Ingeteam and Power Electronics, two Spanish manufacturers, produce central inverters for utility-scale solar plants. The Ingeteam INGECON SUN 3Power C is a 1500 V inverter with closed-loop liquid cooling; the Power Electronics HEM and HEMK are also supplied in MV Skid Compact medium-voltage stations, and Power Electronics' PPC PRO software controls and supervises the plant.
What it is and where it is used
Ingeteam and Power Electronics are Spanish manufacturers of central inverters for utility-scale solar plants, well established in Latin America. Their equipment includes the INGECON SUN 3Power C and INGECON SUN PowerMax from Ingeteam, and the HEM and HEMK from Power Electronics, together with their MV Skid Compact and Twin Skid Compact medium-voltage stations. Older plants also have inverters from the Power Electronics Freesun generation.
A central inverter converts the direct current from thousands of modules into alternating current and, through a step-up transformer, delivers it to the plant’s medium-voltage network. For the general concept, see DC-DC converters and inverters and protection of a solar plant.
Other string and hybrid inverter brands with their own guide: Solis inverters, Deye hybrid inverters, Fronius inverters, Growatt inverters and Chint Power CPS inverters.
Microinverter guides are also available for the Enphase IQ8 microinverters and Hoymiles microinverters.
Variants: INGECON SUN 3Power C, PowerMax, HEM, HEMK and MV Skid
| Model | Application | Main difference |
|---|---|---|
| INGECON SUN 3Power C | 1500 V central inverter | Closed-loop liquid cooling; two inverters per medium-voltage transformer (the station is covered in Ingeteam INGECON SUN FSK C Series) |
| INGECON SUN PowerMax | 1500 V central inverter | Another line of Ingeteam central inverters |
| Power Electronics HEM | Turnkey central inverter | Simplifies the design and reduces connection costs, according to the manufacturer |
| Power Electronics HEMK | Central inverter | Full front access; advantages of central and string |
| MV Skid Compact / Twin Skid Compact | Medium-voltage station | HEMK with transformer and medium-voltage switchgear in one package; datasheet summary in Power Electronics MV Skid Compact and Twin Skid Compact |
| PPC PRO | Plant control software | Real-time control and supervision of the photovoltaic plant |
Main features
- 1500 V systems on the DC side, the usual voltage for utility-scale plants.
- Power stations: Ingeteam reports stations of up to 7.65 MW with two 3Power C units and one transformer, delivered as a package (skid).
- Grid support: active and reactive power control, voltage ride-through and functions required by the grid code, which are demonstrated for the whole plant with the plant controller.
- Storage: Power Electronics offers DC/DC converters for solar plants with batteries.
What the manufacturers publish
Ingeteam INGECON SUN 3Power C. The product sheet gives a power block of up to 3,825 kW at 1,500 V and a station of up to 7.65 MW with two inverters on the same medium-voltage step-up transformer, delivered as a package. Closed-loop liquid cooling cools the IGBTs, the power phases and the IP65 compartment, with quick drip-free connectors. On that same sheet Ingeteam highlights power density per volume as a feature. Some distributors list variants by AC voltage (for example 660 and 690 V) with their own power ratings and temperature range. Trade magazines published a block value of 3,400 kW in 2020. These are versions from different moments and the sheet for the installed version is the one that counts.
Power Electronics HEMK. The manufacturer presents it with a DC voltage of up to 1,500 V, power of up to 4,390 kVA and six possible AC voltages. Its brochure describes it as made up of six field-replaceable units (FRUs): if one fails, the faulty module is disconnected and its power is shared among the rest. It uses an air-cooling system called iCOOL3, with no dust filters or liquid cooling, for installations with a protection rating of up to IP55. Part of the public material corresponds to earlier platforms of the brand, so current power and efficiency figures should be requested from the manufacturer. The manufacturer’s page summarizes its range as follows: HEM as a turnkey solution that simplifies the design of the installation and HEMK with full front access for maintenance. MV Skid Compact and Twin Skid Compact follow as medium-voltage stations, DC/DC converters for plants with storage, and PPC PRO as real-time control software.
One design point that follows from both architectures: in the modular design (HEMK) the failure of a module reduces the available power but does not take the inverter out; in the large-block design, availability is considered per block. That difference shows in how availability contracts are written and in the spares that are kept.
Standards, cooling and maintenance
- Liquid or air cooling. With liquid, the closed loop separates the outside air (dust, humidity) from the components; with air, the key is the quality of the flow and the cleanliness of the channels. In both cases maintenance is for the manufacturer and authorized personnel; we handle the electrical side of the plant: protection, testing and communications.
- Product standards. IEC 62109-1 and 62109-2 (safety), IEC 62116 (anti-islanding). Grid code compliance is demonstrated for the whole plant, not per individual inverter.
- Medium-voltage stations. The transformer and switchgear of the package are tested as in a substation: insulation, ratio, protection and sequences; see commissioning tests for solar plants.
Points of attention in commissioning
- Two inverters, one transformer. In a station with two inverters, a failure of the transformer or its protection takes out both blocks; the transformer protection and its coordination with the inverters weigh more than in a one-to-one configuration. See protection of a solar plant.
- Inrush currents. Energizing the step-up transformer from the medium-voltage side produces an inrush current that has to be taken into account in the protection settings.
- Setpoints and controller. The PPC PRO or another controller distributes setpoints among the inverters; the logic of priorities, limits and response to loss of communication is defined in the design and tested before handover to the utility. See solar plant controller (PPC).
- Models. The inverter model delivered to the grid operator must match the installed version and parameters.
Communications and integration
The inverters communicate with the supervision system and the plant controller, normally over Modbus on the plant network. The plant controller, such as the PPC PRO or another defined by the design, receives setpoints from the grid operator and the control center and distributes them among the inverters. The control requirements come from the local grid code and the utility’s requirements, and supervision toward the grid operator is covered in SCADA and PMU monitoring for renewable plants.
Frequently asked technical questions
- INGECON SUN or HEMK manual: manufacturers provide manuals by model and version; the grid parameters depend on the grid code of the country.
- Monitoring: Ingeteam and Power Electronics have their own supervision platforms; the information to the grid operator goes out through the plant SCADA.
- Trips on voltage dips or on inverter protection: the inverter record and the relay record at the point of connection are reviewed together; see voltage dips and grid support in renewables.
- The inverter does not follow the setpoint: available power limit, active control mode or communication with the plant controller.
- Models for the grid operator: the inverter model must represent the real settings.
How we help
Our team does the electrical commissioning of solar plants: transformer and medium-voltage switchgear tests, point-of-connection protection, integration of inverters and plant controller into SCADA, and tests with the utility. See solar plant commissioning and control, protection and communications configuration. Field work is in Colombia, or elsewhere on request; remote services are available worldwide. Write to us through contact.
Related guides
- Huawei SUN2000 inverter and SmartLogger
- Protection of a solar plant
- Commissioning tests for solar plants
- Voltage dips and grid support in renewables
- DC-DC converters and inverters
- Sungrow SG250HX, SG350HX inverters and Logger1000
- SMA Sunny Central UP, Tripower CORE2 and Data Manager
- Solar plant controller (PPC)
- Ingeteam INGECON SUN FSK C Series: solar station
- Power Electronics MV Skid Compact and Twin Skid Compact
- Central or string inverter in solar plants: architecture
References
- IEC 62109-1 and 62109-2 (safety of photovoltaic power converters); IEC 62116 (anti-islanding).
- Ingeteam, information on the INGECON SUN 3Power C and PowerMax gathered from the trade press (pv Europe, Renewable Energy Magazine, pv magazine).
- Power Electronics, solar products page (HEM, HEMK, MV Skid Compact, Twin Skid Compact, DC/DC and PPC PRO).
Frequently asked questions
What is the INGECON SUN 3Power C?
It is Ingeteam's central inverter for 1500 V solar plants. It uses closed-loop liquid cooling and is grouped in stations where two inverters share one medium-voltage transformer. Trade press reported block ratings of 3700 kW at its launch and 3825 kW in later versions; the current value is in the manufacturer's datasheet.
What is the Power Electronics HEMK inverter?
It is a central inverter from Power Electronics, a manufacturer based in Llíria (Valencia, Spain), which according to the manufacturer combines the advantages of central and string inverters, with full front access for maintenance. It is offered on its own or integrated into the MV Skid Compact and Twin Skid Compact medium-voltage stations.
What is Power Electronics PPC PRO?
It is Power Electronics' advanced control software for real-time supervision of photovoltaic plants. In practice, the plant controller receives the setpoints from the utility or grid operator and distributes them among the inverters to meet active power, reactive power and voltage at the point of connection.