News

Ballard Breaks into Solar Inverter Market with Ecostar

April 14, 2004 by Jeff Shepard

Ballard Power Systems Inc. (Vancouver, BC, Canada) recently unveiled a new 75 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) power, grid-tie utility, interactive inverter designed for large solar PV applications. The new Ecostar inverter is only available to PV customers. The new inverter comes from the company's extensive experience developing inverters for automotive and microturbine applications, and is proving to be a flexible product design.

With peak transformer efficiency of 98.4 percent, system operating losses reduced to 25 W and continuous power output at full load, the Ecostar power converter is claimed to be one of the most efficient commercial inverters available in North America. Ballard offers a five-year extended warranty for parts and labor, and is listed by the California Energy Commission.

Ballard expects to add a 30 kW inverter product for PV applications to its product offerings for installations in the second half of 2004.