GE is delivering its 1.5-kV solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters in Japan as part of a project with local solar company Looop.
GE will supply two 1MW, 1.5-kV LV5 inverters to Looop for a project in Ibaraki prefecture.
The move will make Looop the first company to actively use 1.5-kV technology in Japan, GE said. Delivery is planned for the end of this year.
GE’s Power Conversion business’ LV5 1.5kV inverters offer several benefits compared to the existing standard market offering of 1kV inverters.
Due to the higher DC voltage, GE’s technology requires the use of less electrical components, which in turn lowers the infrastructure, deployment and running costs of a solar plant.
The inverter has been designed, as claimed by GE, to have high reliability, reduced maintenance and replacement of components required in the inverter over the life time of a solar plant, the average being a 20 year period.
GE’s Power Conversion business global renewables sales leader Peter Oram said: “GE is delighted to be introducing the Japanese solar industry to the future of solar inverter technology. Our 1.5kV solar inverters have been well received in diverse markets in North America and beyond.
“We are convinced that working together with Looop, we will be successful in generating significant interest for our new technology in Japan.”
Looop president Soichiro Nakamura said: “In becoming the first 1.5kV PV systems’ builder and owner in Japan, we are excited to be partnering with GE, who has been at the forefront of introducing this technology to the global solar industry.
“We are confident that through this collaboration and by working together with one of the leading industrial companies, we will help the Japanese solar industry leap forward into a new era.”
Image: GE to supply 1.5kV solar inverter technology to Loop in Japan. Photo: Courtesy of General Electric.