“We have taken the plug-and-play PV approach to the next level by demonstrating that different technology approaches can meet the vision with simplified installation, simplified inspection, and electronic permitting, inspection, and interconnection,” said Dr. Christian Hoepfner, executive director of Fraunhofer CSE and principal investigator on the plug-and-play PV project. “This opens the path for many manufacturers to develop and offer plug-and-play PV systems. Fraunhofer CSE and its commercial partners are now looking forward to piloting the plug-and-play PV approach on a larger scale in 2017.”

Fraunhofer CSE has been working closely with a number of major stakeholders, including the city of Boston, electrical utilities like National Grid and Eversource, and industry partners such as Lumeta, SunPower, and VoltServer, among others.

“The commonwealth’s partnership with Fraunhofer CSE continues to drive innovation and cut energy costs while making clean energy options like solar more accessible to residents and businesses” said Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “As part of the Baker-Polito administration’s commitment to Massachusetts’ leadership in clean energy, we’re proud to support these types of public-private partnerships that aim to transform clean energy marketplaces.”

As part of the demo day, Fraunhofer CSE performed a live installation of a string inverter PV system including commissioning in less than 75 minutes. Another plug-and-play PV system based on micro-inverters was also demonstrated. The project will next develop pilot projects in multiple utility territories in 2017.

For more information about the project, visit www.cse.fraunhofer.org/pnp.

Publication date: 6/30/2016