FSP Technology Inc., a major power-supply manufacturer, will display a string of green-energy solutions, including micro-inverter, off-grid inverter, hybrid inverter (grid-connected/ off grid with energy storage), and Ion Mate/Ion Rack, at Intersolar Europe 2018, to be held in Munich of Germany from June 20-22. If you are interested in FSP’s products, please visit Booth No. B2.353. This is the third year in a row for FSP to attend the fair. FSP aims to penetrate even deeper into the European market, where it has deployed for over 20 years.

FSP has especially eyed the German market, due to Germany’s critical role in the global energy policy. Jeffie Huang, the senior manager of FSP’s product and marketing strategy department, pointed out that the German government had changed its subsidy policy two years ago, subsidizing only inverters with energy-storage function and excluding pure grid-connected models, in order to alleviate the pressure of excessive grid-connected capacity and facilitate the implementation of “real-time pricing” schemes. Its focus on inverters with energy storage functions is a reflection of the significant progresses that are being made in the PV industry.

FSP’s HySpirit series Hybrid Inverter, with dual off-grid and grid-connected function, can store excess PV power output, for emergency power usage by households, or use during peak power-usage period or period with insufficient power output, demonstrating a smart function of balancing power supply and demand and sparing power plant the need to retain excessively high reserve capacity.

FSP’s off-grid inverter, a major exhibit at its booth, is a compact model, 30% smaller in size and 20% lighter in weight than the previous models, making it suitable for installation at households. Unlike common off-grid inverters which need backup batteries, FSP’s new-generation off-grid inverter doesn’t need backup batteries in areas with sufficient sunshine, although its PV modules need higher voltage for connection in series, in order to assure stable PV power output. The inverter can also be furnished with traditional lead-acid battery or the company’s Ion Rack lithium battery, the latter with product life more than sevenfold that of lead-acid battery, facilitating deployment of household nanogrid.

Still not a mainstream item on the market, micro inverter is very competitive in special application scenarios. For instance, unlike traditional inverters, it is capable of rapid shutdown in emergency, meeting the requirement of NEC 690.12 of California. In addition, unlike traditional inverters connected with a string PV modules which share one set of MPPT (maximum power point tracking), micro inverter features an independent MPPT controller for every PV module, facilitating conversion of PV power to alternating current to feed into grids. Average annual power output of micro inverters is 15-20% higher than that of traditional inverters.

▲FSP Micro Inverter

Presently, FSP is supplying mainly PV power generation and storage systems for households and end users, with the aim of pushing PV system to every household, forming household nanogrid, so that the government only has to provide stable base load. In line with the electricity liberalization policy or “real-time pricing” scheme, FSP’s inverters and energy storage systems can contribute to the establishment of an eco system, realizing the vision on green generation and smart consumption.