They said this will help developers meet increasingly complex utility and regulatory requirements for their projects.
Merit SI Technologies provides grid integration products and services for utility power generation to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms, developers and power plant operators, while Sungrow is one of the largest inverter and BESS manufacturers globally.
Sungrow North America said it does not import any data or communications technology with its power inverters and battery systems, alluding to the cybersecurity concerns that Chinese companies have faced when selling their technology into the US market.
Those concerns typically mean that Chinese companies cannot provide energy management system (EMS) software. Even when not providing EMS software, there has been some backlash against Chinese technology providers on US projects. Lithium-ion cell and BESS manufacturer CATL has had operational BESS units decommissioned in the past few years, though these were at military bases.
President Trump has ramped up tariffs on China (and almost everyone else) since he came to office, though there doesn’t appear to have been any move to increase controls or limitations on technology from China via cybersecurity or data security regulations, at least not yet.
“Project developers and utilities increasingly recognise that digital interfaces and control systems—while enabling innovation—also introduce new considerations for cybersecurity and grid reliability,” said Michael Hudson, director of cybersecurity strategy at Sungrow Americas.
Merit’s control platform includes features to support grid interoperability, NERC/CIP compliance, and real-time monitoring and has been deployed in dozens of PV, storage, and hybrid installations across the region, it said.
NERC is the North America Electric Reliability Corporation, an organisation which assures the reliability and adequacy of the high-voltage transmission network of the continent, and the CIP (Critical Infrastructure Protection) is one of its mandatory security regulations.
One company that has used Merit and Sungrow’s combined solution is BESS developer-operator Key Capture Energy (KCE), an early mover in the Northeast US market which should be familiar to Energy-Storage.news readers. KCE has deployed Merit’s controls in Texas BESS projects ranging from 20-100MW.
“The synergy between Sungrow’s hardware and Merit SI Technologies’ platform has streamlined our operations and ensured compliance with evolving grid standards,” said Colin Tareila, KCE’s executive VP of asset operations.