H2W®
©2024-2025 H2W™
Overclockersmania by C.A is the tax representative of the Swiss company H2W with VAT number IT03558490920 registered with VIES
WORK WITH US
The images with logos and trademarks on the h2w.store website are in fact registered property of H2W® by C.A. and those not owned by us are to be considered purely for demonstration purposes and belong to their respective owners. The information on the h2w.store website may change without notice. Although the content of our pages has been prepared with the utmost care to ensure the reliability of the information contained on the site at the time of their publication, we cannot give any assurance or guarantee regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information. The contributions reflect the opinion of the respective author.
Copyright
The entire content of this site is subject to copyright protection. Any use not permitted by copyright law requires prior written authorization. This applies in particular to reproduction, processing, translation, storage, transmission of content in databases or other electronic means and systems. The content of the websites may be photocopied or downloaded only for private purposes.
The author of this site undertakes to respect the copyrights of third parties, or to use material not protected by license or his own material.
Residential and commercial solar storage
The residential inverter with solar storage is a key component of home solar systems, integrating solar energy conversion and battery management into a single device. Its primary role is to convert direct current (DC) electricity generated by solar panels into alternating current (AC) electricity that can be used by household appliances.
In addition to converting energy, the inverter manages the charging and discharging of a battery system. During the day, the inverter delivers electricity generated by the solar panels to the home, charges the battery with excess energy, and can feed any surplus into the grid if the system is connected to the grid.
At night or during periods of low light, the inverter draws energy stored in the battery to power the home. If the battery is low, the inverter can automatically switch power to the grid. In systems designed for backup power, the inverter can also isolate the home from the grid during a power outage, allowing essential appliances to continue operating thanks to solar and battery power.
Types:
Off-grid inverter
Single phase / low voltage / 3~12kW (48V)
Single phase / low voltage / LV 1.5~3kW (24V)
Single phase/low voltage/1.5~6kW (48V)
Three-phase/high voltage/10~20kW
Hybrid inverter without LCD display
Single phase / low voltage / 3~6kW
Three-phase / high voltage / 5~20kW
Three-phase / high voltage / 22~50kW
Single phase / low voltage / 5~12kW
Three-phase / low voltage / 5~12kW
Single phase / high voltage / 5~12kW
Three-phase / high voltage / 5~12kW
Single-phase and three-phase low and high voltage hybrid inverter:
This hybrid inverter adopts SIC technology power components, phase-shifted full bridge and other technologies, while ensuring seamless multi-mode switching, safety, high efficiency and low-interference operating performance, thus improving the stability and reliability of the entire energy storage system.
SAFE AND RELIABLE
IP65 protection rating to withstand outdoor weather conditions
Seamless transition to backup mode when mains power is interrupted
FLEXIBLE AND EASY INSTALLATION
Lightweight and compact, optimized for heat dissipation
Plug and play interface, easy to install
SMART AND EFFICIENT
Integrated EMS to optimize battery management
Charge and discharge efficiency reaches up to 95%
ADVANCED AND FRIENDLY
APP Monitoring. Monitor your home's energy in real time.
Remote software updates and customizable settings
The Sinexcel Isuna Hybrid Inverter, single-phase and three-phase, 5-12kW, triple MPPT, dual battery input, IP65, is suitable for sodium-ion batteries with a working voltage of 33-60V. This electronic device converts the direct current supplied by photovoltaic solar panels into alternating current, with single-phase and three-phase output suitable for residential or commercial use.
It features a built-in Zero Feed-In function, so you can set it NOT to export energy to the grid, thus preventing it from being sold. The system is highly reliable, with IP65 protection against dust and water and passive cooling that increases its lifespan. It uses silicon carbide (SiC) technology for greater efficiency and can be easily installed thanks to the plug-in design.
It supports up to 15 units in parallel for modular expansion. It ensures power continuity with a UPS function and quick switching between on-grid and off-grid modes. Monitoring is advanced, with cloud integration and VPP platforms, while the Isuna interface simplifies system management.
Thanks to the WiFi module, it is possible to monitor the photovoltaic system and control consumption remotely, via the Apps:
Sinexcel ESS LINK App: (Download > iOS / Android) This app provides debugging functions for PV equipment parameters. After registering and logging in to the app, users can connect devices offline, switch devices on the home page, and view statistical information for each device. Find the corresponding device details in My Devices and click the three-dot icon in the upper right corner to view parameter settings, measurement data, version information, historical data, monitoring settings, and other functions.
SiC MOSFETs are the components of the present and the immediate future. They enable power devices to be improved, enhancing their best features, such as efficiency, lightweight, lower operating temperatures, and so on. Simulations can compare the static and dynamic behaviors of inverters to gather and analyze the best results between the two power electronic components.
These new power components generally overcome the drawbacks of previous designs (bipolar transistors, Si MOSFETs, and IGBTs) and provide designers with many features that effectively make devices future-proof. This article reviews the most important operational differences between the two components. The new SiC (Silicon Carbide) MOSFETs enable inverters and other switching circuits to operate much more cost-effectively.
Indeed, improvements in efficiency are easily visible. Power losses are substantially reduced, power densities have increased, and, for the same power output, circuits are significantly smaller and lighter. Today, more and more companies are fully dedicated to the production of new power semiconductors.
Efficiency improvements (and consequently, power loss reductions) achieved through the adoption of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs indirectly achieve full environmental sustainability for a cleaner, greener future. The following examples demonstrate how efficiency improvements can be achieved using SiC MOSFETs in power applications.
Many experiments are conducted by companies to minimize all possible losses generated during inverter operation. Given the same static and dynamic characteristics of the switching components, a complete replacement of the electronic switches would guarantee a total improvement in the device's performance, provided that the driver criteria are maintained.
By modifying the switching element by replacing the IGBT with a SiC MOSFET, losses per element during nominal operation can generally be reduced by up to 50%. Such results are possible, among other reasons, also due to the superior switching capabilities of SiC MOSFETs. The use of SiC MOSFETs has several advantages beyond reduced losses.
SiC MOSFETs, for example, have excellent operating characteristics in high-temperature environments; in practice, they work very well under extreme conditions and are not affected by the avalanche effect.
For these reasons, active or passive dissipation systems (fans, heat sinks, and so on) can be minimized, maximizing the lightness and compactness of the final devices. Since switching losses with SiC MOSFETs are very low, inverters can be pushed to operate at higher frequencies. This would also improve other factors and allow the adoption of inductive and capacitive components with a lower value (and profile), while still keeping EMI in mind. Coils, transformers, capacitors, and other reactive elements are therefore less critical and less expensive.
SiC MOSFETs also eliminate “tail current” during switching, resulting in faster operation and greater stabilization. The Rds(on) parameter and, in particular, the lower on-resistance (see graph in Figure 1 ) and the smaller chip size undoubtedly result in reduced capacitance and gate charge. SiC exhibits superior material properties and allows for greater package miniaturization and power savings compared to silicon (Si) devices.
Unfortunately, for the latter, as temperatures rise, the ON resistance can double, triggering the aforementioned avalanche effect. IGBTs, on the one hand, can handle and guarantee operating voltages of 4000 V and currents exceeding 1000 A, but on the other hand, their switching frequency is much lower than that of newer components. Therefore, their robustness does not allow for a proportional reduction in size and weight.
Figure 1: Generic resistance of devices in conduction state
The piloting
Power MOSFETs and IGBTs are simply voltage-operated switches because the "gate" terminal is electrically isolated and behaves like a capacitor. To turn the device on, a positive voltage must be applied to this terminal, while to turn it off, it must be switched to 0 V. The transition between the ON and OFF states (and vice versa) is not instantaneous but takes a short time that depends on several factors. One of the main reasons is the gate's input capacitance, which is equivalent to a capacitor.
The maximum power dissipated (unnecessarily) by the device occurs precisely at the rising and falling edges of the component, which corresponds to a significant peak increase in voltage and current. To significantly reduce the power dissipated during switching of devices (IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs), it is important to charge and discharge the gate at a high speed, thus reducing switching losses. For this purpose, special circuits, called gate drivers, can be used, which allow for high output currents and are specialized for operating at high speeds.
When driving a device, the Miller voltage, which is the gate voltage at which the collector current does not change, is particularly important. In most applications, this voltage is between 4 V and 6 V and can be used to control switching through the gate drive. IGBTs and MOSFETs behave in the same way during the conduction phase, and the current and voltage drop profiles are quite similar. However, during the turn-off phase, the current profiles are different. IGBTs are affected by a "tail current" (see Figure 2 ), which, however, is nonexistent in MOSFETs.
The tail is caused by minority carriers that keep the device turned on for a few moments. The IGBT turn-off phase can be divided into two successive phases: in the first phase, its behavior is similar to that of a MOSFET. The second phase, characterized by the "current tail," is specific to the IGBT. It occurs while there is a significant voltage present on the device and causes significant losses at each turn-off.
Losses are closely related to the switching frequency and become critical when the system operates at very high speeds. In these cases, it is possible to increase the dv/dt by decreasing the value of the gate drive resistor, allowing for faster charging. Note, in fact, that turn-off losses are normally proportional to the values of the gate resistance. In any case, in the general calculation of a transient, the average power dissipated by the component, at steady state, is fairly negligible..
Efficiency
SiC MOSFETs, in static or switching applications, enable efficient transformation systems thanks to their intrinsic Rds(on), which is significantly lower than any other component. Efficiencies above 90% are generally considered good results, but modern devices allow even higher efficiencies. Higher efficiencies, in fact, allow for less energy waste, less heat generation in circuits, greater electricity savings, and longer lifespans of electronic components.
Power device and inverter manufacturers invest considerable time and money to ensure their products achieve even a few tenths of a percent higher efficiency. At high power levels, even a small improvement is significant. Efficiency is calculated as the output power divided by the input power and is expressed as a percentage.
The difference between input power and output power is wasteful and lost as unused heat. Figure 3 illustrates a simple schematic diagram, illustrating, as an example, a dynamic test involving the switched activation of an IGBT and a SiC MOSFET, characterized by the following parameters:
- IGBT implemented: IXYN82N120C3H1;
- Implemented SIC MOSFET: UF3SC065007K4S;
- VCC: 100 V;
- load: 11 Ohm, 900 W;
- Switching frequency: 100 kHz duty cycle 50%.
Both circuits operate smoothly and without problems. The loads are activated with fast ultrasonic switching, which ensures efficient power delivery to the loads. However, the two operations are characterized by small dynamic differences that favor the use of the SiC MOSFET solution. The current graph, shown in Figure 4 , would seem to ensure equal and identical power delivery to the loads. Despite this, the two devices behave slightly differently, and the following list summarizes some of the differences:
- The current flowing through the SiC MOSFET circuit is slightly higher than that of the IGBT circuit. This is due to the lower ohmic resistance of the transit channel;
- The current flowing through the SiC MOSFET circuit has a cleaner shape; in practice, only the rising and falling edges of the signal are visible. The current flowing through the IGBT circuit, however, contains oscillations and higher harmonics, which can be clearly seen with a spectrum analyzer. These cause power losses;
- In the switch-off edges of the IGBT circuit, “tail currents” are noted which significantly increase the significant losses at each switch-off.
Finally, the analysis of the average steady-state efficiency of the two circuits yields the following results:
- IGBT solution efficiency: 98.60%;
- SiC MOSFET solution efficiency: 99.54%.
Conclusions
With new power devices, calculating power losses is a mandatory step in circuit design. Techniques for improving switching systems and circuit efficiency are diverse, and each type of power device has its own characteristics that designers must carefully examine.
Are you ready for new technologies?