ABB has supplied its award winning PVS-175 high power inverters to Costa Rica’s largest solar park offering improved performance and helping remote communities across the region become connected to reliable solar power.
With 95 percent of Costa Rica’s energy coming from renewable resources such as hydropower, geothermal and wind, the country is looking for alternative sources to reduce its reliance on hydropower and safeguard its long-term energy security in the wake of changeable weather patterns.
As part of a visionary energy program involving COOPELESCA (Cooperative de Electrificación de Rural de San Carlos), a cooperative founded in 1965 and the national business consortium for energy, CONELECTRICAS (Consorcio Nacional de Empresas de Electrificación de Costa Rica R.L.) they have been working closely to explore innovative energy projects that can help more communities become connected to renewable energy sources.
Gianluca Pieralli, Regional Sales Manager Americas at ABB said: “Once we saw the project brief and application requirements, we knew the PVS-175 high power inverter was critical to help assure the high-quality yields and sustainable performance through higher voltage and higher power classes. We are very excited to be enabling more Costa Ricans to access solar energy in a reliable, safe and cost-effective manner.”
Taking just four months to complete the high profile solar park, Thesan, a leading EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) and ABB provided a modular power block PV installation that could be successfully deployed within such a demanding timeframe.
The ABB power block concept at the park included 28 PVS-175 inverters offering complete flexibility and scalability for future projects and improved sustainable performance with increased yields and availability factor.
The three-phase PVS-175 string inverter delivers the largest high-power density within the 1500 Vdc segment on the market with up to 185 kVA at 800 Vac and can achieve an ultrahigh-power density of 1.2 kW/kg.
Thanks to plug and play connectors, the PVS-175 provides quick and easy installation, as the existing PV module’s mounting system can be used to install the inverters, saving site preparation time and costs, including money spent on plant equipment hire, making it an ideal inverter solution for Costa Rica.
Maurizio De Donno, CTO, Thesan, said: “One of the key aspects of the PVS-175 is the ability to isolate the system during maintenance. This was critical for us as it means that if one unit shuts down, the others could continue operating at their highest capacity for performance with no single point of failure. ABB’s technical expertise and complete 360 solution meant we could deliver a ground-breaking response beyond customer expectation and create sustainable energy communities for all.”
ABB is a pioneering technology leader with a comprehensive offering for digital industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB is today a leader in digital industries with four customer-focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by its common ABB Ability™ digital platform. ABB’s market leading Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. www.abb.com
