Case Study: Chemica
Solar Energy Consulting PNG was engaged by Chemica Ltd., Papua New Guinea’s leading supplier of chemicals and hardware for the agricultural industry, to design and install a 69kW solar system at its head office in Taraka, Lae.
SEC PNG was tasked to do an extensive energy audit and power quality assessment, with a view to reducing electricity costs and allowing for future expansion, including a battery system. Additional structural assessments and switchboard inspections were undertaken.
The Requirement
Papua New Guinea’s power supply is notorious for its instability. For Chemica, consistent and uninterrupted power is vital to its growth and success.
The goal for this site was to deliver a system which not only met the company’s current energy needs but was expandable to meet future requirements, while also reducing damage created by poor grid quality.
The Solution
During the initial energy assessment, grid power quality issues were identified and PNG Power Ltd was notified of extreme issues likely creating damage to their customers’ connected electrical devices.
Energy consumption modelling was developed from the collected data and used to create a comprehensive proposal detailing the effects of introducing solar and the expected ROI, taking into account supplied current electricity bills.
A solar system with energy monitoring was proposed – featuring high quality bi-facial solar panels from a manufacturer specialising in large commercial and solar farms that provide a true international 25-year warranty, paired with a German-made SMA solar inverter designed to handle extreme conditions. Also covered by an international warranty.
A specially-treated cable management system was selected, with commercial raking from Clenergy to eliminate corrosion during the system’s lifetime.
This system has allowed for reduced energy costs and data collection to allow for comprehensive ongoing assessment with a view for expansion.
Choosing to add a slightly higher amount of solar panels to the inverter has been done to ensure the highest possible production of energy, even on poor solar days.
The modelling suggests a system payback in under 4 years with the current energy costs and energy consumption remaining the same, although this modelling is conservative.
Components
1 x 50kW SMA Sunny Tripower solar inverter
156 x Yingli 440W solar panels
Clenergy panel racking and cable management system
Monitoring
SMA Data Manager and Energy Meter with remote monitoring and control through SMA EnnexOs
