Little Box Challenge — Finalist Inverters To Be Tested By NREL

September 25th, 2014 by James Ayre
 
The 18 finalist inverters of the “Little Box Challenge” will undergo extensive performance testing after the initial selection process at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, according to a recent press announcement.

As part of this final testing process, the high power density inverters submitted to the Little Box Challenge will undergo more than 100 hours of rigorous evaluation at NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility â€" via the use of state-of-the-art equipment by world-class technical researchers.

Google Green Blog provides more:

The results will help us ensure that the best entry wins by evaluating how the devices meet the specifications required of the high power density design. A large component of the the testing process will involve feeding DC power (the power that comes out of solar panels) to the inverters and seeing how well they provide AC electricity under various load conditions, while maintaining high conversion efficiency and not overheating. The testing staff will also look for and measure electromagnetic interference and super technical details like ripple current and total harmonic distortion.

Those interested still have time to sign up if they so choose â€" registration is open until September 30, 2014. And the deadline to submit your technical approach (if you’ve registered) and testing application is July 22, 2015.

The 18 finalists will have the opportunity to discuss their designs and approaches, and to receive a tour of the testing facility, during the testing process as part of an event hosted by NREL, Google and the IEEE Power Electronic Society.

Image Credit: Google/Little Box Challenge

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About the Author

James Ayre 's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.