Ampt’s Patented Optimizer Technology Plays a Key Role in the Lower Cost and Higher Performing DC-coupled Energy Storage Solution

Ampt, the world’s #1 DC optimizer company for large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems, today announced that it has received an order for Ampt String Optimizers for 210 MW as a follow-on to the company’s successful delivery of 180 MW earlier this year. The combined 390 MW of Ampt optimizers will power Chile’s largest solar plus energy storage power plant initiative. Ampt’s patented optimizer technology plays a key role in the system by lowering overall capital costs, improving lifetime performance, and simplifying control of the hybrid PV+storage plant.

The two hybrid power plant projects total 390 MW of PV solar with 240 MW / 1.2 GWh of energy storage using lithium-ion batteries. The batteries are connected to the solar array on the direct current (DC) side of the solar inverter – commonly referred to as “DC-coupled” energy storage. Ampt String Optimizers provide the critical power management link between the PV system and the DC-coupled energy storage system.

Ampt String Optimizers are DC/DC converters that improve system performance by doing maximum power point tracking (MPPT) on each string of PV modules and then delivering that power at a high and fixed voltage rather than the variable and lower voltage of systems without Ampt. These features reduce the current requirements of the entire system which lowers the costs of electrical components such as cables, battery converters, and inverters. Ampt’s predictable DC bus voltage also simplifies battery and inverter controls and improves grid responsiveness of the power plant.

Today’s order announcement by Ampt follows a related announcement earlier this year when the company successfully delivered optimizers to the record-setting PV+storage power plant project – the largest in Latin America. Both projects are part of a multi-year initiative by the independent power producer to supply a clean, renewable source of energy to the region’s copper mining operations, while relieving congestion on transmission lines and providing capacity firming to the network. The long duration (5-hour) battery system also mitigates market risk of high and low energy pricing events and curtailment.

“We are proud to support transmission-level renewable energy initiatives in Chile and around the world to accelerate toward a carbon-free, clean energy future,” said Levent Gun, Ampt CEO. “This latest 210 MW order is a testament to the strong relationships we build with our customers and partners, and the high value that Ampt’s patented technology brings to the utility-scale PV market.”

About Ampt

Ampt delivers innovative power conversion and communication technology that are used to lower the cost and improve performance of new PV systems, repower existing systems, and enable lower cost DC-coupled storage. With installations and experience serving markets around the world, Ampt is the number one DC optimizer company for large-scale systems. The company is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado and has sales and support locations in North America, Europe, and Japan as well as representation in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.ampt.com and follow Ampt@LinkedIn.

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