Europe Develops Portable Solar ‘Plug and Play’ System under its ‘Horizon 2020’ Programme

The developers claim the cost of energy produced by the portable solar generator to be half the cost of energy produced by diesel generators.

European Commission regulated ‘Horizon 2020’ has developed a standalone, easy-to-install, photovoltaic generator, ‘SUNINBOX’, where all the equipment is configured in the factory ready for use as a portable ‘plug and play’ system.

Project Coordinator, Sergio Hernández-Bazan said, “All the component parts necessary for generating electricity, like electronic systems, battery packs and the solar tracker can be packed into a standard 20-ft shipping container for easy transportability.”

Currently, SUNINBOX possesses an inverter power capability of up to 90 Kilo-volt-amperes (kVA) to change direct current, DC, power from the lithium Ferro-phosphate battery system into conventional mains alternating current, AC, for operating electric lights, electrical devices and so on.

According to Hernández-Bazan, “A geo-location system allows the tracker to position and deploy the entire photovoltaic field semi-automatically according to its location. This takes less than 10 minutes and the system is ready for use in less than 30 minutes.”

Also, the developers claim the cost of energy produced by the portable generator to be half the cost of energy produced by diesel generators.

The development is expected to address power challenges in rural areas of southern Europe, Africa and Latin America.

The SUNINBOX system guarantees a continuous supply of electricity along with low operating and maintenance costs via a highly efficient portable PV system.