SolarBridge Technologies, an Austin, Texas-based provider of PV microinverter solutions, has been awarded a $2.3m grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The company intends to use the grant, which was awarded through the DOE’s SunShot Initiative, a program whose goal is to reduce the cost of solar energy systems by 75% by 2020, to accelerate development of an ultra low-cost microinverter and universal mechanism for connecting power conversion electronics to solar modules. SolarBridge will collaborate on the Initiative with module manufacturer SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWRA) to develop a lower cost, higher efficiency microinverter as an integral part of a field-tested AC module that is fully certified and backed by a 25-year warranty.
Led by president and CEO Ron Van Dell, the company aims to accelerate the adoption of rooftop solar energy in residential and commercial applications. Its patented PantheonTM microinverter, which mounts directly onto solar modules, is designed to match the lifetime of solar modules, enabling module manufacturers to provide a 25-year warranty on their AC modules.
FinSMEs
13/09/2011