New Industry Products

AstroPower's SunUPS System Approved by FSEC

November 01, 2000 by Jeff Shepard

AstroPower Inc. (Newark, DE) has announced that its packaged solar-electric-power SunUPS photovoltaic system is the first photovoltaic system with battery storage to be approved under the Florida Photovoltaic Buildings Program of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). As a result of the approval, utilities and other program partners can receive rebate funds from the state when installing the SunUPS system.

The SunUPS system is a standardized package featuring all necessary components for installation and automatic solar power generation on homes and commercial buildings. Capable of generating up to 5kW of backup power during utility outages, AstroPower claims that the system allows customers to experience uninterrupted power for an unlimited amount of time, requiring no fuel or maintenance. Additionally, it allows customers to sell excess power generated by the solar panels back to the utility grid during periods of peak demand. The package includes mounting systems for all types of roofs, pre-wired and self-contained power electronics, system wiring and hardware, and a detailed installation manual.

The SunUPS system was approved after a system design review of the overall design and individual major components with respect to applicable codes and standards and the use of accepted industry design practices. "The objectives of these reviews are to ensure quality, safety and code compliance for system designs which, hopefully, ensures reliability and customer satisfaction with installations," said Jim Dunlop, senior engineer at FSEC.

"FSEC approval means a lot to us because of the organization's extremely high standards, which factor in Florida's harsh wind and salt-air environment," said AstroPower Director of North American business Howard Wenger. "FSEC approval also confirms what we've been hearing from our partners and installers. Our packaged premium power systems make installation easy and ensure customer satisfaction."