Batteryless inverter recommendation [RE-wrenches]

John Berdner jberdner at sma-america.com
Fri Feb 29 12:49:19 PST 2008


Joel/Mark:
 
Our US series products (our current product offering) we utilize active
cooling thought our Opti-cool enclosure.  The enclosure is painted die
cast aluminum and is divided into two sections. All external hardware is
stainless steel. 
 
The sensitive electronics are in the front chamber which is rated NEMA
4X (fully gasketed and corrosion resistant).  We also conformal coat the
circuit boards even though they are not exposed to ambient air.  The
rear chamber is rated NEMA 3R and encloses only the heat sink, the
transformer, and the inductors.   All the magnetics in the NEMA 3R
chamber are fully encapsulated (not just coated) in epoxy for corrosion
resistance.  The fans that are used are sealed units rated for outdoor
use (NEMA 3R).  The fans are speed controlled for long life and to keep
noise and vibration to a minimum.  In normal service the fans should
last 10 years or more.  If a fan fails the inverter continues to operate
and the fan can be replaced in the field in under 5 minutes by untrained
personnel without opening the inverter case.
 
We believe the Opti-cool enclosure retains the benefits of active
cooling while avoiding the long term corrosion and reliability problems
created by blowing ambient air across the sensitive electronics.  
 
Best Regards,
 
John Berdner
 
 
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>>> markf at berkeleysolar.com 2/26/2008 11:34:48 AM >>>

Joel,

You ask a good question, which I cannot speak to.

Remember however that when you use the term "SunnyBoy" you are
simultaneously referring to a product line that has both passive and
active
cooling products. If by "SunnyBoy" you refer only to the passively
cooled
products, I think that they would have a clear advantage over other
actively
cooled products in corrosive environments. Frankly, I haven't looked at
the
actively cooled SunnyBoys to see if the forced air runs directly over
the
electrics or over a heat sink that keeps the electronics sealed. I'm
sure
others could comment on this.

I am aware of a system in Arcata, Ca. (City Hall?) where they are
running
five or six different inverters side by side. This would be pretty
close to
a coast side installation, although the waves don't actually lap up
against
the building; the coast is about a mile away.

Most of my installation have been within the San Francisco Bay Area,
but
corrosion is a non-issue.

Mark Frye
Berkeley Solar Electric Systems
271 Vistamont Dr
Grass Valley CA 95945
(530) 401-8024
www.berkeleysolar.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: Joel Davidson [mailto:joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:54 AM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com 
Subject: Re: Batteryless inverter recommendation [RE-wrenches]


Hello Mark,

I have heard good things about the Fronius, but how does the enclosure
hold 
up to corrosive coastal air as compared to the Sunny Boy?

Joel Davidson




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