To protect photovoltaic systems against damage caused by overvoltage, KACO new energy GmbH offers three inverters with the corresponding safety function. These inverters are supplied as standard with an SPD (Surge Protection Device) socket. The appropriate device for overvoltage protection can be fitted into the socket as required. Type 1+2 SPDs are also available to order from KACO new energy. Installers can easily and safely insert them into the SPD socket as a plug-and-play solution when installing the inverter.
Two of the inverters are the existing models, Powador 12.0 TL3 and blueplanet 20.0 TL3, and will be available as SPD versions from March 2017 onwards. The third inverter is the new blueplanet 15.0 TL3, which will be supplied with the pre-fitted socket from its market launch in July 2017. If the decision for protection against overvoltage is only made after initial installation, the combined SPD fitting can also be ordered and retrofitted later. There is also no downside for buyers if the surge protection device is not used: the socket is included at no additional charge.
With this move, the German inverter manufacturer is extending its range of products which integrate overvoltage protection: Inverters of higher power classes, up to 60 kilowatts, have already been available in SPD versions for some time.
The rising demand for lightning and overvoltage protection is due to the fact that insurance providers increasingly require protective measures for solar power systems on rooftops and solar farms. In addition, national regulations governing overvoltage protection are already in place in several European countries – including the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.
About KACO new energy:
KACO new energy is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of inverters for grid feed-in of solar power. Its product range covers the full power spectrum, from systems designed for a single family home to those for solar parks that produce megawatts of electricity. Since 1999, KACO, based in Neckarsulm, Germany, has supplied inverters with a cumulative power output of nine gigawatts. KACO new energy is the first company in the photovoltaic industry to achieve CO2-neutral production. Our technology offering extends from grid- and battery-connected solar inverters to inverters for combined heat and power plants and concentrator modules, as well as energy storage systems for solar power systems. In 2014 the firm celebrated the 100th birthday of the original parent company that, at the end of the 1930s, was one of first ever inverter manufacturers. More at www.kaco-newenergy.com