Alternative Energy White Papers

Colocation is a growing trend within the energy industry. A recent study from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggested that installing floating solar arrays on US hydroelectric plant reservoirs could become an important new source of electricity. Recent studies suggest that installing floating solar arrays on US hydroelectric plant reservoirs could become an important new source of electricity. Learn about the advantages of both generation systems, tools to assure smooth operations, case studies, and challenges remaining in this emerging field. Download our whitepaper now!

Despite the fall in energy price, the Solar PV industry is booming, and we are pushing for it to reach its full potential as Europe’s #1 source of reliable energy. Reuters Events have created this free whitepaper, A European Solar PV Market Overview, for you to download today https://bit.ly/3clqsRn

With so many module manufacturers in the market, an extensively broad range of module choices are available to meet the needs of many different global markets. Morningstar’s MPPT controllers have a very wide voltage input range with which they can make use of these many modules for charging batteries in the off-grid market. However, finding the best fit and knowing how to correctly size them is sometimes challenging. This document discusses solar module sizing, and power ratings, and answers some of the more frequently asked questions in order to help make sense of the many options available on the market.

Providing a simple, cost-effective battery backup PV solution for grid-tied systems has eluded solar PV manufacturers and installers for years.

This paper explains how to: calculate the heat dissipation for TriStar controllers; determine the air temperature rise inside an enclosure determine the resulting heat sink temperature of the controller to ensure it is below its operating limits; reduce operating temperatures. With this information, system designers can make good decisions regarding thermal management and system design when installing Morningstar controllers inside enclosures.

Morningstar’s MPPT charge controllers use the TrakStar advanced control MPPT algorithm to harvest maximum power from a Solar Array’s peak power point. It is generally accepted that even the most basic MPPT controller will provide an additional 10‐15% of charging capability, when compared to a standard PWM regulator. Besides this extra charge capability, there are several other important differences and advantages between PWM & MPPT technologies—these basic differences & advantages are outlined in this whitepaper.

Large off-grid and battery backup PV systems, often require greater charging than a single controller can provide. To meet the charging requirements of these large systems, several TriStar™ or TriStar MPPT™ controllers can be connected in parallel to a battery bank. Each controller is connected to its own separate PV array. This document provides answers to frequently asked questions, and tips concerning the operation and setup of these large multiple TriStar and TriStar MPPT controller systems.

Morningstar’s MPPT charge controllers use the TrakStar advanced control MPPT algorithm to harvest maximum power from a Solar Array’s peak power point. It is generally accepted that even the most basic MPPT controller will provide an additional 10‐15% of charging capability, when compared to a standard PWM regulator. Besides this extra charge capability, there are several other important differences and advantages between MPPT and PWM technologies that are outlined in this whitepaper.

The tracking capabilities of many MPPT controllers require a voltage input window that must be significantly higher than battery voltage. Morningstar’s MPPT controllers, on the other hand, are engineered to impose no such limitation, and in many cases, we encourage these configurations for the optimal performance and cost benefits.

Weather is the root cause of most solar insurance claims in North America. While extreme weather is inevitable and increasingly common, catastrophic solar project losses are not. The first installment of a two-part white paper from Nextracker provides actionable content for insurers, financiers, developers, asset owners and EPCs to assess and mitigate extreme weather risks to utility-scale solar power plants. By using differentiated single-axis tracker design and intelligent control capabilities to mitigate these risks, stakeholders can meet financial expectations and unlock new and varied solar development opportunities