Petra Solar to Unveil Next Generation Gridwave™ Solutions at SEGIS Conference

U.S. Department of Energy SEGIS Demonstration Conference: Innovation Transforming the Nation’s Electric Grid, September 29, 2011, Mays Landing, NJ

(South Plainfield, NJ – September 26, 2011) Petra Solar, a NJ- based technology company providing reliable, cost-effective smart energy solutions to the electric supply industry, will be unveiling its GridWave solutions at the Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) Demonstration Conference, taking place September 29th in Mays Landing, NJ. The conference, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories and Petra Solar will showcase next generation GridWave technologies that make solar a more reliable and cost effective part of the energy mix.

At this conference, attendees will learn about and see demonstrations of the state-of-the-art GridWave solutions developed through the SEGIS initiative, which was launched by the DOE and Sandia to develop advancements that maintain or improve power quality and reliability while increasing PV solar technologies contributions and economic value to the U.S. electrical grid.

“We are thrilled that our domestic and international utility partners will be joining us at this landmark conference that puts our innovative DOE-funded GridWave technologies at the forefront of advanced grid reliability solutions,” said Dr. Shihab Kuran, Petra Solar President and CEO. “The SEGIS contract has enabled us to go from the lab to the field with new and advanced innovations that will revolutionize the electric supply industry. At the conference, we will showcase our smart solar platform and GridWave advanced renewable energy technologies for grid stabilization including, voltage regulation through dynamic reactive power management, voltage ride through, and microgrid operation and management.”

The GridWave solutions extend the capability of Petra Solar’s SunWave™ smart energy offerings with capabilities supporting grid reliability, stability and efficiency. GridWave solutions enable distribution utilities to proactively manage grid effects caused by renewable generation intermittency such as sudden over or under voltage conditions as well as supporting existing grid infrastructure by reducing switching frequency of on-load tap changers, voltage regulators and capacitor banks.
GridWave solutions are based on the concept of generator emulation which captures the inertial behavior as well as finite and controlled impedance of a synchronous generator, to enable stable grid management. Providing a superset of functionality to industry-standard UL 1741 operation, GridWave enables utilities to move to next-generation grid reliability functionality while providing the option for existing standard UL 1741 modes.

Three levels of GridWave functionality are offered, Flex-tie™, Smart-tie™ and Smart-tie™ Microgrid, enabling levels of operation from supporting manually-operated grid reliability functions to fully-automated voltage regulation and smart microgrid capabilities.

Speakers at the event will include New Jersey BPU Commissioner Jeanne Fox, as well as executives from major utilities, the U.S. Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories and Greentech Media. Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula will moderate a utility panel and build conversations around real-world experiences of large scale PV integration.

Visit the event website at: http://www.segisconference.com for more information.

About Petra Solar:
Petra Solar, founded in 2006 by CEO and President Dr. Kuran, has pioneered new technology that combines distributed solar energy generation with Smart Grid communications and improved grid reliability features to create a utility grade solution that delivers the highest economic value for solar power. Petra Solar’s innovative SunWave™ system provides distributed clean energy that ties directly into the electric grid, and does not require an upgrade to either the current transmission or distribution infrastructure, eliminating grid interconnection issues faced by traditional solar systems. One of the key advantages of the Petra Solar solution is its flexible grid integration architecture that enables installation on existing assets that can hold one or more solar modules such as utility and streetlight poles, rooftops, and other available structures. In addition, the SunWave distributed solar and Smart Grid technology prevents instabilities caused by intermittent renewable energy sources, which enables utilities to maintain high power quality for electric customers as solar deployment growth accelerates. Petra Solar's success is the culmination of more than 19 years of research and development. For more information about Petra Solar visit www.petrasolar.com.

For more information:
Mary Grikas
Vice President Communications, Petra Solar 
Phone: 732.429.3908
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it