FIMER, a global leader in solar inverter technology, was selected as a solar module provider of choice for the first two of five mid-large scale solar farms in regional South Australia. The solar farms, led by Yates Electrical Services Group (YES Group) and Sustainable Energy Infrastructure, will deliver approximately 20 MW of electricity generation to the SA grid that will power around 5,000 homes.
FIMER’s PVS-175 and Medium Voltage Compact Skid Inverter Solutions will feature in the Bowmans and Renmark solar farm projects that began construction in early 2021 and were fully commissioned in September this year.
FIMER Technology: Modular, Flexible and Scalable
As Australia looks to accelerate our transition to renewable energy to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, many solar projects will need to be designed with quick installation, scalability and flexibility in mind.
The PVS-175 is a three phase string inverter and comes with 12 independent MPPTs for increased design flexibility and increasing yields. The fuse-free design delivers up to 185 kVA at 800Vac, which not only maximises ROI in ground-mounted utility-scale applications but also reduces Balance Of System costs (i.e. AC side cabling) when installing free field ground-mounted PV installations of any scale.
The inverters installed on both sites are connected to FIMER’s Medium Voltage Compact Skid (MVCS), which includes both LV and MV switchgear, transformer and protection in a pre-fabricated skid that enables an easy and cost-effective connection of each solar farm to the South Australian grid.
Mark Yates, Director of YES Group, spoke about the history and reason for choosing FIMER’s technology, saying, “Since YES Group launched the Redmud Green Energy project 5 years ago in South Australia, FIMER/ABB have been a key component of our projects.”
“FIMER’s products are modular, flexible and scalable. Their solutions provide a simple and effective solution for installation, deployment and the ongoing operation and maintenance of medium to large scale projects. This has enabled us to roll out our distributed network of solar farms – consisting of over one hundred 200kW to 5MW projects – throughout South Australia in a relatively short time frame and meeting a very high standard of quality.”
Mark Yates concluded by saying, “Our relationship with FIMER has always been built on a mutual understanding of delivering high-quality projects on time and on budget. Our dealings with FIMER have always been professional, with a high level of communication and excellent delivery times.”
Jason Venning, FIMER Country Manager – Australia and New Zealand, spoke about the FIMER solution for these projects, saying, “It has been fantastic to work with Mark and the YES Group team again on such high-quality solar farm projects. FIMER is proud to have delivered our high-quality, Italian-made PVS-175 string inverter and MV compact skid technology on both sites.”
Bowmans Solar Farm Project
The Bowmans Solar Farm is a 1.9MW solar project located 100km north of Adelaide. The installation features eleven FIMER PVS-175 string inverters combined with single-axis tracking to increase output efficiency. Fully commissioned in September 2021, the project comprises 4,400 panels which will produce over 4 850 MWh per year, powering over 750 homes in average Australian weather conditions.
Renmark Solar Farm Project
The 4 MW Renmark Solar Farm was fully commissioned in September 2021. Located 250km northeast of Adelaide, the site encompasses over 9,790 solar panels, single-axis tracking and 24 FIMER PVS-175 string inverters combined with FIMER’s PVS-175-MVCS solution. The farm will produce over 10,000 MWh per year, powering over 1300 homes.
