Rapid Shutdown and Fire Safety in Solar with Jing Tian, Tigo Energy EP 120

Nobody likes to talk about rooftop solar fires but solar safety is vital for the growth of our industry. In fact, the risk of an electrical fire from your solar array is very small - certainly a fraction of a percent. But more and better safety is always good which is why we are excited to bring you Jing Tian, Chief Growth Officer for Tigo Energy on today’s show. Rapid shutdown really came into force in the US in 2017 and this forced installers and developers to begin adopting module-level power electronics (MLPE) which are a safety shutoff for solar PV systems.

Rapid shutdown refers to the ability of the array to shut itself down and stop producing voltage when the grid goes down or there is some other warning signal from the array (perhaps a short, other hazardous triggers). This makes the solar facility safe for first responders who might be working on the grid and it can reduce small problems from becoming catastrophes. Tigo Energy is a power electronics company with innovative solutions to enhance safety via rapid shutdown devices.

Our guest today is Jing Tian, the Chief Growth Officer for Tigo Energy. She has over 20 years of technical and business experience working with companies like Credence, Solfocus, Shift Energy, and Trina Solar. Prior to joining Tigo Energy, she spent over a decade working with solar equipment manufacturers across the industry. On this episode of the Clean Power Hour Jing joins Tim Montague to discuss what rapid shutdown is, how it works, why it is important and much more. 

Key Takeaways

1. Why and how did she get into the solar industry?
2. Solar companies she has been part of and her experience there
3. What is rapid shutdown, how does it work and why is it important?
4. What triggers Rapid Shutdown and what is cross-talk?
5. Tigo Energy’s rapid shutdown solutions 

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The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com