Four high-output modules on a single microinverter? Believe it. The new QS1 residential quad microinverter from APsystems earns an Editor’s Pick as one of the top solar products of 2018.
Built for large-scale systems and demanding environments, the QS1 handles modules up to 375W, with wider MPPT range for greater solar harvest in low-light conditions.
Read the Solar Power World Editor’s Picks feature
Dear APsystems installer,
It’s been another great year for APsystems and we have you, our solar partners, to thank for it. You’ve put our advanced microinverter technology to work for customers in markets across the country.
Now it’s time once again to look back on the great solar successes of the past year and share your very best stories with the industry and the world.
Tell us about your very best project – what set it apart in terms of scale, design, power output, challenging conditions, or your creative application of APsystems microinverter technology.
We’d like you to submit the project details here, including a brief write-up about your best installation, or more – enter all the projects you like. Remember to include some high-res photographs and any close-ups showing our microinverters in action. Your project can be completed or still in process. Entries will be judged by our APsystems team.
We’ll be honoring top North America projects in both Residential and Commercial categories.
And we’ll announce the APsystems Solar Project of the Year Award winners early in the new year through announcements and promotions that will highlight your project and your company. APsystems is committed to helping you grow your solar business even as we grow ours, so this is a cross-promotion opportunity you’ll definitely want to take advantage of.
The winner in each category will receive $500.
Our contest last year generated great interest from installers and brought out some fantastic projects; you can see the winners here.
Now we’re excited to present this competition, highlighting the very best APsystems microinverter installations of 2018.
Submit your project entries here by January 11th 2019. Please read the terms and conditions before entering.
If you have any questions, please contact our marketing coordinator.
With the national day of gratitude upon us, the APsystems team would like to extend our sincere thanks to all of our solar partners across the U.S. We have a lot to be thankful for. The support and enthusiasm from our partner distributors, installers and end-users alike have helped make APsystems the #2 microinverter provider in the solar industry. We’re here because of you – thank you!
Our latest groundbreaking microinverter product will roll out after the New Year, so be watching for details. For now, as we pause to acknowledge the bounties that we enjoy and share, please accept our heartfelt appreciation for your support of APsystems.
More is being demanded of solar inverters than ever before. Creating a brilliant, cutting-edge piece of equipment at a competitively mandated low price point is an incredible challenge. It’s not for the faint of heart, yet companies like APsystems are thriving in this complicated, demanding crucible of a niche. So how are they doing it? And how does APsystems continue to push the envelope on inverter advancements? Senior Director of Marketing Jason Higginson gives us a peek behind the curtain.
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
ANAHEIM – September 24th, 2018 – APsystems unveils the QS1, a four-module, single phase microinverter for residential applications at the Solar Power International trade show in Anaheim. A new design for APsystems, the QS1 offers 75% faster installation time, while offering the highest peak output power and up to 3X faster data transmission speed than PLC. A wider MPPT voltage range will result in a greater energy harvest for homeowners.
The first of its kind, the QS1 is designed to accommodate today’s high output PV panels up to 375W, offering 300W AC output per channel, the highest among microinverters. The unit also significantly reduces installation time and costs, taking the place of four conventional microinverters per each QS1 installed while still providing four independent MPPT.
The QS1 utilizes a common AC trunk cabling with the dual-module YC600, offering flexible mix-and-match compatibility on the same circuit to enhance site design capability and maximize circuit capacity. Both microinverters also utilize the same gateways; installers can choose from the ECU-R, for single or multi-residential installations, or the ECU-C, for applications requiring consumption monitoring and advanced contact/relay features.
“Compatibility with the existing YC600 microinverter system gives the QS1 an unprecedented advantage,” said APsystems Chief Technology Officer Dr. Yuhao Luo. “Mixing dual and quad microinverters in the same system adds design flexibility while offering a strong inventory and installation labor advantage over conventional microinverters.”
Today’s solar systems require a more robust communication architecture to manage significantly more data points and in-field software updates. A 2.4GHz wireless Zigbee mesh network offers enhanced data transmissions speed, up to three times faster than conventional powerline communication (PLC).
The QS1 builds on the successful APsystems line of multi-module microinverters, offering reduced logistics costs, integrated communication and connection features, and a wider MPPT voltage range for greater energy harvest during low light conditions.
The new microinverter will be on display at the APsystems booth #2838 at Solar Power International.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEATTLE, Wa.; ROTTERDAM, Netherlands; JIAXING, China – August 27, 2018 – APsystems will unveil the QS1, a four-module, single phase microinverter for residential applications at the Solar Power International trade show in Anaheim. A new design for APsystems, the QS1 offers 75% faster installation time, while offering the highest peak output power and up to 3X faster transmission speed than conventional microinverters. A wider MPPT voltage range will result in a greater energy harvest for homeowners.
The first of its kind, the QS1 is designed to accommodate today’s high output PV panels, offer enhanced capability and significantly reduce installation time and costs while providing an unprecedented level of power with four independent MPPT per channel. Common AC trunk cabling with the dual-module YC600, offers flexible mix-and-match compatibility on the same circuit and with the same gateway (ECU-R or ECU-C).
The unit also builds on the successful APsystems line of multi-module microinverters, offering reduced logistics costs and integrated communication and connection features.
The new microinverter will debut at the APsystems booth #2838 September 25-27 at SPI.
APsystems microinverter reliability is touted in the August issue Solar Power World.
In the article “How should solar installers plan for inverter failure,” writer Kelsey Misbrener explores inverter reliability, warranties, and industry views on how installers and customers can keep up with evolving inverter technologies.
The article quotes Director of Marketing Jason Higginson, citing APsystems microinverters as designed and built for both long life and ready upgrades.
With their software-based design, APsystems microinverters can be upgraded remotely to keep systems current with new technical standards and regulatory requirements.
Read the whole story here.
The largest solar array in Manitoba, Canada, goes live this month, powered by APsystems microinverters.
The ambitious 200.2 kW ground-mount array will provide 100 percent of the power needs for the Crescent Beach Cottages, a waterfront vacation resort on scenic West Hawk Lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park.
Installer Evolve Green of Manitoba and the resort owners chose APsystems YC500A dual-module microinverters for their high production and the integrated Energy Monitoring & Analysis system. The APsystems EMA allows real-time monitoring of individual modules in the array to ensure optimal production at all times.
The resort’s rocky, forested terrain posed a challenge for installation – system designers had little room to work with – but creative placement put the topography to advantage. Installers mounted the second row of modules on a rocky tier some 8 feet above grade, allowing the two racks of modules to be placed closer together and conserve space.
The two-rack ground-mount system includes 308 modules and 154 APsystems microinverter units per rack — more than 600 modules and 300 microinverters total — provided through Canadian solar equipment dealer National Solar Distributors.
In addition to achieving “net zero” energy use for the resort, the owners will recover 30 percent of their investment through a rebate program by regional utility Manitoba Hydro.
See a video of the Crescent Beach Cottages array here.
Are you an installer, contractor or distributor? Do you use, specify, purchase, market or install solar inverter products? If yes then please take a few minutes to complete this survey, and you will be eligible to win a $500 Visa® gift card.
It’s this easy: By answering all questions in the short survey, you’ll help us better understand customer needs and improve our products and services. The survey is completely anonymous, and any personal information is only gathered for prize notification purposes.
The survey closes June 30, 2018- please share your opinions today.
To thank you for participating, we’ll enter you in a drawing for our prize – a Visa® gift card valued at $500.
APsystems gets some great press in the new 2018 Inverter Buyers Guide from Solar Builder Mag, out now.
The editors tout the new APsystems YC600 microinverter with Reactive Power Control and Rule 21 grid support functionality. Offering 300 VA peak output power per channel, the YC600 works with 60- and 72-cell PV modules and offers dual, independent MPPT per panel – setting a powerful new standard for microinverter technology.
Also in the Buyers Guide: The APsystems EMA App, offering comprehensive, real-time system monitoring through your handheld device. “APsystems provides complimentary module-level monitoring through its cloud-based EMA service for both homeowners and installers,” Solar Builder writes. “With the EMA app, users can see the energy their system is producing at the panel level, so if the app shows that a particular PV module is underperforming, the owner knows to check for shading issues, debris and damage.”
