The farming community in New Zealand are taking the installation of Solar PV Systems to another level. With the cost of electricity rising and the need to avoid congestion charges at peak times, they are now looking at solar as the way forward to reduce there on farm running costs.
Matt Taylor, the owner of Otago Power & Refrigeration installed this latest system for Devon Dairies in the Central Otago region near Lake Hawea. At 990kW it has the capacity to power a large number of pivots required for irrigating during the summer months.
Ten x Fimer 100kW three phase string inverters are used to convert the DC arrays into AC power. These were chosen for their extreme high-power ratings which maximizes the ROI for decentralized ground mounted applications. With six MPPT, energy harvesting is optimized even in shading situations.
The horizontal and vertical mounting possibility creates flexibility for both ground mounted and rooftop installations. Covers are equipped with hinges and locks that are fast to open and reduce the risk of damaging the chassis and interior components when commissioning and performing maintenance actions.
The system comprises of 2182 x 550w panels installed on a pile driven ground mount system. The contractor used the latest Gayk GPS pile driving machine to get the accuracy needed for mounting such a large array of solar panels.
Matt said the S-Rack ground mount system was chosen for its strength and ease of construction. The Sigma S1 Steel is a single post, pile-driven PV mounting system that allows for flexible arrangement of modules in either portrait or landscape orientation. The system design and high level of pre-assembly translates into considerable savings as a result of reduced number of components involved and shorter installation times.
One of the significant characteristics of the New Sigma S1 Steel is the combination of high-quality galvanized steel components, stainless-steel fasteners, and marine-grade aluminium clamps. This guarantees excellent corrosion resistance and maximum durability.
Technology has come a long way over the last decade. And the costs associated with solar have come down. You can expect to see more of these projects will come on-line over the coming years.