CyboEnergy offers off-grid and micro-grid solar inverters

                          

CyboEnergy offers off-grid and micro-grid solar inverters

CyboEnergy, the developer of a solar power off-grid mini-inverter, said its product has the merits of both central inverters and microinverters. The inverter design includes multiple input channels, each of which has its own control and MPPT, solving partial shading problems, maximizing power production, reducing costs and making rooftop solar safer to install and operate.

CyboEnergy CEO, Dr. George Cheng said, “The technology in this latest patent addresses the urgent need for building more cost-effective and user-friendly microgrids, especially in rural parts of the world where billions of people live without electricity. In these areas, batteries are usually not available; therefore, traditional power inverters that require batteries to operate are not useful. Our off-grid CyboInverters can take DC power from solar directly, with or without batteries, so microgrids built on our IP are flexible for all parts of this large market.” As shown in the following drawing, an off-grid CyboInverter has 4 input channels, where Channel 1 and 2 can connect to 2 solar panels and Channel 3 and 4 can connect to a 36V battery set. Its AC output can power lights, fans, TV, PC, battery chargers, and refrigerators. The CyboCharger takes power from the same off-grid AC circuit as a load and charges the battery during the day. When there is sufficient sunlight, CyboInverter will pull power from the solar panels and leave the batteries idle, extending battery life.

The company has been awarded a U.S. patent 8,994,218 entitled “Smart and Scalable Off-Grid Mini-Inverters.” This award follows the CyboEnergy 2014 U.S. patent 8,786,133, entitled “Smart and Scalable Power Inverters.” The technology in CyboEnergy’s issued patents has been implemented in the company’s on-grid and off-grid family of CyboInverters, now being shipped to customers around the world including the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and Africa. The products include the following patented benefits: (1) multiple input channel design offering seamless integration of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, fuel-cell, and hydro, with batteries where battery energy storage is desired and affordable; (2) ability to operate and provide renewable power without drawing from the integrated battery storage until it is needed, thereby preserving battery life; (3) single or multi-pack “Master-Slave” design enabling flexibility for small off-grid applications and larger microgrid; and (4) ability to operate completely without any batteries. A battery-less microgrid is shown below where an off-grid CyboInverter H model can be used for electric water heating and solar cooking.

Details on CyboEnergy’s Dual-Output Off-Grid inverter strategy

Rapid deployment of distributed PV is causing new issues for the grid that will require some new regulatory considerations and new product solutions. CyboEnergy thinks it has one such solution with the release of its Dual-Output Off-Grid CyboInverter that can run two distinct types of AC loads such as an electric water heater or a refrigerator.  CyboEnergy is best known for developing the Mini-Inverter, which possesses merits of both central inverters and microinverters, The following graphic shows a 4-channel 1.2-kW Dual-Output Off-Grid CyboInverter that has two AC output ports to power different types of loads. Each inverter has four input channels that can connect to four solar panels or batteries and produce 1,150 W AC peak power. The product is patented, UL 1741 certified, NEMA 6 rated, and made in the USA. Based on the AC standards, four popular Dual-Output Off-Grid CyboInverter models are listed in the table below.

The following diagram illustrates an off-grid solar power system for heating and cooling with two dual-output off-grid solar power inverters, where a master unit is daisy-chained with a slave unit to form a 2.4-kW system. Four 300 W solar panels connect to four input channels of the two inverters respectively. One 48-V battery connects to the remaining four input channels in parallel to provide night-time power and surge power to start the compressor of an air conditioner or refrigerator.

In off-grid mode 1 (left side), the system can harvest solar energy from the solar panels and send power to a single- or dual-element electric water heater or area heater. In off-grid mode 2 (right side), the system can run lights, fans, computers, phone chargers, and a refrigerator. After the A/C and/or refrigerator is started, the required AC power will drop significantly. If the solar provides sufficient power to allow the inverters to run the A/C and/or refrigerator, the inverters will not pull power from the battery. This ensures a longer battery life.

An off-grid solar power system enabled by Dual-Output CyboInverters has many features and benefits including: (1) Does not require batteries for normal operations, (2) Dual AC outputs to enable off-grid heating and cooling, (3) Panel level MPPT to maximize solar power production, (4) No high voltage or high current DC so the system is intrinsically safe, (5) Flexible to build larger microgrids with multiple inverters, and (6) Cost-effective, and easy to install and maintain.