Renewable Energy & Sustainability Heroes by GineersNow Engineering GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 017, Ren | Page 56

GE Successfully Installed the First Unit
of 1,500-Volt Solar Inverter in Japan
Renewable energy is reshaping the
energy landscape in Japan. At the time
of a shrinking feed-in-tariff, Japanese
energy companies are concentrated on
improving their technology to enable
more cost-effective solar energy.
Following the partnership commenced
last year to bring the latest 1,500-volt
solar inverter technology to the Japanese
solar market, GE (NYSE: GE) has installed
the first unit of two in Looop Co., Ltd.’s
(Looop) solar power plant, located in
Ibaragi prefecture, last month. Today, the
inverter is in smooth operation in the field.
The successful commercial operation
of the unit marks the entry of 1,500-volt
solar technology in Japan’s solar market.
“Looop strives to make renewable energy
become the central pillar of the electricity
generation in Japan. We embrace
advanced technology that leads to more
cost-effective and thus, more viable, solar
energy production. The partnership with
GE has strengthened our confidence
to achieve the goal,” said Soichiro
Nakamura, president of Looop Co., Ltd.
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Renewable Green Leaders • May 2017
Based on the agreement, GE was
chosen to provide two, LV5 1-megawatt
(MW), 1,500-volt inverters to Looop. The
LV5 inverter from GE’s Power Conversion
can provide broad-ranging benefits
compared to the last generation of 1,000-
volt inverters. The more-efficient inverter
technology reduces costs associated with
infrastructure, deployment and operation
expenditures, which can lead to up to a 3
percent lower system cost and up to 15
percent less in maintenance costs.
“At GE, we always work to enable
solutions that will help lower the cost of
electricity while improving energy yields.
GE was the first to introduce 1,500-volt
solar inverter technology into the global
market. Today, GE has achieved a global
installed base of more than 2 gigawatts,
allowing customers to enable more
cost-effective solar plants worldwide,”
said Paul English, APAC region sales
leader, GE’s Power Conversion. “We are
committed to building solar energy as the
growth engine to meet Japan’s energy
demands.”