As installed system capacity continues to increase in the Australian PV market, it is valuable for system designers and installers to understand the mechanisms behind moulded case circuit breakers, and the meaning behind their ratings. A moulded case circuit breaker (MCCB) is a type of electrical protection device that is used to protect the electrical […]
Tag: design
Hacking the Battery Management System
First and foremost, it must be stated that GSES is very optimistic about the capability of new energy storage technology. GSES is confident that those that are involved in transition of the electricity grid are moving quickly to make new technology better, cheaper, safer and more secure. That said, a topic which has not been […]
Industry wide Improvement in Ingress Protection Safety Thanks to CEC Guidelines
Under the Renewable Energy Target (RET) requirements, solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems must be installed to relevant Australian standards and Clean Energy Council (CEC) guidelines in order to receive Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs). To monitor this, the Clean Energy Regulator’s RET inspection program has been running since 2010 and the CEC review the outcomes of […]
The Blockchain Buzz
Over the past several months, there has been an increase in the amount of reference to Blockchain technology and what it can do for the renewable energy sector. Much has been written about this technology such as this article and this article. A number of global companies have even started to trial blockchain based energy […]
GSES Training: PV Gains a Further Foothold on Nauru
GSES has conducted PV system installation training on Nauru twice. The most recent training session was conducted by Dr. Rick Potter in November 2016.Nauru is a tiny island located just half a degree south of the equator and east of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon islands. The island is only 21 km² and one […]
Building Integrated Photovoltaics: What is the potential for this PV technology?
Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), as the name suggests, describe a PV system where solar PV modules are integrated within a building’s envelope, as oppose to conventional PV systems where modules are mounted on the top of existing roofs. BIPV products have been commercially available since the 1990s in Europe, but have not played a major […]
PV System Design: How to compete effectively in the wider market place
Commercial-scale PV systems present enormous opportunities for our industry. However, the requirements to source and verify a range of site-specific data over a large site is challenging. To then ensure this data correctly forms part of all aspects of the system’s performance and installation requirements can be complicated and unfamiliar to some system designers and […]
I got 99 problems but a switch ain’t one (ONLY VALID UNTIL DATE OF PUBLISHED)
Correct isolator selection and installation is an extremely important aspect of ensuring PV systems are safe and up to standard. Through the extensive inspection work that GSES has conducted, and feedback from industry, interpreting isolator data sheets can be tricky for many installers. In response to this GSES has increased its focus on isolator selection […]
East West Arrays: Are they worth it?
The current cost of rooftop PV means that it can be cheaper to source your electricity from a rooftop solar system than buy it from the grid. A significant problem with this, however, is that people consume 50%+ of their electricity during the morning and evening when solar systems are not producing, is it possible […]
Power Factor and Grid-Connected PV
As the level of Grid-Connected PV penetration continues to rise, the importance of power factor and power factor correction is going to become increasingly relevant both from the perspective of the grid and the customer. This article explains what power factor is, what it is caused by, its impact on the grid, and how GridConnected […]