PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

Sputnik inverter with internal master-slave principle

In May, Sputnik Engineering AG will introduce its most powerful inverter for lower power ranges. As the name indicates, the new Solar Max 6000 device has a nominal input power of 6,000 W. The power output is 5 kW.

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At the German PV conference in Staffelstein in March, Sputnik's sales director Jürgen Arp presented its brand new Solar Max 6000 (on the photo placed on the Solar Max 30 central inverter).

The Solar Max 5000, which the company originally planned to produce, has been put on ice. This change of plans toward higher power devices is reminiscent of the decision made by Dutch company Mastervolt to switch from the production of a 3.5 kW device to a 5 kW inverter (see PI 4/2003, p. 52).

The transformerless Solar Max 6000 has a European efficiency of 94 percent, which is about average for devices of this power class. On the other hand, its MPP range of between 90 and 600 V is quite extensive. The Solar Max 6000 comes with a new housing as it no longer fits in the one used for other inverters in the series. In the future, the smaller power devices in this product line, as well as the Convert 2000 and Convert 4000 models that are made as OEM products for German module manufacturer Solar-Fabrik, also will also use the new housing in order to keep a uniform appearance.

The Solar Max 6000 consists of two inverter components, each of which can turn on and off according to input power. In the event of low input power, just one of the parts can handle the total generator power - a process similar to the master-slave principle. The second component switches on when the first part runs at capacity. Sputnik says its design increases efficiency in the part-load range.

The standard version of the Solar Max 6000 is only suitable for indoor use. The inverter's housing can also be optionally equipped according to protection type IP 54 standards for outdoor use. In the beginning of June, the Swiss manufacturer will also offer the outdoor option for the other devices in its series. The 5-year standard guarantee can be extended to ten years at additional cost. At €2,844 ($3,107) before taxes, the suggested retail price is very attractive - at least in Europe, Mastervolt's 5 kW inverter is the only device in this power class that comes at a lower price. The Solar Max 6000 is available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.