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ALENCON SPOT-V7 Series Manual

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SPOT – String Power Optimizer
and Transmitter
A unique PV harvesting system of DCDC Optimizers for generating
more energy in Repowering, Solar + Storage and Microgrid Applications
Installation, Operation and Maintenance Manual for use with the
SPOT-V7-600/1000 or SPOT-V7-1500
Alencon Systems – Passionate About Power
COPYRIGHT © 2020 ALENCON LLC, INC. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • Page 1 A unique PV harvesting system of DCDC Optimizers for generating more energy in Repowering, Solar + Storage and Microgrid Applications Installation, Operation and Maintenance Manual for use with the SPOT-V7-600/1000 or SPOT-V7-1500 Alencon Systems – Passionate About Power COPYRIGHT © 2020 ALENCON LLC, INC. | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Page 2 Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual This Document is the confidential and proprietary information of Alencon Systems LLC. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photographic, magnetic or otherwise, without prior written permission.

  • Page 3: Disclaimer

    Readers are cautioned, however, that Alencon LLC reserves the right to make changes without notice and shall not be responsible for any damages, including indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, caused by reliance on the material presented, including, but not limited to, omissions, typographical errors, arithmetical errors or listing errors in the content material.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    4.3 Repowering of Older PV Plants ....................14 5 Technical Specifications ........................16 6 Isolators / Disconnects ........................18 6.1 Alencon Fused Electrical Disconnect (FEED) ................18 6.2 Alencon Isolated Disconnect (AID) .................... 19 6.3 Third Party Disconnects ......................19 6.4 Alencon GARD...
  • Page 5 11 Maintenance and Servicing ......................43 11.1 General Maintenance ....................... 43 11.2 Service and Repair ........................43 12 Alencon Communication Environment (ACE) ................44 12.1 System Overview ........................44 Appendix A - Safety Precautions ......................45 A.1 Degree of Danger Symbols ....................... 45 A.2 Electrical hazards........................

  • Page 6: Table Of Figures

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 1 Table of Figures 1: A SPOT ......................8 IGURE PICTURE OF A UNIT 2: T SPOT ......... 9 IGURE HE GRAPHIC ABOVE INDICATES THAT THE IS A GROUNDING CONDUCTOR 3: T SPOT .

  • Page 7: General Information

     Maintain the product, if necessary 2.2 Product Warranty Alencon Systems warrants to you, the original purchaser, that each of its products will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for three years from the date of purchase. Extended warrantees of an additional five (5), ten (10) and twenty (20) years are also available for purchase.

  • Page 8: Warnings, Cautions And Notes

    Because of Alencon Systems’ high quality-control standards and rigorous testing, most of our customers never need to use our warranty service. If an Alencon Systems product is defective, it will be repaired or replaced at no charge during the warranty period. For out-of-warranty repairs, you will be billed according to the cost of replacement materials, service time and freight.

  • Page 9: Packing List

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 2.4 Packing List The SPOT is assembled and fully tested at the ALENCON factory. Before installation, please ensure the following items have been shipped:  Commensurate # of SPOT units specified for your project.

  • Page 10: Important Safety Instructions

    2. The SPOT contains no user-serviceable parts. For service and maintenance, the SPOT should be returned to Alencon Systems LLC or a certified Alencon Systems service center. 3. During operation, hazardous voltages and currents may be present. Only authorized and qualified personnel should perform servicing/installation.
  • Page 11 Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 7. Exposed PV strings to sunlight represent a shock hazard at the PV wires and exposed terminals. Disconnect SPOT input switches or contactors before performing any work on the SPOT. Test any terminal for voltage before touching them. Check if any current is flowing through the strings before disconnection.

  • Page 12: Spot Applications

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 4 SPOT Applications The SPOT is a set of 4 galvanically isolated DC-to-DC converters, that operate between a variety of possible DC sources (PV, fuel cell, battery, etc.) and loads (inverter, battery, motor, etc.). Most commonly, a SPOT is placed between PV strings and a combiner box as shown in figure 5.

  • Page 13: New Pv Plants

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 4.1 New PV Plants The SPOT allows for a more granular level of MPPT compared to a central inverter, as such it is measurably beneficial to a newly constructed PV plant. Additionally, new plants including SPOTs into initial system design, can reduce balance of system (BoS) cost.

  • Page 14: Solar + Storage

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 4.2 Solar + Storage The SPOT is a unique solution for DC-coupling of PV and Storage. When deployed with storage systems i.e., batteries, the DC bus may be shared with the storage terminal as shown in Figure 6.

  • Page 15: Repowering Of Older Pv Plants

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 4.3 Repowering of Older PV Plants Large scale PV projects installed in past decades typically used 600V rated PV modules and 600V inverters which are in turn connected to a medium voltage distribution transformer...
  • Page 16 Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual Neither of these requirements can be met by the transformer-less string inverter alone. PV STRINGS Distribution INVERTER tramsformer TRANSFORMER GALVANICALLY ISOLATED SPOT 600V PV IGURE TYPICAL PLANT WITH LENCON SPOTS AND A TRANSFORMER...

  • Page 17: Technical Specifications

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 5 Technical Specifications SPOT Model SPOT 600/1000 SPOT 1500 Input MPPTs/Inputs per SPOT (Standard) Maximum String Voltage 1000 V 1500 V String Operating Voltage 200 – 1000 V 300 – 1425 V MPPT Voltage Range 250 –...
  • Page 18 Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual Humidity 0-95% Operating Ambient Temp. -40°C to 50°C Form Factor Packaging Rail or Rack Mounted, Outdoor Rated Size (H x W x D) Rail Mount: 0.64m * 0.42m * 0.31m Rack Mount: 8U/0.35m *0.49m * 0.64m...

  • Page 19: Isolators / Disconnects

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 6 Isolators / Disconnects Alencon requires using disconnects (or contactors) to enable an electrical cut-off of the SPOT from its input power source. Always disconnect SPOT from input power when performing maintenance on the SPOT.

  • Page 20: Alencon Isolated Disconnect (Aid)

    Operation, and Maintenance Manual 6.2 Alencon Isolated Disconnect (AID) Alencon offers a 4-input fused disconnect box (fuses are optional). Both positive and negative terminals of PV strings are isolated from the SPOT when the Switch is in the OFF position.

  • Page 21: Alencon Gard

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual Any third party disconnects should be UL-listed for use with 600 V, 1000 V, and 1500 V systems. Below, Figure 12 shows an example of IMO disconnects installed in a PV array. 12: SPOT...

  • Page 22: Spot Hardware

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 7 SPOT Hardware Each SPOT is assembled into a hermetically sealed NEMA4x/IP66 enclosure as shown in the Figure 14. The enclosure is designed to be mounted vertically or horizontally depending on the deployment.

  • Page 23: Spot Dimensions - Vertical Mount

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 7.1 SPOT Dimensions – Vertical Mount The images below provide the dimensions to which the SPOT (vertical mount) has been designed and built. SPOT of this configuration weighs 54 kg or 119 lbs.

  • Page 24: Spot With Feed Dimensions - Horizontal Mount

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 7.1 SPOT with FEED Dimensions – Horizontal Mount The images below provide the dimensions to which the SPOT with FEED (horizontal mount) has been designed and built. SPOT of this configuration weighs 69 kg or 153 lbs.

  • Page 25: Installation

    Alencon Systems before beginning the installation. If any instructions are unclear, or any additional information is required during the process, please contact Alencon Systems LLC for assistance (see Appendix C). 8.1 Installation Criteria – PV The following information should be considered when selecting the topology and the locations for installation within the PV array.

  • Page 26: Installation Procedure

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 8.1.2 MPPT operational range The MPPT software maximizes the efficiency of PV strings if the operating voltage is within the MPPT operational window. The SPOT will continue to operate also when the PV voltage is out of the specified MPPT range, but it must be within the overall specified voltage range.

  • Page 27: Locate The System Layout Schematic And/Or Installation Drawing

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 8.3 Locate the System Layout Schematic and/or Installation Drawing EPC should supply installation drawings showing the location of where each SPOT is to be installed. As well, the single line diagram should show electrical interconnections. A simplified version of such a SLD is provided below.
  • Page 28 Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 19: SPOT B IGURE OTTOM LATE WITH COMMENSURATE LABELS 20: S SPOT L IGURE AMPLE ABEL 27 | P a g e...

  • Page 29: Spot Mounting

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 8.4 SPOT Mounting The SPOT uses natural convection cooling. In extreme weather conditions, the metal surface of the unit can reach temperatures over 75°C (170°F); high temperatures can cause burns if in contact with the skin. When installing, ensure that the SPOT is not located in high traffic areas.

  • Page 30: Selecting Location - Horizontal Rack Mount

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual Clearance: For optimal and safe operation, make sure that the SPOT has enough clearance around the unit. If the recommended minimum clearances in table below are not met, rated performance may not be achieved.

  • Page 31: Mounting Procedure - Vertical Rail Mount

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 8.4.3 Mounting Procedure – Vertical Rail Mount The SPOT can be easily mounted using standard Unistrut© along with spring loaded channel nuts. The SPOT V7 comes with a hooked backplate that allows for the SPOT to be hung on the Unistrut and then fastened using a Hex head screw.

  • Page 32: Mounting Procedure - Horizontal Rack Mount

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 21: SPOT M IGURE OUNTING NSTRUCTIONS 8.4.4 Mounting Procedure – Horizontal Rack Mount To properly install the SPOT into a Rack: 1) SPOT with FEED shown in Figure 22 can be unpackaged and lifted onto a table or work bench to attach mounting brackets (Error! Reference source not found.)
  • Page 33 Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 22: SPOT/BOSS FEED IGURE WITH OUNTING RACKETS 23: SPOT/BOSS FEED IGURE WITH OUNTING RACKETS 32 | P a g e...

  • Page 34: Spot Grounding Requirements

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 8.5 SPOT Grounding Requirements PV Grounding SPOT supports positive, negative, and floating grounding schemes. The frame of the PV string should be connected to the SPOT’s grounding lug. The size of the conductor is usually based on the size of the largest conductor in the DC system.

  • Page 35: Connecting The Spot To Input Power Source Cables

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 8.6 Connecting the SPOT to Input Power Source Cables Any input power source must be able to be manually disconnected from the SPOT at will. For PV string input, an external disconnect device must be used to connect to the SPOT (see section 6).

  • Page 36: Short Circuit Check

    Irrespective of the application, (new PV plant, Solar + Storage, PV retrofit, etc.) the SPOT requires external fusing on the output. When using the SPOT in an application without combiner boxes, Alencon can provide an external fuse disconnect box or the FEED (see section 6.1) with appropriately rated fuses and fuse holders.

  • Page 37: Turning On And Off The Spot

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 9 Turning ON and OFF the SPOT The SPOT is a highly autonomous device and should not require manual intervention to operate after commissioning in most applications. Basic ON/OFF can be controlled using just the input power disconnects.

  • Page 38: Steps To Turn Off The Spot

    4. Measure the input and output DC currents using a clamp and verify no current flows to or from the SPOT. If current is still present, contact Alencon technical support directly. 5. Only after step 4 can cables be disconnected from SPOT input and output ports.

  • Page 39: Spot Operation

    Commands can be issued from the Alencon PODD UI or the system controller via Modbus at any time. Find explanations of the statuses, commands, and conditions below. To avoid confusion in the following sections, statuses will be CAPITALIZED, commands will be bolded, and conditions will be italicized.
  • Page 40 Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual 25: S IGURE TATE PACE HART 39 | P a g e...
  • Page 41 If operating conditions return to standard run limits, the DCDC will return to RUN status. For more information see the Alencon Whitepaper on DCDC curtailment. TRIPPED If, while in RUN or LIMITING_ON status, voltage, current or temperature exceed the pre- configured limits on any DCDC (i.e., hit a trip condition) it will enter TRIPPED state and move...

  • Page 42: Commands

    The following list contains the most common and useful commands that can be given to the SPOT from the PODD UI or external controller via Modbus. For full details on available Modbus commands and registers, please request Modbus Maps from your Alencon representative or Technical Support.
  • Page 43 Tests operating conditions have entered the curtailment zone as defined in the config file. Corresponding curtailment options must be enabled within the config file as well, there are many curtailment options available. For more information see the Alencon Whitepaper on DCDC curtailment.

  • Page 44: Maintenance And Servicing

    Due to the UL rating of the SPOT, it is not a field serviceable device, in most instances. If your SPOT is determined to be damaged, it will need to be returned to Alencon systems. If the SPOT requires servicing, disconnect it following the turn OFF procedure (section 9.2) and request an RMA (return merchandise authorization) from Alencon Systems technical support.

  • Page 45: Alencon Communication Environment (Ace)

    Alencon’s PODD device. The PODD can be used with other Alencon products including the SPOT, GARD and BOSS. The PODD acts as a gateway to integrate Alencon’s power electronics with your plant level control systems or as a standalone controller and troubleshooting device.

  • Page 46: Appendix A - Safety Precautions

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual Appendix A - Safety Precautions A.1 Degree of Danger Symbols Warning! Warnings indicate conditions, which if not observed, can cause personal injury! Caution! Cautions are included to help you avoid damaging hardware or losing data.

  • Page 47: Electric Shock Caused By Ground Fault

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual A.2.2 Electric shock caused by ground fault If a ground fault occurs, plant sections that are supposedly grounded may in fact be live. Failure to adhere to the safety messages may lead to severe or lethal injuries due to electric shock.

  • Page 48: Danger To Life Due To Electric Shock When The Equipment Is Unlocked

    Alencon SPOT: Installation, Operation, and Maintenance Manual A.3.3 Danger to life due to electric shock when the equipment is unlocked Unlocked equipment can be opened by unauthorized persons. This means that unauthorized persons have access to components on which lethal voltages are present. To avoid danger from unlocked equipment: ...

  • Page 49: Appendix C - Technical Support And Assistance

    Container with (1) to (4) SPOT’s and Junction Box Appendix C – Technical Support and Assistance Visit the Alencon Systems web site at www.alenconsystems.com where you can find the latest information about the product. Contact your distributor, sales representative, or Alencon Systems’...

This manual is also suitable for:

Spot-v7-600Spot-v7-1000Spot-v7-1500

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