Omron and Elettra: together for revamping

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During the boom of the Italian solar business (2010) Elettra sold about 3,000 10 kW PV10 Inverters, which are now no longer produced. These inverters, with 3 independent MPPTs, were suitable for installations with changing shadows. Over the last few years, following the shrinking of the Italian PV market , many companies reduced their investment in the PV sector, also the manufacturer of these inverters stopped production, so if an inverter fails, it has been most likely that it is discarded. But from today, that is no longer the only option. If an inverter fails, it is possible to replace it with a new one compliant with the plant’s technical features. Even better, the replacement inverter offer improved performance.

The best solution in these cases is Omron KP100L, whose technical features are the same as the PV10 with some interesting improvements: PID prevention (prevention to Potential Induced Degradation) and a high range of input voltage. The KP100L, similarly to the inverters previously distributed by Elettra, has 3MPPTs, a higher peak efficiency (97.5%), and a wider range of input voltages (225-850 V), thus allowing Plug&Play replacement without any architectural or string wiring changes, at the same time achieving higher production yield.

“For almost 40 years, Elettra has meant AEG Low Voltage solutions, and has assisted its clients with deep expertise and direct support. Our focus is Global Customer Service, for this reason we have chosen a reliable partner, with which we can guarantee to our customers the continuity and the quality of service they have come to expect from us”, says Fabio Carraro, technical director of Elettra. “Thanks to the cooperation with Omron the revamping of our customers’ photovoltaic plant is possible. within a few months we already have received good feedback from our customer, Mr. Cannonieri from Andreola Energie, who replaced the plant’s inverter with the Omron KP100L (the original one’s input DC sensor failed). According to the position of the plant, near to a tree, the inverter should have 3MPPTs to guarantee best productivity all day long, also when the tree’s shadow covers the plant. Six months after the replacement of the inverter he noticed that power production was 10% higher.

“The Italian market is very important for Omron. The Italian PV market is mature, and gives us the chance to understand how to maintain competitive edge during consolidation. Also the Italian regulatory process is advanced and maintaining products compliance with the Italian grid requirement is a challenge for our technology to be always updated,” says Eleonora Denna, Product Marketing Manager Omron.