A new wireless, wifi-connected solar solution featuring three Sungrow 100 kW inverters is now allowing more than 300 kW of solar generation to be dynamically balanced across distribution boards throughout a school in Australia, significantly offsetting grid electricity use.
Chinese PV inverter and energy storage technology manufacturer Sungrow has teamed with installer MNC Solar Power to deliver a rooftop solar solution that enables smart energy distribution across the Saint Columba Anglican School (SCAP) campus without any data cable connection.
The newly installed solar solution features a 310 kW rooftop solar installation comprising 708 Canadian Solar 440 W panels integrated with three Sungrow SG110CX-P2 inverters. The system replaces an older 100 kW PV system.
Sungrow Technical Service Manager Young Zhao said the upgraded system employs a logger-based wireless cascading technology with the inverters connected via the school’s existing wireless network, enabling “intelligent load sharing across multiple buildings without the distance limitations or complexity of traditional cabling.”
“For this site we have applied the Modbus TCP (transmission control protocol) via the local network,” he said.
“Previously the distance would be a very significant factor but now, our breakthrough is that without any data cable connection, all the master and slave inverters and the loggers connect with the local network and talk with each other.”
MNC Solar Power owner Dean Galvin said the system architecture allows solar generation to be dynamically balanced across distribution boards throughout the school, maximising self-consumption and reducing grid reliance.
“What that means is the solar generated here will be evenly distributed throughout the school and the excess power will feed back to the main switchboard and then branch out from there to all the other buildings on site,” he said.
Aside from system flexibility, SCAP Business Manager Steve Mitchell said the upgrade also provides the school with real-time energy monitoring through Sungrow’s iSolarCloud platform.
“We’ve now got data at our fingertips. We can log into the dashboard and see how much electricity the panels are generating, what we’re consuming, and what’s being exported to the grid,” he said.
Mitchell said the new system enables the school to improve energy efficiency and reduce electricity costs, with an estimated payback period of approximately four years.
“We’ll be able to offset the upfront capital costs within around four years,” he said. “That means ongoing savings for the school, which helps take pressure off our operating expenses.”
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