GE announced it has signed an agreement to provide 1.5kV LV5 inverters to Looop, a renewable energy technology company in Japan.
Offering higher PV modules per string and increased efficiency compared to 1-kilovolt technology, the 1.5kV solar technology has great future, says GE.
According to GTM Reseach, an estimated 92.7 percent of future global projects will be based on 1.5-kilovolt technology.
For the first pilot project in Ibaraki, Japan, GE will provide two 1-megawatt, 1.5kV LV5 inverters to Looop. With this project, Looop will become the first company to actively use 1.5kV technology in Japan.
Soichiro Nakamura, president of Looop, said, “In becoming the first 1.5kV PV systems’ builder and owner in Japan, we are excited to be partnering with GE, who has been at the forefront of introducing this technology to the global solar industry. We are confident that through this collaboration and by working together with one of the leading industrial companies, we will help the Japanese solar industry leap forward into a new era.”
The LV5 1.5kV inverters is characterized by higher DC voltage and reduced number of electrical components, thereby reducing the infrastructure, deployment and running costs of a solar plant—which is critical when Japan is facing a shrinking feed-in-tariff scheme.
“GE is delighted to be introducing the Japanese solar industry to the future of solar inverter technology. Our 1.5kV solar inverters have been well received in diverse markets in North America and beyond,” said Peter Oram, global renewables sales leader, GE’s Power Conversion business.
Rajani Baburajan