SunSpec Alliance
SunSpec Alliance Newsletter

3rd. Quarter 20ll



New members 

  

Echelon 

 

 

Echelon Logo  

 

TEAL Electronics  

TEAL Electronics
We Power Technology

 

SunSpec Members

                                       

                                    

 

 

formerly MSE Power Systems

 

Continental Control Systems

 



 

Engenuity Systems            

Enphase Energy


 

 


Ingeteam

Itron


meteocontrol                                   

 


 


Phoenix Contact

 


 

PPT Solar

 


Siemens   

  



 


SolarMax                    



 

 

 

ZigBee Alliance                                                                                    
Dear Members and Supporters: 
                                        
The Alliance is pleased to announce our 2nd Annual Plugfest scheduled for Oct 4-5 in Pleasanton, CA.  

 

This event is open to all implementers of the SunSpec specifications and participants will be able to test and certify products . The full announcement  may be found here Plug Fest 2011.

 

We hope you will join us and we look forward to seeing all of you at Solar Power International in Dallas, October 17-20 ~ SunSpec booth # 6861 Hall F. 

 

 Welcome New Members

SunSpec gives a warm welcome to our newest members - Echelon and Teal Electronics.   

  • Echelon Corporation   Echelon Corporation is leading the worldwide transformation of the electricity grid into a smart, communicating energy control network, connecting utilities to their customers, enabling networking of everyday devices, and providing customers with energy-aware homes and businesses that react to conditions on the grid.  The energy control network is profoundly different from communications networks.  Where communications networks inform people and move data from the edge to centralized data centers for decision making, energy control networks has smart devices at the edge that use embedded rules to analyze and act, immediately, locally, and with extreme reliability where they are needed most.
  • TEAL Electronics   TEAL Electronics is an OEM supplier of high quality power subsystems for fortune 500 companies in several markets.  In the Solar Photovoltaic market segment, TEAL specializes in the design and manufacture of Balance of System (BOS) components, including the TEALsolar Configurable Combiner Box product family and Grid-Tied Solar Array Tracking Power Supply.  For reliable long term BOS solutions, contact TEAL today.  
 

Sun Spec Events

 

Plug Fest - 2nd Annual Plug Fest 
  • October 4-5   Join us!

Solar Power International -  visit the SunSpec Alliance 
  • Booth # 6861 in  Hall F   
Smart Energy Summit  
  • SunSpec is proud to partner with the Smart Energy Summit
                      SES Logo 
Engaging the Consumer is an annual three-day event hosted by international research firm Parks Associates. The event examines the opportunities and technical and business requirements in energy-related consumer programs and advanced systems and services.  The event offers a unique combination of industry expertise, extensive consumer research, and insightful market analyses and forecasts, ensuring sponsors are in front of a high-level audience unavailable anywhere else within this market. Smart Energy Summit 2012 

                      News and Updates from
 John Nunneley-  Executive Director     

We are well into the "dog days" of summer and the pace of activity has slowed accordingly since our last post.  I myself was fortunate to enjoy a 3 week vacation split between Switzerland and Italy.  While there, I was struck by how far ahead the Europeans are of the U.S. in implementation of their energy policies and drive towards renewable energy sources. The popular awareness of energy conservation and efficiency is much higher there as well - no doubt spurred by the higher costs.  This is most particularly evident in the transportation sector where small, high mileage vehicles and scooters are the norm.  Germany's bold move to decommission their nuclear plants in favor of North Sea wind and Bavarian sunshine sets the tone for the rest of the region.  Though the solar market is sluggish in Europe due to the general economy and incentive restructuring, they continue to lead the world in their drive for energy independence.  The U.S. and rest-of-world has much to learn from both their successes and missteps.


I wasn't the only one to take a vacation this summer but with the help of our SunSpec volunteers we were able to continue progress on both our panel-module specification and our data logger transport specification.  Both are very near completion and are expected to be published in September.  These specifications are very important as we now have a full end-end suite of specifications that takes us from the panels, through the combiners, into to the inverter, out through the meter, and up to the Internet server or SCADA.   

 

The Module specification, lead by SunSpec sponsor Solar Edge,  provides detailed operational status, events, and standard measurements for panels with, or without, embedded dc optimization or micro-inverter (ac) technologies.   

 

The Logger specification has been long in the making and benefits greatly from the deep experience of the of SunSpec monitoring and inverter partners Digi International, Fat Spaniel/Power-One, ERI/Solar Magic, Powerdash, ArgusOn/SPX, Advanced Energy, Fronius, and MOXA, among others.  In this specification, we lay down the XML data model for communication between SunSpec compliant data loggers and monitoring and control systems.  The specification goes further to specify a protocol mapping to enable communication over the Internet using  HTTP/POST.   

 

If you haven't heard yet, our 2nd Annual Plug Fest is set for Oct 4-5 at the TUV offices in Pleasanton, CA.  You must have a SunSpec implementation to participate. 

 

Contact [email protected] for more info.

   

The Zigbee Alliance's Smart Energy Profile 2.0 specification appears to be finally back on track - no vacation for that team. The v0.7 application specification ballot voting passed on August 15 meaning the major technical barriers have been resolved.  The Distributed Energy Resource (DER) section of the specification still needs significant work to resolve the technical comments and a special workgroup has been formed to focus on DER requirements.  SunSpec members, along with key Zigbee Alliance members, are driving the resolution of this important specification. 

 

Contact [email protected] 

if you have a special interest in this topic.

 

As always, special thanks to all of the Alliance supporters and contributors.  None of this would be possible without you. Please Join Us!

MEMBER NEWS 



 

New Products

SolarEdge announces new power optimizers with record efficiency of 99.5% (98.8% EU weighted efficiency)...Details - Next Generation Power Optimizers

 

Smart modules embedding SolarEdge power optimizers instead of a traditional junction box are now offered by several module manufacturers...

Details - Smart Modules 

 

Smart junction boxes, optimized by SolarEdge

Molex Incorporated is introducing its new SolarSpec™ smart Junction Box.. 

Details - Smart Junction Boxes 

 

New Safety Solutions  

Arc detection and termination - SolarEdge new power optimizers can reduce PV related fire hazards by automatically detecting electric arcs in PV fields...Full Details

 

Unique String Monitoring and GFDI Solution for Large-Scale Installations... For Details

  

Expanded Market Reach 

USA - SolarEdge products are now approved for US local, state and federal projects funded by US DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Recovery Act (ARRA). Full Story 

 

MOXA 

Easily Build Data Acquisition for Solar Farms Over the Cloud

Solar Production Efficiency Relies on Accurate Data Acquisition.  

 

In the past, usage of solar energy dramatically increased in response to high oil prices. Solar panels were originally established for households and commercial buildings as a way to reduce electricity costs. The production efficiency of solar power was not considered an important factor until governments and power plants around the world began purchasing surplus solar power from private sectors.

Read full Moxa story  

  

SIEMENS 

siemens WINS 20MW IDAHO SOLAR FIELD PROJECT

 

Solar Technology to be Manufactured at Siemens West Chicago Plant

 

SAN FRANCISCO, July 13, 2012 - Siemens Industry, Inc. today announced it has received a multi-million order from Interconnect Solar Development, LLC, to supply solar technology manufactured at Siemens West Chicago plant for the 20MW Murphy Flats solar field located in Idaho - the first commercial solar field to be integrated within Idaho Power Company's (IDACORP, Inc.) service territory. The project will include inverters, transformers and containers, and will feature a major technology advantage by using 1000VDC inverters along with 1000VDC panels for maximum energy harvesting. Complete story

 

Save the Date  September 21, 2011 

Solar Exchange East  Sponsored by Siemens Industry, Inc.     

In conjunction with North Carolina Solar Center, NC Sustainable Energy Association, South Carolina Solar Business Alliance, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Georgia Solar Energy Association and Siemens, we are offering a day of discovery and dialogue on the latest emerging topics, innovations and trends within the solar industry. In addition, there will be opportunity for dialogue exchange on the extensive needs of manufacturers and developers of solar power.  

Save the Date Full Details

For more information and to reference previous events, visit our website  

usa.siemens.com/solarexchange

For more information regarding Siemens in Solar 

usa.siemens.com/solartechnologies   

 

  

NOVEDA 

 

Noveda's real-time monitoring solutions have helped more than 10% of the commercial solar PV installations in the US perform at contract specifications and production guarantees.  Join us at our upcoming webinar on Sept 20  to find out about the latest trends and innovations in solar PV monitoring.

 

Noveda Technologies strengthens its management team as part of the company's growth strategy.

 

Noveda Technologies acquires energy efficiency company.

Make Me Sustainable.

 

Govi Rao, CEO of Noveda Technologies, made a keynote address at 15th annual international conference for clean technologies. Presentation examined the future of clean technology in global economic development. 

Complete Keynote

 

 

OUTBACK POWER TECHNOLOGIES

 

The new Radian Series GS8048 inverter/charger provides a comprehensive answer for Grid-interactive and Standalone power systems. Based upon a proven foundation of reliable technology, but engineered from the ground up to simplify the design, distribution, installation and implementation of energy storage, the standardized structure and integration with the GSLC load center make it easy to provide a successful solution to any power requirement, anywhere. 

OnGridOrOff-We Carry The Load 

 

 

meteocontrol

 

 

Virtual Control Room shines as Solar Industry's Most Advanced Remote (Cloud) Monitoring System

 

meteocontrol North America announced the latest upgrades to its Virtual Control Room technology - a professional remote monitoring solution for operations management of photovoltaic power plants and larger PV system portfolios. Multi-system monitoring guarantees optimum operations management and provides assurance of the power plant's yield.  Full Story - Virtual Control Room

 

 

meteocontrol North America and Princeton Solar Solutions Partner to Increase Solar Energy Production, Propel U.S. Solar Industry Growth

 

Virtual Control Room Technology to Maximize Solar System Energy Yields, ROI and Long-Term Reliability

 

Alameda, Calif. - August, 2011 -

meteocontrol North America today launched a strategic partnership with Princeton, NJ-based Princeton Solar Solutions (PSS), further solidifying meteocontrol's North American presence as the most advanced PV monitoring provider.  Complete Story

 

 

ZIGBEE ALLIANCE

 

The ZigBee Alliance just released ZigBee Smart Energy 1.1 for product development and public download. This update adds dynamic pricing enhancements, tunneling of other protocols, prepayment features, over-the-air updates, and backwards compatibility with certified ZigBee Smart Energy products version 1.0. Updates to this already popular and widely deployed standard come at a time when Smart Meter projects are projected to increase.   

 

With Smart Meter deployments under way, ancillary smart energy devices like programmable communicating thermostats, energy use displays, smart plugs and appliances are gaining momentum, helping to drive a projected $26.1 billion global market by 2019, according to a recent Pike Research study. The firm anticipates ZigBee will lead in wireless connections to smart appliances. Additionally, ON World estimates that ZigBee Smart Energy will comprise about half of global revenues for home energy management equipment and services, aggressively projected at $3.3 billion in 2014, among both wired and wireless systems.

 

ZigBee has earned its leadership in the market and in analyst projections because the ZigBee Smart Energy standard was developed and advanced by its current and potential users -- utilities, regulators, suppliers, product manufacturers -- the key stakeholders in the energy market. Much like other standards development bodies, the stakeholders volunteer their time and expertise to build ZigBee Smart Energy in an open and consensus-driven manner.  This ultimately serves the markets and gives consumers easy-to-use products that will help them be smarter energy users.

 

In building the roadmap for the future, ZigBee is working diligently to complete Smart Energy Profile 2.0 this year.Smart Energy Profile 2.0 is expected to be the long-term solution for AMI, allowing for simpler integration with existing IP-based systems and protocols, and the ability to operate over multiple communications networking protocols like Wi-Fi, HomePlug, HomeGrid, and others. In fact, those alliances just created a new consortium focused on defining product interoperability standards regardless of networking technology to ensure that all Smart Energy Profile 2.0 based devices work together. This is important given that Smart Energy Profile 2.0 functionality has been expanded for both current and future deployments to include new features for electric vehicles, distributed energy resources (solar, wind, etc.), improved security, improved network management and the means to migrate between today's environment and that of tomorrow.