Sungrow has launched its single-platform-based PV+ESS solution at the Sungrow PV & ESS Summit
It combines inverters and storage systems in a DC-coupled configuration, which are physically placed on a single platform
This solution offers grid-forming technology for Europe’s complex and weak grids
Addressing the growing demand for utility-scale PV plus storage applications in Europe, Sungrow, a well-known power conversion solutions provider, pitched its compact DC-coupled storage platform at the Sungrow PV & ESS Summit.
This storage solution combines the 1+X series modular inverters (4 inverters each on the left and right), the PowerTitan 3.0 storage solution (2 back-to-back at the center), and the PV-ESS Synergy Management System on a single platform. The inverters, featuring modular power blocks (DC-to-AC converters), provide flexibility to quickly replace faulty units without shutting down the entire system. Each inverter unit is also equipped with a dedicated storage interface for direct coupling (DC) with PowerTitan 3.0’s battery banks via its built-in DC-DC converter modules. In conjunction, these inverters can directly connect PV capacity of up to 200% of its rated AC capacity (DC/AC ratio: 2) to maximize solar harvesting. According to the company, this single storage platform can deliver discharge current for up to 8 hours at the nominal charge/discharge rate. However, the company didn’t share the rated AC capacity (kW), rated charge/discharge current, or storage capacity (kWh), among others, in its press release.
From an operational perspective, the system stores excess PV generation during periods of low tariffs or grid curtailment and discharges it in real time when tariff conditions are favorable. In addition to this power arbitrage, the company states that its built-in grid-forming feature, which can form a localized grid independently, is designed for Europe’s increasingly complex and weak grid scenarios. This feature serves as a source of current synchronized with the regional grid voltage and frequency. This helps establish frequency and voltage at the individual plant level rather than following the regional grid. Unlike the thermal power plants, which give rotational mass-based inertia support to an unstable grid, Sungrow’s ESS leverages its fast switching of power electronics components. This attribute provides synthetic inertia that injects – or absorbs – active power to the grid in proportion to the rate of change of grid frequency and stabilizes an unstable grid in under 5 ms. This storage system also injects or absorbs reactive power during undervoltage and overvoltage grid conditions (up to 1.8x transient voltage), respectively. In addition, it ensures stable operation in weak grids with a low short-circuit ratio (SCR), without failures or shutdowns. SCR is the ratio of the grid’s short-circuit capacity at the connection point to the inverter or plant’s rated power; however, the company’s press release didn’t contain information on the allowable range of SCR.
The company cites a few case studies, including a 100 MW PV + 220 MWh ESS system in Australia and a 181 MW PV + 638 MWh ESS project in Chile, where these single-platform PV+ESS systems are demonstrating their capabilities.
