FIMER, one of the world’s largest, tier 1, manufacturers of solar inverter solutions, has partnered with energy investor, Cengiz Enerji, on a major 80MW hybrid solar power plant in Turkey, which will provide a total of 131,2 GWh of clean energy per year to Turkey’s national grid.
The project – the first and largest of its kind in Turkey - will be located alongside the 500MW Aşağıkaleköy hydroelectric power plant and is part of a major renewables drive in the country.
Recent figures from the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources show that 1.93GW of power was added to the grid during the first nine months of 2020, with official data showing that 99.6 percent of the new capacity was from renewables, including solar. In addition, according to the recent ‘Q2 2020 Global PV Market Outlook’ report from Bloomberg, the annual PV installation in Turkey will be 1.4GW in 2021.
Furthermore, incentives such as monthly net-metering tariff for self-consumption projects and the ability to use the grid as a virtual storage system for large power consumers, means that solar is becoming increasingly popular for industrial and commercial projects. Power plant investors who want to add capacity to their facilities are also favoring solar as a supplementary power source.
FIMER’s chairman, Filippo Carzaniga, said: “It is a privilege to be involved in such a unique and prestigious project. We know that the popularity of solar is increasing in Turkey – particularly as a supplementary power source to increase capacity at existing plants. Turkey provides the perfect conditions for successful solar projects – as well as its naturally high yearly irradiation values, the incentives put in place by its government, coupled by falling technology costs means that solar capacity is projected to rise.”
Given the multi-megawatt size of the project, 16 FIMER’s PVS980-58 5MVA central inverters were chosen as they are specifically optimized for large solar plants that require reliability and high total efficiency. This is supported by proprietary self-contained two-phase thermo-syphon heat exchangers, which are totally passive and provide a high performance with a low pressure drop, with an efficiency equivalent to liquid cooling and with simplicity of air cooled system.
The PVS980-58 5MVA is also extremely durable and is equipped with extensive electrical and mechanical protection to provide a long and reliable service life of at least 25 years, as Filippo Carzaniga explains: “The PVS980-50 is ideal for the scope of the project thanks to its high DC input voltage, high efficiency, proven components, compact and modular design and a host of life cycle services.”
FIMER was chosen by Cengiz Enerji, which is a subsidiary of Cengiz Holding, one of the largest energy investment companies in Turkey. Mustafa ESKİÇIRAK, General Manager of Cengiz Enerji, comments:
“Turkey is committed to increasing its renewable capacity, and large-scale hybrid projects such as the Aşağıkaleköy hydroelectric power plant. We chose to work in partnership with FIMER as it has the most experienced team of solar experts in the country that could provide us with both high quality and reliable products as well as strong local capabilities, including extensive pre and aftersales service and strong engineering skills. We are thrilled to see this project become a reality and hope to work with FIMER on future solar projects.”