INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
Ingeteam wins
contract to
supply 1.17 GWp of
inverters for the
world’s largest
photovoltaic plant
I
ngeteam Power Technology has
been awarded the supply contract
for the world’s largest photovoltaic
plant, being built by Sterling and
Wilson, one of the leading global solar
EPC companies.
The Sweihan PV project, which is to
be constructed in Abu Dhabi, in the
United Arab Emirates, is to have an
installed power of 1,177.36 MW. Once
inaugurated, this will be the largest PV
project in the world to be constructed in
a single generating power plant.
The energy produced is to be purchased
by ADWEC (Abu Dhabi Water and
Electricity Company), the Emirate’s
electricity company, a subsidiary
of ADWEA (Abu Dhabi Water and
Electricity Authority), for subsequent
transmission, distribution and trading.
The consortium of companies
responsible for the development
and operation of the Sweihan PV
project, awarded the engineering
and construction work to the Indian
company Sterling and Wilson, which
then selected Ingeteam’s technology
for this project. Therefore, in early
2018, Ingeteam will start to supply
its new 1,000 Vdc INGECON® SUN
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INTELLIGENTCIO
PowerMax B series central inverters,
capable of delivering a power output of
up to 2,330 kW.
These units are known as dual inverters
due to the fact that they combine two
power blocks with a common AC busbar,
facilitating the direct connection with
the medium voltage transformer.
The solution provided in power
station format comprises two dual
inverters together with the other
devices required for low to medium
voltage conversion. Namely the LV/
MV transformer together with an
enclosure housing the medium voltage
cells, auxiliary services transformer, low
voltage switchgear, UPS and a cooling
system with air conditioning.
The solution developed by Ingeteam,
known as the Inverter Station,
incorporates two 2.33 MW photovoltaic
inverters for the supply of 4.66 MW.
These new dual inverters are suitable for
outdoor installation, being specifically
designed to withstand extreme climate
conditions, such as those present at
Sweihan in Abu Dhabi.
Moreover, Ingeteam has purchased a
chamber to conduct dust and sand tests
in accordance with the IEC 60068-2-68
international standard. This chamber
makes it possible to conduct additional
tests, such as the inverter response
to sandstorms, which are extremely
common at sites of this type.
It has been used to check the correct
operation of the inverter, as well as
the efficiency of its ‘sand trap’ system
to prevent the ingress of particles
into the inverter, while collecting the
grains of sand and facilitating their
subsequent removal.
Thanks to this system, Ingeteam’s
PV inverters have been certified by an
external body as able to withstand
sandstorms, as described in standard
IEC 60068-2-68.
The Management of Ingeteam Power
Technology expressed its satisfaction
with the contract award, stating “the
signing of this contract is the fruit of
all the hard work put in right from the
outset, marking yet another success in
the company’s bid to enter the Middle
East market.”
Once commissioned, the plant will save
around seven million tonnes of carbon
emissions every year. n
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