PowerBloc Technology

A Powerful Solution. The PowerBloc is a primary power supply to a home or business, with utility power secondary or optional. The PowerBloc’s powerful inverter can run high-demand appliances such as air conditioners. Solar panels with YouSolar’s proprietary panel-level micro-converters create an efficient, modular, and shade-tolerant solar array. A modular parallel battery system using bi-directional converters creates the most advanced energy storage system on the market. A rectifier ads energy to the system but shields the system from grid transients. With the PowerBloc, you will never notice any interruption, not even a glitch, when utility power goes out or comes back. The PowerBloc®️delivers perfect and constant power in any situation.
Cut The Wire. Going from partial self-supply to being entirely off the grid only requires adding more batteries and solar panels without changing the system otherwise. Using a fuel generator can “extend the range” of the batteries where reliability is an absolute must, or eliminate the need for utility power. Never before has ”grid defection” been easier.
Automate, But Control. Power from various sources blends seamlessly and is controlled by an intelligent energy management system, EDISON™. EDISON delivers a solar production forecast, learns load patterns, and allows users to select performance targets. The system can be monitored and manually controlled on an intuitive user interface table that is part of the system.
A Core Built on an Emerging Standard. All PowerBloc solar+battery systems are based on the emerging direct current standard using proprietary and state-of-the-art power electronics for seamless, reliable, and robust operation.
Start With The Basics. You can build the most formidable custom PowerBloc using its modules or blocs, although most customers will start with our pre-configured systems.
Modularity To The Max. PowerBloc is a modular system, and all modules are in parallel. This means that you can also have multiple modules of the same type. For example, for a 30-kW solar array, you would use one 1-Branch (10 kW) and one 2-Branch (2 x 10 kW) STEP-IN™ Solar Input module.
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PowerBloc Modules

DIYA™ Tablet

DIYA™ is a beautiful and highly intuitive user interface that makes understanding and operating the PowerBloc® easy and enjoyable. DIYA gives you complete control of your system through multiple features such as tomorrow’s solar forecast and a troubleshooting menu. Much more than a dashboard, when in standby mode, DIYA is a practical timepiece and weather station, and you’ll find system performance information cleverly integrated into the clock’s dial. DIYA comes on an Android tablet. It directly connects to the TRAFFIC™ Controller using WIFI.

DIYA will also soon be available as a web app.

Watch the Video and “Say Hello” to a User Interface that
Loves You Back. (1 min.)

TRAFFIC™ Controller

The TRAFFIC™ Controller monitors and controls energy and power on the system, runs analytic and optimization software, communicates with the DIYA™ User Interface, the internet, and external devices such as a generator. The TRAFFIC Controller communicates with all addressable modules (TWIN™, FORCE™, EXTEND™, STEP-IN™, and POWER-LINK™) using the BLOC-LINK™ protocol on the RS485 communications standard. A rugged, industrial environment Linux single-board computer inside TRAFFIC is the “brains” of the PowerBloc.

BLOC-LINK™ Busbar

Each cabinet has one BLOC-LINK™ Busbar. The BLOC-LINK Busbar combines the High Potential Direct Current (“HVDC”) wires and communication lines of modules in the cabinet. The daisy-chained HVDC bus adds current from each module and terminates it at the busbar. There are four (4) RS485 communications channels. Each channel can accept up to twenty-three (23) addressable modules (TWIN™, FORCE™, EXTEND™, and STEP-IN™, and POWER-LINK™).

POWER-LINK™
Inverter Control

Each inverter connects to a POWER-LINK™ Inverter Control. POWER-LINK provides an accurate measurement of the High Potential Direct Current (“HVDC”) and current into the inverter and provides a “soft start” of the inverter. POWER-LINK includes an interface for communication with multiple 3rd party inverters and automatic transfer switches. POWER-LINK communicates using the BLOC-LINK protocol with the TRAFFIC controller. TRAFFIC is able to communicate with multiple POWER-LINKs which allows the PowerBloc to have multiple inverters and even different inverters in the same system.

STEP™ Micro-Converter

The STEP™ Micro-Converter is a panel-level DC-DC micro-converter that steps up each solar panel’s potential to the High Potential Direct Current (“HVDC”) bus of the PowerBloc nano-grid.

STEP is rail-mounted and allows the use of customer-specified solar panels. STEP works with any solar panel with an Open Circuit Potential of 24-60 Volts. It uses an innovative two-stage switching network to achieve over 95% conversion efficiency. Each STEP delivers up to 380 W of power, and there can be up to 30 STEPs on one branch.

STEP shuts down rapidly if the branch line opens due to a fault or if the user presses the system’s emergency stop. The user can also turn off the array on the STEP-IN module or the DIYA User Interface.

STEP-IN™
Solar Input Module
1 Branch

The 1-Branch STEP-IN™ Solar Input Module connects one Branch of a Solar Array equipped with STEP™ Micro-Converters. Solar panel-level STEP Micro-converters combined with the STEP-IN Solar Input Module create a solar array that is safe, efficient, and flexible. A Branch is a “daisy chain” of up to thirty (30) × STEP Micro-Converters for up to 10 kW|DC of solar power. The Branch will rapidly shut down, which means when a Branch is turned off, its electric potential will fall below 30 Volts in less than 30 seconds. The 1-Branch STEP-IN Solar Input Module delivers up to 10 kW to the PowerBloc.

STEP-IN™
Solar Input Module
2 Branches

The 2-Branch STEP-IN™ Solar Input Module connects two Branches of a Solar Array equipped with STEP™ Micro-Converters. Solar panel-level STEP Micro-converters combined with the STEP-IN Solar Input Module create a solar array that is safe, efficient, and flexible. A Branch is a “daisy chain” of up to thirty (30) × STEP Micro-Converters for up to 10 kW|DC of solar power. The Branch will rapidly shut down, which means when a Branch is turned off, its electric potential will fall below 30 Volts in less than 30 seconds. The 2-Branch STEP-IN Solar Input Module delivers up to 20 kW to the PowerBloc.

TWIN™
Bi-Directional Converter

The TWIN™ Bi-directional Converter steps up the battery pack’s 50 V electric potential to the 400 V potential of the PowerBloc’s High Potential Direct Current (HVDC) bus and the potential of the HVDC bus down to the battery potential. TWIN can charge any rate in the range of 0-4 kW and discharge at 0-3.8 kW. TWIN can be connected to one or two batteries. When two batteries are used, then they will operate in parallel. The TRAFFIC Controller manages the operation of multiple TWINs on the PowerBloc.

A PowerBloc typically has three or more TWINs. TWIN delivers unprecedented flexibility and performance.

50V Battery Pack

Lithium-Iron Phosphate, LiFePO4


The PowerBloc uses a safe and high-discharge 50 Volt LiFePO4 battery which requires no active cooling. Each battery pack is equipped with a battery management system. YouSolar uses a 50V battery pack with an energy storage capacity of 5.1 kWh and delivers up to 100 A over the entire range of the discharge curve.

EXTEND™ Rectifier

The EXTEND™ Rectifier extends the 400V direct current nano-grid to integrate AC power sources such as utility or generator power. The EXTEND has four bays which can each hold a 3kW rectifier. All four AC input lines are electrically isolated. Therefore, up to four different AC sources can connect to the EXTEND (or one AC source can be distributed over multiple lines). The EXTEND can accept power at frequencies of 50 or 60 Hertz and electric potentials of 200-250 Volts. TRAFFIC controls all AC inputs EXTEND individually.

CAPS™
Capacitor Module

The CAPS™ Bus Capacitor Module holds six large capacitors, which keep the High Potential Direct Current bus stable when the TWIN™ Bi-Directional Converters switch from charge to discharge mode. The capacitors also absorb ripples from the inverter.

CAPS is not required for some PowerBlocs. Ask YouSolar if you require a CAPS module.

SPOT™ Solar
Irradiance Forecast

The SPOT™ Solar Irradiance Forecast is YouSolar’s historical and real-time solar irradiance data service. SPOT has global coverage and includes terrain shading. SPOT accesses historical and real-time meteorological data from satellites to create a location-specific historical data set and real-time forecast. Internet-connected PowerBloc nanogrids receive an hourly 5-day forecast every two hours. PowerBloc’s EDISON™ Energy Management System then uses this data to create a solar production forecast.

SPOT Solar Irradiance Forecast
Micro-Link

MICRO-LINK™ Module

The MICRO-LINK™ allows you to connect two PowerBlocs together to share energy. MICRO-LINK is a 750 V DC connection that can transfer power efficiently across distances over up to 1,000 meters. Each PowerBloc has MICRO-LINK Module and both locations are connected by a High Potential Direct Current (HVDC) line. Both PowerBloc’s communicate with each other and offer or request energy from the other PowerBloc.

MICRO-LINK is the first step of YouSolar to offering a complete microgrid solution that can network PowerBlocs in tens or even hundreds collocated of homes. The YouSolar microgrid will also include POWER-EXCHANGE™ a central hub which can bank energy from homes for use by other homes in the network and trade energy and power with a connected utility.

MICRO-LINK will be available in 2023.

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