Cape Town-based energy storage solutions company BlueNova Energy has launched its first fully integrated solar photovoltaic (PV) system – the CompactHybird – onto the South African market.

The solution consists of a 4 kWh BlueNova battery and a 3 kVA hybrid inverter, both of which are housed in a single wall-mountable container.

BlueNova embarked on the development and marketing of its integrated solution based on the interest of customers in accessing turnkey hybrid renewable-energy solutions from a one-stop shop.

“The inverter and PV panels are sourced from established manufacturers who employ pure sine wave technology and polycrystalline PV cells,” says BlueNova Energy sales and marketing executive Werner Leibbrandt. He adds that the use of such components, which are engineered to be used as an integrated package, has been factory-tested to ensure best performance, resulting in BlueNova Energy issuing a ten-year warranty on the CompactHybrid.

The solution is also cost effective, says Leibbrandt, explaining that prices of lithium ferrous phosphate batteries are constantly decreasing, resulting in solutions like the CompactHybrid still offering the advantages of advanced battery technology of lithium-battery-based energy storage at a “more affordable price”.

The CompactHybird solution also includes an integrated battery management system (BMS), which provides battery cell balancing, depth of discharge control and short-circuit protection.

According to Leibbrandt, the lithium ferrous phosphate batteries are also the “safest among the lithium-ion family” of batteries, as the causation of chemical fires in the rare event of cells being ruptured or overcharged is mitigated by the safe LiFePO4 cell chemistry and the built-in BMS.

“This bundled technology is ideal for small households that want to reduce or eliminate their electricity costs,” says Leibbrandt, adding that the CompactHybrid is also suited to areas or regions in which electricity is not available, such as rural villages, small schools and clinics, as well as camp sites.

The CompactHybrid is also available in an 8 kWh version with a 5 kVA inverter and adequate solar panels for customers who require the increased storage capacity.