FILIPINO company Solenergy Systems, Inc. has installed a 4.77-megawatt (mW) peak solar power system on the roof of Japan Tobacco International’s (JTI) Batangas facility, describing it as the largest self-consumption rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system in Southeast Asia.
In a statement on Thursday, Solenergy said the system installed on the JTI facility’s rooftop is composed of 17,040 solar panels from Canadian Solar, Inc. It covers a roof area of over 27,000 square meters.
The panels are then connected to 213 Fronius International GmbH grid-tied inverters, which dynamically convert the yielded solar power to usable AC electricity, it said.
“The system was designed for self-consumption to directly offset JTI’s power demands. To achieve this, Solenergy deployed their proprietary curtailment control system, which dynamically regulates the power generated to match the client’s needs,” the company added.
Solenergy said the solar PV system is expected to generate annually close to 6.5 gigawatt-hours of energy, which is enough to power 4,300 homes. The system will offset as much as 4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that would otherwise have been produced by grid-sourced power.
“Since pre-construction phase, close coordination with JTI had been key to streamlining the architectural and electrical designs of such a large project. One notable challenge was finding a cost effective and structurally sound mounting solution for the plant’s membrane roof system,” it said.
Discussions then led to a custom bracketing system designed by Solenergy that achieved these objectives while maintaining the roof’s watertight seal.
“Advanced features of the Fronius inverters were also critical to the project’s success, as they are being used to help regulate and optimize the client’s power factor. In addition, the lightweight, low maintenance nature of the Fronius inverters make them ideal for industrial applications,” it said.
Solenergy said it is also the only service partner for Fronius in the Philippines, allowing it to also perform all warranty and service requirements on site. — Victor V. Saulon
