Hex Power System cuts through the noise with X2 HMIs

Innovators in the solar power industry

For the last 20 years, Hex Power has been devoted to developing technology that supports renewable energy. The company’s solar inverters convert the variable direct current output of a photovoltaic solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current that can be fed into a commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. Hex Power’s vision is to continue to produce modern and efficient products, to lower cost for customers and - crucially - to work towards lowering CO2 emissions and thereby have a positive environmental impact.

The dangers of data disruption

The biggest issue Hex Power faced back in 2016 was electrical noise disrupting the data produced by their inverters. Another consideration was that, for customers, daily power generation was directly related to their profit, so the data produced by the inverters and the overall product performance needed to be robust.

As Jun Young Lee, Senior Engineer, R&D Department at Hex Power System says: “Much of the electricity generated by our solar inverters is sold to the government to power the national grid - so the accuracy of the data is paramount. We couldn’t afford to compromise on data quality, so we started looking for a new solution and compared several different suppliers. Beijer Electronics was the standout solution, and we have been working with them ever since.”

Best-in-class hardware and software solution

Beijer Electronics’ team in South Korea delivered a comprehensive package including hardware, software and service solutions. Hex Power installed the X2 base 7 HMI for their small and mid-range inverters and the X2 pro for the high-range inverters requiring extra power and more flexible data management.

Beijer Electronics also designed and implemented new software and built-in C# script reporting functionality which saved Hex Power significant data-processing and development time - and allowed them to extract accurate data quickly and easily.

“The X2 HMIs from Beijer Electronics met all the requirements we were looking for, including secure local and remote data handling, longer lifespan and standard certification,” says Jun Young Lee. “I believe all of this has significantly enhanced the robustness of our inverters and improved the overall efficiency in our system management.” 

Customization capabilities deliver cost-saving and optimized performance

It was important for the new solution to be compatible with the drivers on the control board as Hex Power currently have six different models in operation. Beijer Electronics also developed a new function using C# script in iX Developer to create a customized report format. This means all the data captured can now be analysed directly on the HMI panel rather than exported manually, saving the Hex Power team a lot of time and making it significantly easier to manage and run daily, monthly and annual reports.

“For the first time, we can guarantee accurate, secure data logging regardless of the environments our inverters are operating in,” says Jun Young Kim. “With downtime all but eliminated, we have been able to concentrate on offering the best service to our customers. We can provide a more stable service and save costs for on-site technical support.”

Dedicated support and proactive advice

The team at Hex Power have been extremely satisfied with the relationship to date. As Jun Young Kim says:

“Beijer Electronics understood our challenges right from the start: We needed the best electrical anti-noise panels, and we wanted to increase the lifespan of our products. We wanted to find a partner who was going to proactively suggest innovative solutions with the best robust functionality, design and longevity - and, of course, for a project of this size, we also needed best-in-class technical support.

“From the moment we began the conversion project in 2016, we have been very satisfied with the great support we have received from everybody at a local level, but also the wider APAC and global Beijer Electronics organization who have helped to develop a unique and completely customized solution.

“With the success of this project, we are looking forward to expanding the adoption of Beijer solutions to our main inverter model which is still using commercial touch panels.”

Hex Power System is a solar inverter manufacturer based in Seoul, South Korea. They provide a wide range of inverters for residential, commercial and industrial applications. The company was struggling with electrical noise which was causing disruption to the data output on their existing touch panels and affecting the overall lifespan of their products. In 2016, they began looking at dedicated HMI providers, and decided to work with Beijer Electronics.