YC1000-3-208 microinverter earns CEC certification

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The new YC1000-3-208 microinverter from APS has earned CEC certification.

The California Energy Commission listing is a key benchmark of solar product efficiency and quality, and qualifies equipment for use and financial incentives under the California Solar Initiative. The CEC standard is also recognized throughout the western U.S. solar market.

The YC1000-3-208 microinverter earned a 94.5 percent efficiency rating from the CEC board.

“We’re very pleased to see the YC1000-3-208 earn the CEC listing,” said Paul Barlock, APS U.S.A. Senior Vice President. “APS really has broken new ground with this unit, the first microinverter purpose-designed and built for the commercial segment. This is the innovation the industry has been waiting for.”

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A sister unit that operates at 277/480 grid voltage, the APS YC1000-3-480, earned the CEC listing in November 2014.

The YC1000 microinverter line offers true 3-phase output and handles four PV modules per unit. The 1:4 microinverter-to-module ratio significantly lowers balance of system cost.

Unlike other microinverter products entering the commercial segment, the YC1000 line requires no step-up or step-down transformer to operate. Add-on transformers reduce system efficiency and add thousands of dollars in balance-of-system costs.

“Having to add a transformer is where other offerings in the market fail,” said Ryan Simpson, Senior Director of Sales and Program Management for APS America.. “With the YC1000 microinverter line, commercial system designers now have an advanced, all-in-one solution that wins on both efficiency and cost.”

The YC1000 microinverter connects directly to low-voltage DC modules, eliminating the possibility of “arc” fires from high-voltage arrays typical of conventional string inverter systems. The unit also offers revolutionary trunk cabling, eliminating the need for branch cables and resolving “landscape vs. portrait” configuration issues.

For YC1000-3 product information and data sheets, see www.apsamerica.com.

For information on the California Solar Initiative and CEC product certification, see www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov.

APS is a worldwide leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of microinverters based on our proprietary, leading-edge solar technology. Representing APS in the U.S. market, APS America. is based near Seattle.

APS ranked No. 2 in global market share among top microinverter suppliers by shipments in 2013 (source: GTM Research).

APS America, Krannich Solar USA announce distribution partnership

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2015

Industry-leading PV distributor Krannich Solar will offer APS microinverter products through its domestic channels, under a first-time agreement between the two companies.apsystems-krannichKrannich Solar USA maintains sales operations on both coasts, in New Jersey and California, and serves customers throughout the country.

“We pride ourselves on carrying the very best in PV products, and APS certainly fits that bill,” said Juan Romera-Wade, Krannich CEO. “Our customers will appreciate the advanced technology that APS has brought to the solar market.”

Krannich Solar, founded by Kurt Krannich as a family business in 1995, has quickly become one of the world’s largest solar wholesalers and system design houses, designing high-performance PV arrays while supporting both trades people and major energy utilities. Krannich Solar Inc. is now the U.S. office of the international Krannich Solar Group, founded in 2005.

The company recently expanded its Latin America operations with a new sales office in Mexico City.

The installed capacity supplied by the Krannich Group topped 1,600 megawatts worldwide in 2014.

Paul Barlock, APS senior vice president of U.S. operations, welcomed the agreement with a distributor of Krannich Solar’s stature, saying the companies share a strong culture of customer service.

“Krannich is a national top-tier solar supplier, and very exclusive in their offerings,” Barlock said. “When they carry your brand, it says your product line has arrived. Krannich will help us make 2015 another year of rapid growth.”

APS’ flagship product, the groundbreaking YC500 microinverter, handles two PV modules independently and can be configured to support any grid standard anywhere in the world. The YC1000,  the world’s first true 3-phase, four-module microinverter, recently entered the U.S. market after a highly successful rollout overseas.

APS Microinverters meet CEC requirements of IEC 62109-1 and IEC 62109-2

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APS Microinverters fully comply with new requirements for safety and quality that will go into effect in Australia in 2015.

Module-level power electronics must be certified to meet IEC 62109-1 and IEC 62109-2 after July of this year, according to the Clean Energy Council of Australia and the SAA Approvals testing laboratories.

APS Microinverter products have been certified to meet the CEC standards since August 2013, the first microinverter products to meet the rigorous Australian requirements.

IEC 62109-1 and IEC 62109-2 certification governs inverters used in photovoltaic systems to ensure uniform technical standards and appropriate safety benchmarks. The codes define the minimum requirements for product design and manufacture for protection against electric shock, energy, fire, mechanical and other hazards.

Australia is a key market for APS globally. All APS Microinverters are engineered and manufactured to the highest standards of safety and reliability, and APS will spare no effort to maintain the quality of products and services to ensure Australia’s green energy development.

World’s largest true 3-phase microinverter installation powered by APS YC1000

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The groundbreaking YC1000 microinverter from APS will power a milestone true 3-phase installation going into service in China’s Zhejiang Province this week.

More than 1.4 MW of the total 8.13 MW project will be generated using APS Microinverter technology – earning it distinction as the world’s largest true 3-phase microinverter installation.

The project at the Haining Hailide Jianshan factory began development four weeks ago, and is planned to join China’s national power grid on Dec. 30.

The installation includes 1,200 APS YC1000 microinverters. Now available in all APS markets worldwide, the YC1000 is the industry’s first true 3-phase microinverter and handles up to four modules per unit, simplifying PV system design and installation while significantly lowering balance of system costs.

The YC1000’s balanced 3-phase output features a low-voltage, parallel circuit design, promoting system safety by negating the possibility of “arc fires” from high-voltage current.

Independent output and tracking optimizes the performance of each PV module while minimizing shading effects across the whole array.

APS Microinverter technology increases array output by 5-25 percent compared to conventional “string” inverter systems.

Using the integrated APS Energy Communication Unit (ECU), Haining system managers will be able to track power output, voltage, current, temperature and other performance data of every module in the array.

The completed project will provide approximately 8.14 million kWh of energy per year, saving nearly 3,000 tons of coal while reducing CO2 admissions by more than 700 tons. Over the plant’s projected 25-year lifespan, the reduction in coal use and carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions will be multiplied many times over.

The year 2014 has marked the first widespread development of distributed PV power throughout China, an effort vigorously promoted by the Chinese government.

The electricity generated by the Haining system promises a strong economic return for investors, powering the factory even as it protects the local environment and promotes APS 3-phase microinverter technology in the robust China market and worldwide.