ABB announced that a 160-sq meter solar array was installed on the roof of the company’s Argentinean plant, generating about 40 MWh of electricity per year.
Other ABB buildings that have installed solar generating capacity include a low-voltage factory in Nelamangala, India; a drives factory in Helsinki, Finland; and ABB’s head office and manufacturing complex in Modderfontein, South Africa.
"This was an interesting and challenging project, as ABB was both supplier and customer," said Duilio Magi, project manager. "We had to assemble a team and come up with a scope and delivery time that satisfied the final user, which was us. I want to thank my colleagues for their collaboration and flexibility, which helped us solve every difficulty and improve the final results of this project."
For the Buenos Aires factory ABB engineers designed six rows of 18 PV panels each, connected in series, as well as the structural frames holding the panels in place on the terrace. ABB technology including the ACS800 industrial inverter drive and AC800 controller were initially used to convert direct current (DC) produced by the panels into grid-quality alternating current (AC).
Project developers have now got their hands on an ABB PVS300 string inverter, specially designed to connect small and medium-sized PV systems to the public grid. Building-installed PV systems are fine examples of distributed power generation, which helps to reduce the amount of electricity removed from the grid during peak daytime hours, increasing grid stability, the company added.
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