OCTOBER 6, 2020
As India aims to meet ambitious targets to achieve 175 GW (gigawatt) of installed renewable energy capacity by 2022, FIMER has installed its PVS980-58 2MVA (megavolt-ampere) central inverter to power the country’s largest single-site solar power plant.
Situated in Rewa in the state of Madhya Pradesh, the REWA Ultra Mega 750MW (megawatt) solar park is predicted to reduce carbon emissions by up to 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year. It consists of three solar generating units with a capacity of 250MW each and spans 1,500 hectares of land. FIMER has supplied 188MW out of total 750MW through Mahindra Susten for Mahindra Renewables. The plant was formally inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi on July 10, 2020.
Developed and built by Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited (RUMSL), the solar park will supply energy to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). It is a joint venture between the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikash Nigam Limited (MPUVNL) and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). Mahindra Susten, one of India’s leading IPPs (independent power producer) and EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) companies, played a key role in executing and delivering the project within two years.
Commenting on the success of the project, Rakesh Singh, CEO for Utility and C&I (commercial and industrial) at Mahindra Susten explained: “One of the major challenges we faced during the execution of this project was the hard strata of the land. The land was not conducive for digging cable laying trenches. So, the engineering team devised an innovative method for cable laying: the all-terrain cable tray, which makes use of the vertical posts erected for the module mounting structure. This is the first-ever solar PV (photovoltaic) project to use this innovative cable laying method.”
Given the extreme weather conditions in Rewa, where average temperatures can regularly exceed 40°C, performance under hot conditions was also key to the success of the project. FIMER’s PVS980-58 2MVA, which is robust and built to last, was specifically suited for the site and the harsh climate conditions. The inverter features a unique self-contained patented cooling system, which is designed for demanding applications and harsh environments, cutting maintenance costs and ensuring outstanding endurance.
FIMER’s chairman, Filippo Carzaniga, said: “We are proud to have played a key role in making Indian’s largest solar park such a success. Our solutions are designed to deliver outstanding performance under extreme conditions. This is a great example of innovative design in operation, with our long-lasting inverter helping to maintain uptime at this large PV plant, and more importantly, reduce carbon emissions and energy wastage for future generations.”
Since going operational in 2018, the park has been so effective in delivering solar energy and reducing emissions, that it was recognized with a World Bank Group President’s award for innovation and excellence as well as receiving a special mention in “A Book of Innovation: New Beginnings” released by the Prime Minister in 2020.
Mr. Rakesh Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Utility and C&I of Mahindra Susten, commented on the installation: “This is a highly innovative and prestigious project, with ambitious targets in line with our government’s vision. A key priority for us was to ensure that the inverter technology could consistently perform and work in the site conditions without compromising on the yield. We chose FIMER because the inverter was the best suitable model as per our simulation results. With a block size of 4MW design we achieved lower DC losses and higher generation with 1500V technology. We were satisfied at the prospects of long-term service and dedicated support from a reliable brand having decades of experience.”
FIMER’s central inverters are also ideal for large PV power plants and provide a rapid return on investment. This is due to the high DC input voltage, high efficiency, proven components, compact and modular design, and a host of life cycle services.
