Sungrow Powers JEA's SolarSmart Program with 1500Vdc DC-Coupled System

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, today announced that its first 1500Vdc DC-Coupled PV plus energy storage system has connected to the 9MW/3.836MWh utility-scale storage project, which developed by 174 Power Global under JEA's SolarSmart initiative in Jacksonville, Florida.

The power will be purchased by Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) to serve its SolarSmart program which offers customers a way to benefit from solar energy without installing solar panels on their roofs.

"174 Power Global selected Sungrow for the portfolio due to Sungrow's sophisticated and integrated offer, proven experience and bankability," remarks Henry Yun, President at 174 Power Global. "Their 1500Vdc DC-Coupled solution matches well with our requirements for implementing solar power, and we're happy to work with Sungrow on this project to deliver clean, reliable, and cost-effective renewable energy to communities in Jacksonville."

For the project, it integrated Sungrow's all-inclusive solar energy solution consisting of 1500Vdc PV turnkey station SG2500U and all-in-one DC-DC Energy Storage System (ESS) solution ST1918KWH-D750HV. The containerized 1500Vdc 2.5MW solution features high efficiency and high DC/AC ratio of 1.5, ensuring an optimized LCOE. The ESS solution, which integrates PCS and Li-ion battery, local controller, saving thousands of dollars compared to existing "ala carte" solutions that require the purchase of separate component parts in order to achieve comparable functionality.

The DC-coupled system typically has lower interconnection costs than AC-coupled system, as it relies on only one single point of interconnection. Meanwhile, the energy is captured and stored at the DC level, preventing a loss in efficiency. This technology improved the overall energy output of the hybrid system while optimized equipment and installation costs as well as increased the overall system reliability.

"To date, the challenge for industry has been to find the appropriate power solutions to facilitate DC-coupling on a large scale," says Hank Wang, President of Sungrow Americas. "Sungrow is a pioneer in 1500Vdc DC-Coupled PV plus energy storage technology and has consistently set the industry standards for quality and reliability. With this deployment, we have demonstrated that its unique approach to the DC-coupling of solar + storage is indeed a solution to this challenge."

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 87 GW installed worldwide as of June 2019. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 22-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 60 countries, maintaining a worldwide market share of over 15%. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.

About 174 Power Global

Irvine, California-headquartered 174 Power Global is a leading solar energy company that is wholly owned by the Hanwha Group. With deep expertise across the full spectrum of the project development cycle, 174 Power Global works closely with landowners, local communities, financial investors and other partners to build highly productive, utility scale solar power plants throughout North America. Since its formation in 2017, 174 Power Global has signed nearly 2 gigawatts (GW) of power purchase agreements and has more than 6GW of additional projects in the development pipeline. The Company was ranked as the 2018 number #1 solar project development company in the United States by Wood Mackenzie.

174 Power Global's name was inspired by the 174 petawatts (PW) of power the earth receives from the sun at any moment. For more information, visit:  www.174powerglobal.com/

SOURCE Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd