Faced with extreme weather events and unexpected and planned power outages, flexible energy storage solutions provide solar array owners with backup power from batteries when the lights go out.
Recently, OutBack Power™ released an AC coupling firmware update to its SkyBox™ hybrid inverter. AC coupling is ideal when users have an existing solar PV system and want to add batteries for backup and time-of-use energy management.
SkyBox does not require much of the existing grid-tied system be replaced compared to what is required with a DC coupled solution.
Public Safety Power Shutoffs last year left millions of California residents in the dark, with little or no notice. While many households and businesses expected their solar panels to power their buildings when the grid was down, they now understand the reality that they need a capable backup battery system to supply power during these shutoffs in order to realize the full potential of their solar power system.
By adding a SkyBox™ hybrid inverter and energy storage to an existing grid-tied PV system, owners can keep their arrays and even enlarge them, meet new code requirements, and power their buildings with clean energy.
OutBack Power™ updates its SkyBox hybrid inverter firmware regularly to introduce new features. Past firmware upgrades include stacking, to allow two SkyBox™ hybrid inverters to be used in the same system, drop-down battery presets for streamlined installation, and external current measurement which enables energy management for the whole home.
This last feature eliminates external charge controllers and communication boxes, significantly cutting solar and energy storage installation time and cost.
Reference- OutBack Power website &PR, Clean Technica