October 25, 2022
– Recently, Energyear Caribe convened for its third time in the Dominican Republic. Sungrow, the summit’s dedicated sponsor, shared insights on technical innovations applied to PV plants, offering a multiple of opportunities and approaches for Caribbean decarbonization.
Deep decarbonization to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions is one of the Caribbean region’s major ambitions as this could have large economic, environmental, and social benefits. As a leader in Caribbean energy growth, the Dominican Republic commits to a 27% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by 2030. As a key industry player, what does Sungrow contribute to the carbon neutral goal in the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries?
Gonzalo Feito, Sungrow’s Andean and Caribbean Regional Director, introduced some key PV inverter technologies which maximize the return on investments for stakeholders and presented a speech titled, “New Technologies Applied to Photovoltaic Plant Development and Performance,” illustrating Sungrow’s competitiveness in the PV sector.
“An experienced supplier like Sungrow, with 269 GW installations globally can offer customers reliable and resilient inverter solutions, delivering higher availability and lower LCOE,” said Feito. Among its latest inverter portfolio, the 1+X Modular Inverter is the most innovative as it redefines both the “string” and “central” inverter with its modular design — the product features a 1.1 MW single unit as the minimum, and the maximum capacity can be expanded to 8.8 MW by combining eight units. Customers can choose from 1.1 MW to 8.8 MW based on their specific project requirements. In addition, operation and maintenance (O&M) duration and costs are significantly decreased due to this modular design.
Most of the Caribbean countries are isolated regions, which often have a weak grid infrastructure. Sungrow’s 1+X Modular Inverter provides strongly enhanced grid support technologies and can operate stably even if the SCR is as low as 1.018.
In addition, the product features an IP65 ingress protection degree and a safe high-level anti-corrosion design of C5, making it durable in island countries, which are vulnerable to harsh conditions like high humidity, earthquakes, and hurricanes.
Although energy storage development in the Caribbean is still nascent, the market displays that the use of energy storage co-located with PV will increase in the years ahead to integrate variable renewable generation. The 1+X Modular Inverter comes with the DC energy storage interface built into this solution. This supports connecting to the energy storage system; thus, enabling customers to enjoy the storage function for future energy use.
The Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries are focusing on improving their clean energy policies, regulations, and incentives in order to create clear rules for market players. Sungrow is poised to tap the potential of these emerging solar markets with best-in-class inverter solutions and services offered by a professional and dedicated local team. It’s reported that the Company already secured orders in the Dominican Republic, and the projects are currently under construction.