The power electronics firm will receive nearly $1 million from the SunShot Initiative to add enhanced performance and functionality to the Pika Islanding Inverter™.

The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative has awarded $875,000 to Pika Energy, Inc. to expand the functionality of Pikas islanding inverters to include utility aggregation and demand response, the Maine-based manufacturer announced Wednesday at the Solar Power International conference in Las Vegas.

The company will use its SunShot funds to add new hardware and software features to its model X7601 Pika Islanding Inverter, enabling the inverter for demand response, aggregation and other grid services aimed at evolving the U.S. electricity grid. The enhanced communication and software capabilities will allow utilities to remotely dispatch distributed energy systems in periods of peaking demand.
"The Pika Energy Island™, with its high voltage bus electronics, has the high efficiency and smart operational features necessary to offer utilities a truly distributed path to the smart grid," said Pika Energy president and co-founder Ben Polito. "Were thrilled to work with the U.S. Department of Energy on this exciting project, which will leverage Pikas technology to take a big step toward a smarter, cleaner grid."
Pika Energy is a leading provider of smart power electronics for solar-plus-storage. The companys Pika Energy Island™ system uses a patented 380V direct current bus to integrate solar and batteries on the same bus, enabling building-scale nanogrids using a single islanding inverter.
The Pika Energy Island system, including the Pika Islanding Inverter, PV Link™ optimizers and B Link™ battery converter, are on display at booth W423 (Westgate) at Solar Power International 2016.
About Pika Energy, Inc.
Pika Energy, Inc. is a manufacturer of direct current (DC) power electronics. Headquartered in Westbrook, Maine, Pika Energy manufactures a growing suite of products including bi-directional islanding inverters, battery charge controllers, DC solar optimizers, power converters, and certified small wind turbines. All Pika Energy products are powered by the REbus™ DC nanogrid. Pika Energys products provide grid-optional clean power that enables buildings to collect, store and self-consume energy from solar PV and wind sources. Learn more at http://www.pika-energy.com.
About the SunShot Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.