Schneider Electric launches Conext SmartGen™: Intelligent, Cloud-Connected Solution for Utility-Scale Renewable Power
Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation and a global leader in solutions for solar solutions and energy storage power conversion chain, today announced the launch of the Conext SmartGen™ 1,500 volt utility-scale power conversion system.
SmartGen is the new paradigm for large-scale renewable power installations. The system provides greater efficiency in power generation with lower short-term and long-term costs, and far longer service life.
The SmartGen solution will be a major feature at the Schneider Electric booth at Intersolar Europe 2016.
Leveraging the Internet of Things
“The SmartGen sits at the convergence of power and communication technologies,” Arnaud Cantin, VP of the Power Plants and Energy Storage Line of Business at Schneider Electric. “The SmartGen records and stores its own operation and service history, has self-diagnostic capabilities and can send proactive service warnings and fault reports through the cloud. It communicates with a suite of solutions that we call the Power EcoSystem™, to provide centralized control, monitoring, analytics and predictive maintenance, for optimal performance and maximum value for your solar investment.”
Weatherproof housing, robust components and internal climate controls
The SmartGen inverter is housed in a water and dust sealed corrosion-proof enclosure, and is designed to deliver up to 2MVA of power for 30 years, even in the world’s most demanding environments. Its wide operation range, combined with higher generation efficiency and unprecedented service life maximize its energy generation lifetime. Its first—and only—major service is not required before 15 years in worst case conditions.
Lower CAPEX, lower OPEX + higher generation efficiency = faster, higher ROI
The SmartGen’s startup capital costs are lower: it’s a 1,500 VDC system, which means more power density, fewer inverter stations (and associated cabling and components) for utility scale power.
The “self-commissioning” functionalities and the “grid simulation” get the system up and online faster, at lower cost.
Operating costs are also lower: self-diagnosing and self-reporting avoid unnecessary service calls, provides data analytics based on the Power Cloud, which enables predictive maintenance such as the ability to trigger maintenance actions only when necessary.
The SmartGen is a True Design for Service™ system, for faster, easier service—most service operations are complete in less than one hour.
The system is also designed to provide maximum revenue: combining a weighted conversion efficiency of 98.4%, and low power consumption, with an unprecedented service life of 30 years, the SmartGen delivers more GWh in all temperature or light conditions.
“For large-scale renewable power, there’s never been a power conversion solution like the SmartGen. With cloud connectivity enabling predictive maintenance and smart diagnostics, it is simply the best and most secure solar investment you can make,”says Cantin,
