In bestowing the honor, the award jury acknowledged the Sunny Boy Smart Energy from SMA as the best product in the “Photovoltaics” category. T
he first wall-mounted, mass-produced PV inverter with an integrated battery can increase the self-consumption of solar power in households by up to 50 percent.
This is the third time SMA has been so honored by Intersolar Europe.
“The prize awarded to the Sunny Boy Smart Energy is clear confirmation of our approach,” said SMA Chief Technology Officer Roland Grebe. “The complete energy supply from decentralized, renewable sources is feasible only through wide use of decentralized storage systems, which not only optimize the local supply but also compensate for grid-level power fluctuations and support grid control.
"To ensure the progress of the energy transition, affordable, easy to install and intelligently connected plug and play systems are needed, which suite nearly every household," he continued. "Combining a battery, modern power electronics as well as intelligent system control, they provide even small PV systems with power plant features such as standby power and black start capability.
"In addition, they are able to replicate the stabilizing effect of rotating masses, contributing to the line voltage, and in so doing, gradually replace conventional must-run units,” Grebe added.
The Sunny Boy Smart Energy is the result of SMA’s extensive research and development in the field of storage and energy management, the company said in a written statement.
The usable capacity of the integrated lithium-ion battery of about 2 kWh enables ideal economical operation in typical residential PV systems. While self-consumption increases only slightly with growing storage capacity, storage utilization decreases.
The energy stored by the Sunny Boy Smart Energy is sufficient to supply a four-person household with about three hours of electric current in the evening. Overall, the new inverter raises the self-consumption rate by up to 50 percent. In addition, the integrated lithium-ion battery is designed with a service life of 10 years and a depth of discharge of 90 percent.
This reduces the initial level of investment, overall costs over 20 years and space requirements, SMA said.
Based on Sunny Home Manager generation and consumption forecasts, household appliances and battery can be managed in such a way that the storage system reduces the amount of electricity that must be transported by the utility grid, and evens out the fluctuating photovoltaic power generation.
This not only makes the use of batteries even more efficient and gives the system operator more independence from rising electricity prices but also enables integration into future Smart Grid business models, the company said.
Market launch of the Sunny Boy Smart Energy is planned for the second half of 2013.
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