To be able to benefit from the solar system even during snowy winter periods, Solutronic has developed a DE-ICING BOX specifically for use with its SOLPLUS 25-55 and SOLPLUS 80-120 inverters. The DE-ICING BOX enables snow that falls on the PV generator to be thawed and then slide off by actively switching the inverter to feedback mode in order to heat the generator.

The DE-ICING BOX is available for the following inverters:

1-phase inverters
SOLPLUS 25 – 55 (from date of manufacture week 20/2007)
DE-ICING BOX 1 P

3-phasige Wechselrichter
SOLPLUS 80 – 120 (from Firmware version 1.45)
DE-ICING BOX 3 P

How it works

The DE-ICING BOX and the inverter are connected to one another by a data cable and a DC input on the inverter. The DE-ICING BOX is connected to the power socket by means of an IEC power cable. The thaw mode is controlled by means of three different parameters: the thawing time in minutes, the heating current in amperes and the maximum heating voltage in volts. These parameters can be set either directly on the inverters' own display or using a PC connected to the serial port. The thawing period begins when the start button on the DE-ICING BOX is pressed and is indicated by a green LED.

Operating conditions

The DE-ICING BOX can be used with installations equipped with one or more SOLPLUS inverters.
Prerequisite for its use is that the roof on which the PV system is installed has an appropriate pitch and the area below the solar modules is free of obstructions.

Energy balance

The internal data logger of the SOLPLUS inverter can be set so that it displays an overview of the energy required for thaw mode. Evaluation of the data indicates how the values can be best defined for the system, so that as little energy as possible is used to clear the generator of snow depending on the pitch of the roof, the location, the module type and the snow load.

Technical data DE-ICING BOX 1 P

Input
Mains connection: 230 V AC +/-15%
Mains frequency: 50 Hz +/-5 Hz
Max. power input: 30 W / Standby <0.5 W

Output
short-circuit-proof
Max. inverter heating voltage: 835 V

Mechanical system
Temperature range: -20 to +40°C
Degree of protection: IP 54
Dimensions (H x W x D): 64 × 106 × 131 mm
Suitable for wall mounting

Weight: approx. 850 g

Technical data DE-ICING BOX 3 P

Input
Mains connection: 230 VAC +/-20%
Mains frequency: 50-60 Hz +/-5 Hz
Max. power input: 100 W / Standby <0.5 W

Output
short-circuit-proof
Max. inverter heating voltage: 835 V

Mechanical system
Temperature range: -20 to +60°C
Degree of protection: IP 65
Dimensions (H x W x D): 250 × 175 × 75 mm
Suitable for wall mounting

Weight: 2 kg