The Symo advanced three phase string inverter by Fronius, is the first to be awarded an official SunSpec Rapid Shutdown certification. The inverter has an integrated PLC (Power Line Communication) transmitter that complies with the SunSpec rapid shutdown communication standard. This is a major victory for Fronius, who began shipping the inverters in January 2019, and for SunSpec, who is looking to expand the use of solar power with inverters and other similar products soon. Here is how the SunSpec Alliance’s rapid shut down certification is changing the technology industry for the better.

The SunSpec Certified Program

To qualify for the Rapid Shutdown (RSD) certification, modules, inverters, and string combiners of member companies must meet requirements established by the National Electric Code in 2017 and get compliance verification from the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown Specification. An open industry standard of communication between modules, inverters (including Fronius three phase inverters), and string combiners to support these requirements was defined by 29 members of the SunSpec Alliance. This newly established standard was published in September 2017.

The First Phase of Growth

To ensure fair and vigorous testing of each award nominee, the SunSpec Alliance chose seven ATL (authorized test laboratory) partners at the beginning of 2019 to provide certified testing services on a list of products from member companies. The Fronius product RSD certification shows how the alliance is growing. This feat provides a strong marker for technicians, emergency personnel and local police and fire departments that solar power systems meet the requirements of the NEC 2017.

The Potential of Solar Power

The SunSpec Alliance is working toward standardizing the communication infrastructure, including hardware and data from solar power plants. This provides potential for solar power to reach a global capacity of tens of terawatts soon. The advent of module rapid shutdown communicating on the same lines as SunSpec certified hardware is where the Symo Advanced three phase string inverter comes in. There are 10 available units in the Symo series of Fronius solar inverters that range from 10 kW (kilowatts) to 20kW and 208-480 Volt ratings.

A Strong Signal

SunSpec signals are incredibly strong because they use power lines to transmit data, so cables sending DC electricity from a solar module to a solar inverter, like the Fronius grid inverter, can collect data the SunSpec Alliance wants to collect from the modules. Rapid level shutdown has introduced an additional data stream to the system, research and certification of potential interactions with modules and inverters, like the Symo Advanced inverter, makes perfect sense.

If you are interested in finding out more about rapid level shutdown or Fronius inverters, contact The PowerStore Inc. today.