RenewableEnergyWorld.com 2/15/2010

The Transition from Standard PV to AC Modules

When solar PV panels become plug and play, deployment costs will fall and grid parity will be at hand. Microinverters are the key to transitioning solar PV from a complex system that produces DC power to a more simple, modular system that produces AC power.

Most everyone knows that the market for PV systems, whether residential, commercial or utility-scale, has grown at a break-neck pace over the past decade. Now, with the challenge of solving climate change and the visible implications of energy policy on national security, the PV market’s growth seems inevitable. As this market expands to all corners of the world, a PV technology that is simple to understand, safe to work with, modular and scalable, and above all reliable - will make this rapid growth possible. Therein lays the compelling nature of AC Modules.

What are the advantages of an AC Module, that is, a PV module with an integrated micro-inverter? In short, the advantages are Performance, Modularity, Simplicity, Intelligence and Reliability.