients to choose the best inverter for their applications, while Matteo Rocchetto of Conergy Italia explained what are the main factors that must be considered for the correct sizing of inverters with respect to the size of the plant and the installation site. According to Lorenzo Colombo of Danfoss Solar Inverters: "There are four main objectives that must be considered when choosing an inverter: flexibility of use, which can be obtained thanks to a high number of independent MPPT trackers; ease of installation, a fundamental feature for installers; efficiency, which enables high yield for investors and/or owners; safety, a crucial factor for maintenance operators." Radius inverters from Gefran were described in detail by Alessandro Capsoni, who highlighted the importance of grid input of reactive and active power from solar inverters.

The topics to be discussed this afternoon and tomorrow will include: market requirements to enable machines to be considered ore reliable, quality/price ratio, margins of improvement of grid-connected inverters and those not connected, reduction of self-consumption.

Invex 2011 is taking place as part of EnerSolar+ and alongside HTE-Hi.Tech.Expo, the event dedicated to science, research and high-tech. Enersolar+ is the important event dedicated to photovoltaic and thermal solar energy, photovoltaic technologies (PV Tech), inverters (Invex) and other renewable energies (Greenergy Expo), taking place from 16 to 19 November, with a 30% increase in number of exhibitors compared to last year’s edition.