When the FitClub in Springfield, Illinois decided to trim its energy costs and further promote a healthy lifestyle they contacted C. Power Design to do the installation. After evaluating the site Daniel G., an executive at C. Power recommended Tigo Energy’s Maximizer system for the array. “The Tigo Energy Maximizer system is a great asset for a solar installer,” Daniel G. said. “Using Tigo Energy on my solar installs differentiates our product offering and enhances the value of solar to our clients. The systems are simple to install, make arrays plug and play, and provide great tools for monitoring and improving security. I recommend Tigo on all the installations I do.”Even though the FitClub is a flat metal seam roof, the Tigo Energy system improved energy yield by over 11%. In Illinois, clouds move frequently over these arrays and the Tigo Energy system is able to stabilize the array through these quick changes in weather patterns. The monitoring system also picked up a faulty diode, which was dragging down the performance of the array. “If the Tigo system was not in place, we would not have noticed this.”
Reviews
Fit Club Springfield, IL
“ We are ecstatic that we can monitor and track our investment. The Tigo Energy Maximizer System has increased our energy harvest and made spotting maintenance issues much easier. We even had a solar day to bring in members of the community to learn about solar, the Tigo system was an amazing addition to this event! ”
Project Owner:
Kevin I.
System Size:
14.0 kW
Panel Type:
REC 215
Inverter Type:
SMA 6000 X 2
Ivor A. Residence
“ I have seen a marked improvement in the energy output of my array. The Tigo system corrects for design drawback from different angles of inclination and module differentials. There is improvement even with no shade on my array. Now with Tigo, I can actually see the improvement. ”
Project Owner:
Ivor A.
System Size:
10.27 kW
Panel Type:
Evergreen Solar ES 190
Inverter Type:
SMA 5000 us
With the personal motto, “With the Fierce urgency of Now” Ivor A.of Long Island, New York started Z. E.homes to help foster energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A 3-year veteran, Ivor realized he could probably be getting more energy out of his solar arrays. After evaluating different options at Solar Power International 2009, Ivor selected Tigo Energy for use on his personal house.
“I like the Tigo Energy Maximizer System very much,” said Ivor. “With the design I was able to retrofit my house, using an existing SMA inverter. Only the Tigo Energy System gave me the ability to retrofit my existing system without changing any costly BOS systems. Now with the monitoring I can track how my array is doing at all times.
Z. E. Homes has successful deployed the Tigo Energy array on numerous projects in New York. “On all the projects we see a good improvement using Tigo,” Ivor claims. “I put Tigo Energy on every project I do now.”
Daniel D. Residence
“ (Tigo’s monitoring system) totally validates what Jeff told me in the sales process about the dual-angle design. It’s beautiful. ”
Project Owner:
Daniel D.
System Size:
5.76kW
Panel Type:
Sharp NU-U240F1
Inverter Type:
SMA SB 5000 US
When Daniel D. decided to put solar on his mother’s roof, he asked for five different bids. One of the bids caught his attention: it planned to increase energy production and provide module-level data by including Tigo Energy’s Maximizer System. Daniel did his homework on Tigo Energy, and decided that he liked what he saw. “I called back the other four companies,” Daniel explains, “and asked that they all re-submit their bids with Tigo Energy.”
Jeff M., of S.Solar, had never heard of Tigo Energy before this, but he embraced the new approach. According to Daniel, “Jeff really got the Tigo Energy value proposition. He embraced it, and because of his great customer service, I decided to go with Installer S.”
The installation went smoothly, and now Daniel is extremely satisfied with his system. “I can log in from my home in Japan, and see how my mom’s system is performing. In fact, I can even tell how the weather is each day, because I can see if there are clouds rolling across the array.”
Furthermore, the system validates the system design. Jeff had suggested to put half of the modules on the south-facing roof (to optimize overall production), and half of the modules on the west-facing roof (to take advantage of time-of-use pricing in the afternoon sun). With module-level monitoring, they can visually see the performance of each string throughout the day. Daniel confirms, “it totally validates what Jeff told me in the sales process about the dual-angle design. It’s beautiful.”
Jeff has embraced Tigo energy going forward: “Tigo provides me the best of both worlds – the benefits of microinverters, the benefits of central inverters, without the downside of either. I can confidently bid Tigo Energy with every deal and know the customer is getting their money’s worth.” He is also amazed at the energy production and reporting of the Daniel system. “This system is performing better then any other system we have installed, and the reporting provides us with the data to prove it.”
Jeff is grateful that Daniel introduced him to Tigo Energy. “Daniel brought Tigo Energy to my attention, and it has changed the way we design our systems and run our business.”
Clif Bar
“ We’re moving into a new era of system design, where we have module-level control and monitoring. ”
Project Owner:
Gary Gerber
System Size:
530kW
Panel Type:
SunTech STP280-24/Vb
Inverter Type:
SATCON PVS-500
The 530-kilowatt solar installation atop Clif Bar & Company’s new sustainably designed, 115,000-square-foot headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., features one of the hottest developments in solar PV: optimization, control and maintenance technology.
Berkeley-based Sun Light & Power is constructing the “smart-solar” array, which when completed in April 2011 will be the largest such installation in North America.
Gary Gerber, chief executive officer of Sun Light & Power, one of the oldest solar companies in California, is a big fan of a PV power optimizer, the Tigo Energy Maximizer. “We’re moving into a new era of system design, where we have module-level control and monitoring,” he said.
“Every module is tuned once every second to its highest operating potential. So simultaneously a single brain looks at every module on the roof and tunes it to its maximum power point,” explained Mr. Gerber. “Even in the shade, the Maximizer will still extract the maximum power from that module and will not drag down the performance of any other module on the string.
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In the Clif Bar installation, more than 1,900 Suntech 270-watt modules are being paired with optimizers. These little devices, about the size of a computer modem, are installed on the back of each module and send data about the module’s performance to the management unit every second. This “brain” then reviews the data and uses complex algorithms to calculate optimal performance and what adjustments are needed in each module to achieve it. “Out of nearly 2,000 modules, it’s not unlikely that we’ll see some issues with some of them right out of the box, but we’ll be able to see the problems immediately once they are plugged in,” Mr. Gerber said. “Systems age, and each module is going to age differently. So even if they start off identical, within a matter of weeks or months, variations will start to show up,” he continued. “Long-term, it gives you a lot of peace of mind to know that your system is performing at peak, is self-correcting, and that you can inexpensively determine whether you need to swap out any problem modules.” With the software, end users or installers with maintenance contracts can access an array’s data anywhere there’s an Internet connection. Even visitors and passersby might be able to get a look: Clif Bar plans to have a live monitoring station for its array in the lobby. “This is by far the largest system of this type that we’ve built,” said Mr. Gerber. “I applaud Clif Bar for innovating here.” |
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For the Clif Bar project, Mr. Gerber did the analysis himself for Sun Light & Power’s bid and priced out the system both with and without the optimizing components. “We do a comprehensive long-term financial analysis and return on investment calculation. And with the [optimizer] it improved the return compared to without it. It pays for itself,” he said. The use of these kinds of systems, according to Mr. Gerber, “represents the future of commercial solar.” He remarked, “If it were my decision to add 4 or 5 percent cost to the system with this product, and improve performance, get monitoring and peace of mind for the long term – for me that’s a no-brainer.”
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Jason F. Residence
“Without Tigo Energy, I would have lost energy production indefinitely. We were able to identify and solve a problem in just a couple weeks!”
Project Owner:
Jason F.
System Size:
6.88kW
Panel Type:
Sanyo HIP-215NHKA6
Inverter Type:
SMA SB6000 US
Jason F. was excited about finally installing a solar system on his home. After extensive research, Jason wanted his solar plant to incorporate the Tigo Energy Maximizer System. He was thrilled to find a system that he could rely on in the long term. “Although I could find high quality modules and system hardware with enough due diligence, I didn’t want to rely on trust alone to ensure the system’s quality for 25 years. There is no substitute for data – and Tigo Energy gives me that.” In addition to increasing energy output by correcting module-level mismatch, Tigo Energy’s Maximizer System provided Jason with granular information and controls to identify and solve problems. Jason didn’t realize how soon this feature would prove valuable.
Jason knew his system output would be constrained by shade from a tree near his home, but it came as a surprise when Tigo Energy’s software highlighted two consistently underperforming modules that were not near the tree. “The software made it so easy to spot the problem! Right away, I could tell the technicians exactly which panels to investigate.” He called up his installer and they began by looking into potential hardware problems. They changed the locations of the solar modules and Tigo Energy Maximizers, assuming it was a hardware failure. However, the issues persisted at the same locations. It became clear that the problem was related to something physical at that exact spot. Further on-site inspection revealed a vent that was one foot high and just large enough to cast a shadow over two panels. The vent was too small to show up on the Installer readings that were taken on the roof, but was certainly large enough to impact system performance. And while the vent caused only partial shadows on two of the modules, it was enough to impact the system’s production overall by over 7.5%. Luckily, with Tigo Energy installed, the Maximizer system mitigated the string/mismatch issues (reducing the power loss from 7.5% to only 1.3%), and also provided the data necessary to find and correct the issue. The vent was cut down to six inches and the shadow was eliminated. This quick fix never would have been identified without Tigo Energy’s module-specific data. Jason appreciates the fast gains in efficiency. “Without Tigo Energy, I would have lost energy production indefinitely. We were able to identify and solve a problem in just a couple weeks!”
Jason’s solar installation continues its great performance and provides his home with sustainable energy. The Tigo Energy system has already paid for itself and Jason is excited about maintaining maximum production by optimizing the yield of every module.
G.NG. New Technologies Ltd
“ Panel level control and safety that pays for itself by boosting your system’s performance? It’s a no-brainer! ”
Project Owner:
Giorgos E.
System Size:
9.87 kW
Panel Type:
Sanyo HIT 235W
Inverter Type:
SMA Tripower TL10000
Giorgos E. was hunting for a way to optimize energy harvest in the 10kW G.NG showcase PV installation. System owners are increasingly aware of the efficiency losses from module mismatch and Giorgos knew that his system suffered from partial shading in the winter. After searching for a solution online, Giorgos learned about the Tigo Energy Maximizer System. He was impressed by the many system advantages it offered at a low cost. “With Tigo Energy Maximizers, we can control our investment every single minute on an individual panel basis.” Incorporating Maximizers reduced the impact of four modules that are shaded in the winter. The system’s performance is no longer dragged down by a few limited modules.
Giorgos sought out distributed power electronics as a solution to a known problem in his system, but he was pleasantly surprised when he discovered additional benefits from installing a Tigo Energy system. First, Giorgos is glad that G.NG can distinguish itself among distributors by helping clients enforce warranties more effectively. Maximizers enable better enforcement by providing direct data and evidence for performance. “Thanks to panel level control, an installer can avoid unnecessary and expensive field trips and trouble shooting.”
Secondly, the module-level data identified an underperforming module that Giorgos would not have otherwise noticed. The module produced 50% less energy than expected each day after 4 pm. This was especially surprising because they noticed the drop in performance during June, as opposed to the winter months. After being alerted to the issue, field engineers returned to site for further investigation. They discovered that the underperforming module was limited by an unanticipated source of shade. The obstruction was removed immediately, greatly improving total system performance. This installation would have underperformed indefinitely if the issue had not been identified and addressed.
Maximizers have helped make the G.NG system the production leader among 10kW installations in Greece, despite partial shading. The company incorporates Tigo Energy’s software display in their marketing outreach efforts. They share all system data with clients to boost their credibility. In addition to advancing relationships with existing clients, the software displays have helped G.NG secure new customers. Giorgos is excited that the Tigo Energy Maximizer System provides “panel level control and safety switch that pays for itself by boosting your system’s performance. It’s a no-brainer!”
Dingmon Residence
Installing Tigo Energy on the Dingmon Residence allowed us to overcome shading issues and install a two-tiered array that complemented our client’s rooflines. The excellent remote monitoring capabilities make streamlining O&M processes a big plus for our customers.
Project Owner:
Sidney Dingmon
System Size:
3.13 kW DC
Panel Type:
Sharp 224 W poly
Inverter Type:
SMA SB4000 US
When the Dingmons wanted to put a solar array on their home in Lebanon, Oregon they wanted to ensure that their array would conform to their existing rooflines and still produce adequate power. National Solar Inc., the installer, reviewed a number of options for achieving power production from a shaded, multi-tiered array.
“The Dingmons have big beautiful oak trees all around their property,” said John Harley, National Solar's Production VP. “This left only a small piece of roof that had enough sunlight to justify an array, unfortunately this section of the roof was small and had a split roof-line.”
After evaluating racking, microinverter, and other solutions National settled on Tigo Energy. “We went with this approach,” said Kim Berhorst, “because the Tigo Energy system is simple. The Tigo hardware is small, fits inside the frame of a module, and has a much higher reliability than microinverter architectures. It will also produce more energy than other solutions, given the extremely high efficiency of the maximizers and central inverter.”
The Dingmon system has gone online and is showing between a 25 and 30% improvement over a traditional system. Tigo Energy boosted the system's production, from an estimated output of less than 70% of the total solar resource (TSRF) to an estimated TSRF of over 80%. With Tigo Energy systems, projects with marginal TSRF rates can qualify for incentives like the new Oregon FIT pilot programs.
"The system has performed very well and consistent with the varied weather we have in this area," said system owner Sidney Dingmon. "I am pleased with the way the Tigo system has given me a means to monitor the performance of the system . The systems performance is greatly enhanced with the addition of the Tigo system. I am very pleased!"