Skip to content

Self-Powered Plus offers the highest availability on the market

We have reinvented the Self-Powered technology with an upgraded solution to increase the solar production availability while reducing CAPEX and simplifying installation.

Contact us
Suntrack tracker control unit with Self-Powered Plus, three-quarter view

How Self-Powered Plus works

Self-Powered Plus with smart power system

When the inverter is operating, the TCU obtains power from the string (with a negligible effect on inverter production). But when the string is open (due to inverter maintenance or fault, or even before the inverter has been commissioned), the TCU will seamlessly switch to obtain power from one PV module in the tracker.

Self-Powered Plus allows continuous power availability for the TCU, from the same day the PV modules are installed, while freeing up space on the tracker surface.

Furthermore, when irradiance is very low, the TCU is still able to obtain the energy needed to keep the system in optimal conditions, due to the much higher power available from the string or single PV module, when compared with traditional self-powered configurations with a pony panel.

And in the event of any failure, the TCU includes an internal fail-safe protection that will bypass its input, allowing uninterrupted inverter operation.

Avoid inverter input over-voltage lockouts

PV inverters can fail to start after a maintenance stop or disconnect because an input over-voltage condition occurs when the trackers point at the Sun under very high irradiance and very low temperature.

When this happens, production is lost until the trackers are manually defocused and the inverter is then restarted.

By monitoring the string current, an SPP tracker controller can detect when the inverter is off and automatically defocus the tracker, so the string output drops below the over-voltage threshold.

Eventually, as the inverter is rearmed, current will start flowing through the string, and the controller will immediately refocus the tracker to achieve peak production.

Self-Powered Plus and the inverter cooperate seamlessly

In the event of a string disconnection (due to inverter failure or maintenance), the TCU will not be affected, providing a significant advantage during plant operation – even during the commissioning phase, before the string has been wired.

TCU consumption is negligible, with intermittent power demand up to 30W, resulting in typical energy consumption of less than 0.02% of tracker production throughout the year.

An easier setup and cost-effectiveness

Self-Powered Plus (SPP) uses the same footprint as the standard Self-Powered TCU but with a simplified setup – that reduces CAPEX – as a pony-panel is not required.

Maintenance costs also decrease significantly, particularly during cleaning.

Availability on the darkest and cloudiest days? Yes.

The Self-Powered Plus solution provides a steady 30W power supply, compared with the theoretical 60W peak available from the dedicated panel in traditional solutions.

This stable power availability enables notably faster charging under very low irradiance, fully charging the battery within a few hours, compared with the slow charging times (2-3 days) seen in alternative solutions.

More availability:

The SPP (Self-Powered Plus) system can always move the tracker and recharge the battery, avoiding stow periods due to critical battery alarms and increasing overall energy production.

Boosting the aftermarket

The Self-Powered Converter (SPC) is an aftermarket solution for plants with undersized traditional self-powered systems, where the panel and/or battery are too small for the site’s irradiance conditions.

Using the same power system as the SPP controller, this module can replace the dedicated PV panel, increasing the primary power available for the TCU to move the tracker and recharge the battery on heavily cloudy days.

As a result, the TCUs will not drain their batteries during long overcast periods, increasing overall tracker availability and, consequently, plant production.