Solar charger a green tech success

A former winner of a green tech award has struck success both locally and overseas with its in-house designed MPPT solar charger. Sydney-based electronics manufacturer GSL Electronics won one of the inaugural 2009 Consensus Green Tech Awards which will again be presented in April this year.

Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPTs) use clever algorithms to maintain the PV voltage at a level which maximises the power delivered to a load or battery. They are widely used in solar systems because they make the best use of solar cells by extracting maximum electrical power from a given panel and therefore improving energy efficiency and reducing overall system cost and dimensions.

Despite their overwhelming advantage (over 20% more usable output power), the device was not commonly found in small systems mainly because of its high relative price and complexity. Most single- and dual-panel systems were still using standard solar regulators. The GSL Electronics MPPT with its innovative board design has managed to cut componentry costs to a level where it can become mainstream even in small systems.

R&D Manager Daniel Rubinstein, who conceived and developed the GSL MPPT, says the product has a number of advantages over standard regulators including: improved electrical efficiency; reduction in the size and cost of the PV system required; suitability for use with lower cost, off-grid type PVs as the MPPT can efficiently charge batteries from higher or lower panel voltages; and they have less interference and more accurate voltages during absorption and float.

“The beauty of the GSL MPPT is its simplicity,” says Daniel. “It has the same functionality and performance as other more complex equipment but requires fewer parts and that keeps the cost down and the reliability up.”

The availability of the compact, low-cost MPPT has opened up a wide range of possibilities for off-grid applications that require energy to be stored in a battery. The product is generally used for solar lighting, pumping, remote villages or farms, communications and signalling applications where solar PV panels charge one or more batteries. In some instances, they can be used where the MPPT directly connects to the device to be powered, such as a low-voltage DC pump.

“One of our more unique applications has been to solar power an electric fence at a remote cattle station in New Zealand,” said Daniel. “Our product worked well in this application as the remote location was off grid, the fence is constantly charged to keep the cattle safe and under control and it requires no maintenance.”

With this wide range of applications, the award-winning product has achieved commercial success both locally as well as in USA, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, India and Indonesia.

The 2013 Consensus GreenTech Awards are now open for nominations (closing end of March) and recognise the contribution made by Australian and New Zealand organisations in the development and commercialisation of environmentally friendly ‘green’ technologies. The awards are supported by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, Australian Computer Society, Connection Research and Wholesale Investor. In April, the awards will be presented by The Hon Greg Hunt, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage in Sydney.

For further information on the awards, go to www.consensus.com.au.