Main Features:

Battery Care System

The monitoring and management of the accumulators is transferred to the Battery Care System program which can safeguard the efficiency and reliability of the batteries with following services:

• absence of ripple current with charged battery;
• charging at two voltage levels to optimize the charging current and reduce the capacity recovery times;
• compensation of the charging voltage depending on the temperature and protection against deep discharge, to reduce the phenomena of ageing and prolong battery life;
• monitor the maximum charge time to reduce the consumption of the electrolyte and further prolong battery life;
• Battery tests to diagnose performance impairment or accumulator breakdowns in time;
• Management of the discharge cycles depending on the charge state of the battery.

The device is compatible with the most common batteries used for photovoltaic applications characterised by a high number of charge and discharge cycles. To further optimise the performances, the Battery Care System also allows the manual setting of the voltage, current and charge duration parameters in case open-vented or NiCd batteries are used.

Applications

The SPS devices are best installed both in places that have a grid as well as in geographically remote, rural or isolated areas that have a heavy energy demand but with unreliable grid power or power which is provided through generating sets; thus in cases where energy needs to be stored– preferably from economical sources such as the sun. Let us look at some examples in detail:

Areas where the grid is available and there is the option of net metering (1)

Thanks to the batteries, the system optimizes the self-consumption of the energy produced from the photovoltaic field and supplies only the grid power that is not used to supply the load or charge the battery.

Advantages:

• meets the needs of current peaks by using the energy from the battery and not the grid

• uses energy produced when the distribution grid tariffs are most expensive

• feeding energy into the grid when the tariffs are more convenient

• optimise the self-consumption period and hence reduce the TCO of the PV plants

(1): Check if this operating condition is legally permitted in the country of installation.

Areas where the grid is available without net metering

In the areas where the energy cannot be fed into the grid, the entire production of the photovoltaic field can be used to supply the load and charge the battery. Thanks to the batteries, this system allows the selfconsumption of the energy produced by the photovoltaic field to be optimised.

Advantages:

• meets the needs of current peaks by using the energy from the battery and not the grid

• increase the self-consumption level of the energy produced

• reduce the TCO of the system

Areas where the grid is not available (Off-grid)

Thanks to photovoltaic energy, this system allows electric current to be brought to areas where electricity is not available and such is produced only by generating sets.

Advantages:

• meet the needs of current peaks by using the energy from the battery and not the generating sets

• reduce the use of the generating sets to the minimum

• lower fuel consumption and hence lower operational costs

• lesser expenses and inconvenience relating to transport of fuel to remote areas

On-Grid system with option of net metering

kW (PV Inverter) – kW (load)= kW (battery charge)

Condition no. 1

In case of sufficient sunlight, the system supplies the load and charges the battery; the grid must be available. The battery charge level is given by the formula:

Condition no. 2

In case of insufficient sunlight, the load is supplied by the FV inverter with the aid of the battery.

Condition no. 3

In case of insufficient sunlight and a discharged (or inhibited) battery, the load is powered by the grid through the inverter or the bypass (energy saving mode).

On-Grid system without option of net me Off-Grid system with generating sets or equivalenttering

Condition no 1

In case of sufficient sunlight, the FV inverters supply the load and charges the battery from the SPS output; thus even if the mains supply is not available. If the load is transferred to the bypass due to a malfunction in the SPS or a current spike that is above permitted levels, the FV inverters are immediately switched off. This prevents even a small amount of energy from being transferred to the grid.

Condition no. 2

In case of insufficient sunlight, the load is supplied by the FV inverter with the aid of the battery

Condition no. 3

In case of insufficient sunlight and a discharged (or inhibited) battery, the load is supplied by the grid through the inverter or the bypass (energy saving mode).

Off-Grid system with generating sets or equivalent

 

Condition no. 1

In case of sufficient sunlight, the FV inverters supply the load and charges the battery from the SPS output; thus the generating sets can be switched off.

Condition no. 2

In case of insufficient sunlight, the load is supplied by the FV inverter with the aid of the battery. For optimum use of generating sets, the battery discharge level can be set.

Condition no. 3

In case of lack of sunlight, the FV inverters are switched off and the battery discharged; the load is supplied by the generating set.