After passing a 5GW supply milestone, ABB says its inverter products are present in around 40% of installed solar projects in India.
With India expected to become the third largest solar market in the world in 2017 and accounting for 5 percent of global solar capacity, ABB is understandably excited about its ongoing prospects in the country. As we recently mentioned, the country added more solar capacity during the first half of 2017 than it did during all last year.
ABB states India witnessed more renewable energy capacity installed between April 2016 and March 2017 than coal-fired power generation additions for the first time.
Last year, ABB India doubled its solar inverter manufacturing capacity in India and in 2015, it doubled its installed solar inverter installed base to 2GW just five months.
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UPDATE: Late last night, ABB India announced it will be supplying solar inverters of varying capacities (5kW to 50kW) for projects at 750 Indian Railways stations in the north of the country. Indian Railways transports more than 23 million passengers each day, a number nearly equivalent to the total population of Australia. Indian Railways currently has a renewable energy portfolio of 36 MW capacity and plans to expand it to 1,000 MW.
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ABB solar inverters (formerly Power-One – ABB acquired Power-One in 2013) have also been a popular choice here in Australia for small and commercial solar power systems. ABB inverters supplied to the Australian market are manufactured in Italy. You can read ABB solar inverter reviews here from Australian customers who have them installed.
More Than Solar Inverters
ABB isn’t just about inverters – it manufactures a wide range of electrical equipment and provides other services. The company says its association with Australia dates back to the late nineteenth century.
Among the larger Australian renewable energy projects where various ABB products have been used are Hervey Bay Hospital in Queensland (design, supply and install 266kW PV system), Collgar Wind Farm in Western Australia (switchgear units, transformers and electrical balance of plant) and the Perth Wave Energy Project, also in WA (process automation, electrical grid integration and data communication systems).
ABB is also dabbling in large-scale energy storage. The company won an order from Denmark’s DONG Energy for the delivery of a two-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to support the Burbo Bank offshore windfarm. The project marks the first integration of a battery storage system for frequency response services at an offshore windfarm in the UK.
“Energy storage is playing a key role in the evolution of the power network and is a strategic focus area to reinforce our position as a partner of choice for a stronger, smarter and greener grid,” said Giandomenico Rivetti, Managing Director of ABB’s High Voltage Products business unit.
Burbo Bank offshore wind farm is located on the Burbo Flats in Liverpool Bay. The original wind farm (90MW) was commissioned in 2007 and a 258 MW extension was completed this year.
About Michael Bloch
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Hi Michael,
Interesting article.
I have 4 kW of Enphase Micro inverters M250 which I will install with some existing panels. I want this installation to be Zero export to the grid. I have looked up the Enphase new ‘Envoy S Metered’ and seen a demonstration video where it was used with Enphase S230 and S270 micros. Michael can you tell me if this Envoy S Metered will work with my M250 micros? i.e. Zero export to the grid.
Cheers
john nielsen
Hi John, Ronald here.
I am afraid that here:
https://enphase.com/sites/default/files/downloads/support/Envoy-S-Metered-EN-AU_0.pdf
Enphase says the Envoy S metered can only provide zero export when used with S series microinverters.
Hi Ronald,
Your are always so helpful and so full of humour. It is a pleasure reading your articles.
Enphase don’t want to talk to me as I am not an installer, except for my own system and unpaid assistance to friends.
Ronald, there is an Enphase Envoy-S Communication Gateway, and I believe it is compatible with M250 micros…. but will it allow Zero Grid export???
Thanks for your time
Cheers
john
Enphase says it will only provide zero export with their S microinverters and not their M ones.
Hi again Ronald,
My questions with regards to the Enphase system might also answer questions for other Enphase users. Perhaps not so much in the area I live in as our grid operators will now allow 5 kW on each phase, as I understand it, but in other states/areas the limit is lower, I believe.
So one more question: say I have 24 off M250 micros. I now put up one more panel with an S270 micro ahead of the other 24 on the strings, and install the Envoy S Metered gadget.
I now set the Envoy S Metered to Zero export which is controlled by CT clamps. Does the Envoy S Metered then only shut off the S270 micro and let all power pass to the grid?
My guess is the ESM when set to Zero Export, it will by signal shut off all power going to the grid!!! I am guessing this because,,, if it could shut off the power production on the S270, then why would it need CT to block or limit export?
On further thought, it might not want to block, but just limit production?
Cheers,
john
I am afraid I don’t know how it would work. I presume the S Envoy can communicate with and control the S270 only so it would just shut that one off except for when household electricity consumption exceeded the output of the 24 M250s.
Thanks Ronald, It really should be Enphase to answer these questions but they will not communicate with me as I am not an installer.
The Envoy S Metered has two CTs one for production and one for consumption.
The power passing the CTs cannot tell whether it comes from the M250 or the S270,,, I guess!!! But yes, I have understood that the ESM only communicates with the S270.
Again thanks for your input Ronald.
Cheers,
john