APsystems is proud to announce the winners of our annual Project Awards for 2020

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Despite a certain microbial danger, it’s been a dynamic and exciting year at APsystems. Solar power has made significant headway toward becoming a mainstream power option despite the health crisis that defined 2020.

Why is that? Because there are more intelligent and creative people than ever involved in urging our energy culture toward this new, cleaner path to independence. Designers. Developers. Dreamers and builders of the new.

Each year, solar power system components designer and manufacturer APsystems selects two completed solar project installations—one residential, one business—that we feel deserve special recognition for inventiveness, prescience, and cohesion of philosophy and design sensibility. These projects put solar power in its best light, and illuminate the way moving forward as we continue to fight the good fight against those ecological liabilities, fossil fuels.

Learn more about this project here.

This year, we had so many entries that we decided to call attention to both runners-up in each category, and the recipient of a new Special Recognition accolade. The overall winners were Louisiana-based The Next Solar Energy Technology, the solar power project transformed a solar array into a symbol of restored freedom in the Deep South, and SkyFire Energy of Calgary, Alberta provided more than 2.1 MW of solar power to their Jayman houses, with over 6800 modules across more than 1100 systems.  Runners-up were installations from Okanagan Solar and Hot Solar Solutions.  A special recognition to Dynamic Solar and Electric NW.

Learn more about this project here.

We hope to see even more contest entries next year, as solar power continues its forward momentum, and new creative forward-thinkers show their chops in the context of our uniquely rewarding industry and its community.

A Timely Solar Power Conversion in the Deep South

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One of the most galvanizing 2020 APsystems project entries arrived courtesy of The Next Solar Energy Technology, and it took the APsystems honors for commercial winner in 2020. With an astonishingly prescient sense of timing, the Kenner, Louisiana-based solar power company transformed a solar array into a symbol of restored freedom in the Deep South.

Next Solar Energy was contacted by Liberty Self Storage, a multi-site business in Louisiana, about taking on the conversion project for one of their locations. Liberty Self Storage had dedicated itself to green energy in 2016, commissioning solar conversion for the first 9 of their 12 stores in St. Tammany Parish, but wanted to do something different for this location.

Next Solar Energy’s design arranged the solar panel array into an American flag. In trading string inverters for 64 APsystems microinverters in the project design, they created one of the most energy-efficient locations in the Liberty chain, and helped Liberty take the prize as one of the most progressive mid-sized companies in the South.

Learn more about other 2020 project winners here.

A Calgary Solar Power Connection

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It doesn’t only have a marvelous name. Calgary’s SkyFire Energy is one of the most dynamic solar power outfits in Alberta. By linking solar systems and EV charging stations, designing solar/battery hybrid solutions, and positioning their brand via business, agriculture and First Nations project context specialties, SkyFire is one of the most innovative and community-oriented residential solar system providers in the Province. But it was their partnership with and system installations for Jayman Homes, also in Calgary, that made them the overall winners of APsystems residential Project Award for 2020.

SkyFire used APsystems components for their partnership with fellow progressive Calgary business Jayman Homes, a residential contractor who wanted to bring solar panels into the picture as a standard feature on all new builds. The two companies shook hands in 2018. As of their project competition entry date, the SkyFire systems provide more than 2.1 MW of solar power to Jayman houses, with over 6,800 modules across more than 1,100 systems.

Jayman homes are sold with a 6-panel system, and APsystems microinverters are used for every build. The cost/benefit of APsystems products in the context of contracting for developments allowed Jayman to keep the per-home cost down, an attractive feature for younger first-time buyers desiring to offset their new home’s energy footprint.

Learn more about other 2020 project winners here.

A Large Array Supports Business in Washington State

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In creating the solar array for the headquarters of Kennewick-based multi-business building CC West, local innovators Hot Solar Solutions had a whale of a time. The company was commissioned to convert the CC West building into a full solar site, giving their engineers and designers nearly 14,000 sq. ft. of roof area to use!

277 panels went into the finished project, making it one of the largest solar arrays in the area: the biggest in the Benton and Franklin PUD areas, and a substantial feather in the cap of the homegrown, grassroots solar power firm. Hybrid hot water heaters throughout the building assist in total electrical consumption being 85% offset by the Hot Solar system.

APsystems microinverters sealed the deal for Hot Solar, providing high efficiency and lowering costs to best competitor bids and give the Kennewick-based company the contract. The result is a 99.7kW system that produces over 115,000 kWh of electricity annually. The CC West building’s energy efficiency is equivalent to taking 218 cars off the road annually.

Learn more about other 2020 project winners here.

 

A Residential Beacon in British Columbia

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Headquartered in West Kelowna, British Columbia, Okanagan Solar has worked on residential and business projects across Western and Northwestern Canada, and in Nicaragua, where they’ve been active in volunteer work that promotes solar power as a potent economic and cultural solution.

One of Okanagan’s larger home town projects involved a multiple buildings at apartment community Carrington View. Okanagan was contracted for the last three buildings in the residential building project. The three buildings had to provide 277 kW. The Okanagan team elected to use APsystems 3-Phase YC1000 microinverters for additional efficiency and simplicity of installation. The YC1000 units helped the company bring the project in on time and on budget.

After Okanagan completed the work in mid-2020, Carrington View was graced with the distinction of having the biggest collection of residential solar installations in the Province. The aggregate services all 474 apartments and condominiums, and stands as proof positive that solar is both economically and ecologically advantageous.

Learn more about other 2020 project winners here.

 

Community Confluence: Solar Power and Cultural Identity

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For the first time, APsystems annual Project Awards has decided to give special recognition to a solar power company and its project: Yakima’s Dynamic Solar and Electric NW, and their installation at La Casa Hogar, a non-profit collaboration.

Dynamic Solar and Electric NW and La Casa Hogar occupy overlapping cultural and sociological space in Southern Washington State: both organizations are strong representatives of the Latina community in their home town of Yakima, and both are community-oriented and progressive.

In approaching the La Casa Hogar project, Dynamic Solar was therefore engaging with the Yakima community in a profound manner. La Casa Hogar, too, is so involved; a community center that specializes in education, assistance and cultural sustenance, the roots of the organization reach back to the 1980s.

A standing seam metal rooftop array was the 100% energy-offsetting solution Dynamic developed for La Casa Hogar. Using APsystems’ YC600 and QS1 microinverters made the system super-efficient and extremely failure-resistant, and kept the project within the guidelines for the Blue Sky Pacific power grant that funded the project.

Learn more about other 2020 project winners here.

 

Happy Holidays 2020

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Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season

– from your friends at APsystems

APsystems Announces PVRSE Compatibility with its APsmart RSD and SMA Inverters

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Module-level Rapid Shutdown solution for SMA-powered solar arrays in the United States

SEATTLE–APsystems welcomes SMA to its growing network of inverter manufacturers compatible with its APsmart brand of Sunspec standard-compliant Photovoltaic Rapid Shutdown Equipment (PVRSE). Solar professionals in the United States can now combine the complete range of SunSpec Rapid Shutdown-certified SMA inverters with a reliable, safe and cost-effective APsmart Rapid Shutdown solution. Available throughout APsmart US distribution partner networks, the APsmart RSD has been certified by CSA to meet the UL 1741 standard for electrical safety and is fully compliant with the National Electric Code (NEC) 2014, 2017 and 2020 690.12 Rapid Shutdown Requirements.

“We are proud to have SMA, one of the most respected and recognized brands in the industry, join our list of inverter manufacturing partners using the APsmart RSD with their products,” said Olivier Jacques, APsystems business unit president and global executive vice president.

Already compatible with leading inverter manufacturers including Chint, CSI, Delta, Fronius, GoodWe, Growatt, Solectria and Solis, the APsmart RSD comes with a 25-year warranty, and tens of thousands of units have already been installed around the world since its launch last year.

“The APsmart RSD is Sunspec certified for rapid shutdown and delivers an easy, reliable and cost-effective solution for code compliance,” said Charles Ellis, VP of sales for the Americas region, SMA America. “When paired with SMA inverters, installers can be confident this technology will deliver best-in-class performance.”

As a result of intensive testing and cooperation from both SMA and APsystems, the approved Rapid Shutdown solution will now be available to customers through the APsmart distribution channel.

“The APsmart RSD solution is quickly being accepted as the new industry benchmark for rapid shutdown devices,” said Dr. Yuhao Luo, APsystems CTO. “We’ve built a powerful, reliable product that through its core function prioritizes the safety of homeowners and first responders.”

Technical documentation on the RSD-S-PLC can be found on the APsmart website where interested installers and SMA channel partners can also register for an upcoming training webinar on the APsmart PVRSE.

2020 North America Project of the Year Competition – $500 Award

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2020 presented many challenges for solar installers and for the industry at large. Yet, undaunted, you put our advanced microinverter technology to work for customers throughout the year 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.

APsystems invites you to nominate your North America projects for the 2020 Solar Project of the Year Awards.

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 2020.

Submit your project entries here by January 8th 2021. Please read the terms and conditions before entering.

If you have any questions, please contact our marketing coordinator.

Thank you for your partnership and support, and for working together through the many challenges of 2020.

Your friends at APsystems USA

APsystems participates in SunCast Puerto Rico virtual exhibit

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Join the APsystems team and their awesome avatars in this innovative virtual event held by SESA-PR, in partnership with SunCast Media. The conference runs October 12-14, with the virtual experience beginning today, October 13th.

Held on an immersive 3D online platform, the event includes solar and storage professionals and highlights the latest insights and trends impacting the Puerto Rican market.

Join APsystems in booth D30 for both days of exhibits. We look forward to seeing you there!