10 home energy system standouts heading into 2023 – Solar Builder Magazine

RE+ 2022 was a smash success for the 27,000 attendees and the 800 or so exhibitors, among which a raft of new residential energy storage product announcements were made on the show floor. It would have taken an army of journalists to cover all of the new product releases at the new RE+ format, comprised of the former SPI, ESI and Smart Energy Week shows. Still, a quite a few noteworthy energy storage tidbits emerged out of the wealth of this year’s ESS news:

Morningstar’s SureSine Inverters and GenStar MPPT

Morningstar complemented its sturdy line of charge controllers at the show with a new set of off-grid inverters, the SureSine Series, for larger residential or C&I installs. It might take an Excel spreadsheet to keep all the configuration options in mind, but the new SureSine DC-AC inverter line consists of six basic models, from 150W to 2500W, with 120, 127 or 230V output, 50 or 60Hz AC frequency, and 12, 24 or 48V DC input options. Throw in a number of AC terminal options and the configuration possibilities rises to more than 70 options.

Solar Builder is also hosting a Morningstar webinar on Nov. 17, in which you can learn much more. Register here and attend live to ask questions or view at your leisure on demand.

Canadian Solar debuts EP Cube ESS

Canadian Solar’s new modular EP Cube residential storage offering was a front and center show floor highlight, a scalable system that is customizable from 9.9 kWh to 19.9 kWh capacities. Up to six units can be connected in parallel to deliver up to 119.9 kWh of storage and 45.6 kW of output. Unlike some of the competition in this rapidly expanding space, the EP Cube works with both new and retrofit situations, in either AC or DC-coupled PV systems.

Panasonic’s Black Series Modules + EverVolt ESS

Panasonic Eco Systems North America unveiled two new lines of all-black compact EverVolt solar modules to power its fairly new EverVolt ESS 2.0 energy storage system. The new 430W/420W HK Black Series panels sport half-cut cells and heterojunction technology with gapless connections. Flexing its vertical integration, Panasonic now offers the EverVolt AllGuard All System Warranty for the modules, the racking system and the ESS 2.0, including 25 years for the panels and the racking, and 10 years for the inverter and the ESS.

Pylon Technologies’ Pelio Battery Module

Pylon Technologies showed off its new IP65-rated Pelio energy storage battery, based on LFP chemistry. The modular design has has a storage capacity of 5.12 kWh of storage capacity, and up to 20 are stackable to hit a lofty capacity of 102.4 kWh. The battery can be discharged to a depth of 95% across 6,000 cycles, the company says.

SMA America’s Energy System Home

We got a sneak peek at the new SMA America at the RE+ tradeshow in Anaheim – the Energy System Home – which is combining that SMA commitment to quality with a system that better meets the needs of homeowners. For one thing, it just looks better sitting on the wall, which came up time and again in the company’s customer research.

“SMA is now, more than ever, the heart of the home,” said Nhan Pimentel, U.S. vice president of home solutions. “This direction reflects the U.S. residential market shifting from consumer demand for standalone PV to a holistic offering that includes PV, storage, energy management and EV charging.”

Products include an energy meter, Sunny Boy Smart Energy hybrid inverter with SunSpec certified rapid shutdown transmitter and multiple backup options, a battery, and the Sunny Portal powered by ennexOS. An electric vehicle charger is also coming soon.

Qcells’ Q.Home Core ESS

Qcells launched its Q.Home Core residential energy storage solution, including the modular Q.SAVE battery, rated at 6.86 kWh and stackable up to three units for 20.5 kWh. Samsung provides the lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) battery for the unit. Controlling the ESS is the Q.ommand Home smartphone app that can incorporate weather feeds. The Home Core also includes the Q.VOLT inverter, which comes as either a 4.6 kW hybrid or AC-coupled. The company offers a 15 year warranty on the inverter, longer than the industry standard of 10 years.

Briggs & Stratton & SimpliPHI

Briggs & Stratton subsidiary SimpliPhi showed off its new SimpliPHI energy storage system at the show, including a a 6 kW SimpliPHI inverter, a stackable 4.9 kWh battery and EnergyTrak management software. The SimpliPHI 4.9 Battery can scale from one module up to 72, for a huge energy storage capacity of 358.5 kWh. The control software can manage Briggs & Stratton backup generators, along with appliances, HVAC and other load items.

SolarEdge’s Home Load Controller, S-Series Optimizers

SolarEdge offered several more components to its broad lineup at the show, including the new Home Load Controller, which wirelessly optimizes energy consumption by heat pumps, EV chargers, pool and well pumps, and HVAC devices. The controller also integrates with the mySolarEdge App, enabling smartphone control of loads. Beyond the residential market, the company also launched its new S-Series range of smart Power Optimizers for commercial and industrial PV applications. The optimizers include the new Sense Connect feature, which the company bills as an industry-first technology that detects temperature increase at the connector level to prevent potential electric arcs.

LG Electronics’ ESS Home 8

LG launched its ESS Home 8 at the show, a 14.4 kWh system that can be stacked up to four units for 57.6 kWh of capacity that is floor standing and wall supported. The system includes a 7.5kW inverter/charger. The ESS is managed by LG’s ThinQ monitoring and control app, which can include appliance, consumer electronics and HVAC components. The company also showed off its commercial ESS system, also stackable.

Schneider Electric’s Backup Control Switch

Schneider Electric launched the Backup Control Switch (BCS) for customers in the USA and Puerto Rico in September. The BCS is compatible with the XW Pro inverters from Schneider Electric, and it automatically disconnects from the grid in the event of a power outage, allowing the solar and storage system to provide backup power to the home. While the XW Pro inverters include an integrated 60 Amp transfer relay, the BCS provides flexibility for up to 200 Amps of backup loads as well as optional configuration for service entrance applications. It is compatible with up to 4 XW Pro inverters, delivering up to 27 kW continuous and 48 kW peak backup power capability for 120/240V panels.

---

Charles W. Thurston is a contributor to Solar Builder.

Tags: Briggs & Stratton, Canadian Solar, LG Electronics, Morningstar, Panasonic, Pylontech, QCells, Schneider Electric, SimpliPhi Power, SMA America, SolarEdgeOriginal Source: https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiU2h0dHBzOi8vc29sYXJidWlsZGVybWFnLmNvbS9uZXdzLzEwLWhvbWUtZW5lcmd5LXN5c3RlbS1zdGFuZG91dHMtaGVhZGluZy1pbnRvLTIwMjMv0gEA?oc=5