Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, a Germany-based applied energy research institute, has launched the 'PVgoesMV' project to demonstrate medium-voltage PV power plants using 3 kV string inverters. The initiative addresses material constraints associated with large-scale PV deployment, as global PV capacity additions are expected to reach around 73 TW by 2050. According to Fraunhofer ISE, increasing system voltage can reduce copper and aluminum requirements in PV power plants. Two pilot PV plants with a connected load of approximately 135 kW are being constructed in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The systems are designed to operate at 3 kV on the DC side and 1.2 kV on the AC side. The medium-voltage PV inverter is based on high-blocking silicon carbide semiconductors previously developed under the MS-Leikra project. The project is testing standard 1,500 V PV modules with center-point grounding and prototype PV modules designed for 3 kV operation. The PVgoesMV project commenced in December 2025 and is being supported by Germany’s 8th Energy Research Program.

2026-01-28-FISE-GKS