Sunways: Innovative solution for intelligent management of solar energy
Konstanz/Germany (ptp027/06.06.2013/13:45) Development of a highly efficient and intelligent photovoltaic storage system / High system efficiency based on new Sunways inverter technology / Project with two other partners funded by the German government
Global warming and environmental pollution are driving the demand for clean energies. Germany is targeting an energy change with an increased production and utilization of solar energy. But how to limit costs for additional grid capacity? And how to simultaneously support an increased energy autonomy of photovoltaic system owners as well as grid stability? Together with two partners, photovoltaics specialist Sunways is working on a "Highly efficient and intelligent Photovoltaic Storage System" (Hei-PhoSS). The local storage and consumption of solar energy allow to reduce potential peaks in grid load thereby promoting grid stability.
The Hei-PhoSS development project of Sunways and its partners is funded by the German government: the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi), the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU), and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Project leader Sunways is responsible for the development of the inverter and the charge controller with direct connection to the solar system and the battery. Akasol Engineering GmbH, Darmstadt, is working on a high voltage battery directly connectable to the inverter. And the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Freiburg, is adding the software-based management system to control energy production, local consumption, and feeding into the grid. Technical highlights of the system are cost efficiency with little components due to direct connection of the high voltage battery to the inverter and conversion efficiency with the new Sunways inverter technology (patent pending).
In the future an increasing demand for decentral energy storage and management solutions is to be expected. In addition to off-grid applications, solar power generated in an own photovoltaic system offers independence and can help to save money compared to electricity from the grid. Hei-PhoSS is currently being developed for solar systems up to 10 kilowatts output typically owned by private consumers. Pilot production of the system is planned for 2014. Besides Germany and other European countries, target markets are North America and Australia.
This press release is also available on http://www.sunways.eu/en/company/press/press-releases .
About Akasol Engineering GmbH
Akasol develops and manufactures innovative systems and solutions for stationary and mobile energy storage devices for the automotive and commercial vehicle industry, wind energy, hydropower and solar industry and shipbuilding. Since its foundation in 2008 Akasol Engineering has been a subsidiary of the mid-sized Schulz Group with some 250 employees (http://www.akasol.com/en ).
About Fraunhofer ISE
With a staff of above 1200, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE), Freiburg, is the largest solar energy research institute in Europe. The work at the ISE ranges from the investigation of scientific and technological fundamentals for solar energy applications, through the development of production technology and prototypes, to the construction of demonstration systems (http://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en ).
About Sunways
Sunways provides innovative products and solutions for harnessing solar energy (photovoltaics). Alongside high-performance components for standard applications (solar modules and inverters), the company also offers design-oriented solutions for special applications, such as semi-transparent and coloured solar cells for building-integrated photovoltaics. The company headquarters are in Konstanz, at the western end of Lake Constance in Germany. Other locations are Sunways Production GmbH in Arnstadt, Germany, and branch offices in Bologna, Italy, and Barcelona, Spain. Sunways currently employs a total of approximately 270 people and posted sales revenues of over Eur 116 million for 2011. Sunways AG shares (SWW:GR, SWWG.DE) are traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Since 2012, LDK Solar Group, one of the ten largest photovoltaics companies in the world in terms of revenues, has held a majority stake in Sunways. For further information, see http://www.sunways.eu/en .
| Aussender: | Sunways AG |
| Ansprechpartner: | Dr. Harald F. Schäfer |
| Tel.: | +49 (0)7531 996 77-415 |
| E-Mail: | communications@sunways.de |
| Website: | www.sunways.eu/de |
