Portage, IN and San Jose, CA – May 21, 2019 – Fronius USA and SunSpec Alliance today announced the first SunSpec Certified™ Rapid Shutdown certification designation. The Fronius Symo Advanced is the first inverter on the market to receive the official SunSpec Rapid Shutdown certification. The three-phase inverter comes with an integrated Power Line Communication (PLC) transmitter based on the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown communication standard.
The SunSpec Certified program for Rapid Shutdown (RSD) verifies compliance to the SunSpec Communication Signal for Rapid Shutdown Functional Specification to meet the requirement established by National Electrical Code (NEC) 2017. 29 members of the SunSpec Alliance defined an open industry standard for communication between modules, inverters and string combiners to support module level rapid shutdown requirements. This multi-vendor industry standard went through 34 iterations and was published in September of 2017.
“Adoption of the SunSpec Rapid Shutdown specification is continuing to mature,” said Thomas Tansy, Chairman, SunSpec Alliance. “The foundation was set by a large quorum of solar industry firms dedicating time to the development of a SunSpec open source communications interface to meet NEC 2017 requirements. Firms have moved product into the market with the RSD spec incorporated on a compliant basis. The next maturation phase is now underway with the Fronius product certification. SunSpec Certified Rapid Shutdown is a strong signal to installers, first responders and local authorities that solar power systems with this mark meet NEC 2017 communications requirements.”
Fronius has been a driving force in developing this industry standard and was among the first ones to announce a product based on the standard. “We are excited to offer the first inverter that is officially certified for SunSpec Rapid Shutdown,” Richard Baldinger, Head of Marketing at Fronius USA says. “We believe in driving industry standards and supporting industry innovation to drive down cost and allow customer choice.”
In conjunction with SunSpec based components such as the Tigo TS4-F module-level electronics, solar installers get a simple and cost-effective solution for Module Level Shutdown. Featuring ten models ranging from 10 kW to 24 kW, the Fronius Symo Advanced is the ideal compact three-phase inverter for commercial applications. The light weight design, the SnapINverter mounting system and true field-serviceability allow for easy installation and highest reliability over the lifetime of a system.
Learn More
SunSpec Rapid Shutdown Certification
Fronius Symo Advanced
About Fronius USA
We are Fronius USA. We are a part of a global network, family-owned and dedicated to high-quality power conversion technologies. We strive for excellence in serving both Welding and Solar industries by always advancing our products to help empower America. Visit https://www.fronius.com/en-us/usa/photovoltaics
About SunSpec Alliance
SunSpec Alliance is the information standards and certification organization for the Distributed Energy Resource (DER) industry. SunSpec communication standards address operational requirements of solar and energy storage on the smart grid to reduce cost, promote technology innovation, and accelerate industry growth. More information at: www.SunSpec.org
Media Contacts
Fronius
Richard Baldinger
M: Baldinger.Richard@fronius.com
T: 219 734 5500
SunSpec Alliance
Tom Tansy
M: Marketing@SunSpec.org
T: 408-217-9110
