2011-12-14 - ABB has supplied solar inverters and inverter housing with integrated medium voltage (MV) components, including service contract, for a 4,99 megawatt-peak (MWp) photovoltaic (PV) power plant in UK.
ABB has recently provided solar inverters and MV components with housing for a 4,99 MWp PV power plant located in the former World War II RAF (Royal Air Force) airfield of Long Newton in Wiltshire. The delivery comprised ten 500 kilowatt (kW) ABB central inverters, PVS800. The inverters were delivered together with transformers and ABB 36 kilovolt (kV) Safeplus switchgears. In total, ABB provided five integrated and engineered housings for all electrical equipment. Additionally, a sixth housing was delivered, with switchgear and protection equipment for the interconnection to the Scottish Southern Power Distribution electricity network. ABB’s scope also includes services for the PV plant for the next five years to maintain equipment and ensure maximum return on investment for the customer.
The Spanish customer Sunstroom developed and built the plant. Sunstroom is an experienced solar plant developer, builder and operator expanding its business to the world market. Company Heliene provided approx. 20,000 mono-crystalline solar modules. The project covers in total more than 35 acres and is one of the biggest ground-mounted PV plants in the UK.
“ABB manufactures and supplies a broad range of high quality products suitable for large PV power plants. This is a real benefit for customers and shows that ABB can offer fully integrated PV solutions and a one-stop-buying possibility,” says Steve Moore, solar inverter sales manager in ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division in the UK. “Offering short delivery times was one of the most important aspects of why ABB was selected. As the solar power market is growing rapidly both nationally and worldwide, we are extremely satisfied that ABB has expanded its business to the PV market and the product portfolio now includes solar inverters. As the UK market matures and the costs of large PV power plants are reduced, the opportunities for ABB central inverters with the support of our local service will continue to grow.”
“ABB has the unique position of being both an OEM of electrical and controls equipment and a turn-key developer of PV power plants. This allows us to provide a unified offering to customers and seamlessly integrate all the components, from the solar panels to the grid connection,” says Carlos de Palacio, Market Manager in ABB’s Power Systems division in Spain. “Thanks to focused work and lean internal cooperation, we managed to meet the customer’s needs and helped them achieve the targeted feed-in-tariff successfully.”
The ABB central inverter, rated from 100 to 500 kW, is designed for multi-megawatt PV power plants and for use in medium-sized power plants installed in industrial and commercial buildings. Based on ABB’s decades of experience with a proven power converter technology platform, the inverters convert the direct current generated by solar modules into grid compatible alternating current with 98.6% maximum efficiency and very low auxiliary power consumption.
The ABB 36 kV Safeplus switchgear is designed for compact substations in distribution networks, as well as for PV power plants, minimizing losses in the plant distribution network with a reduced footprint.