FIMER, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of solar inverter solutions, has provided its technology for a 1.4 MW (megawatt) rooftop solar system at Ahmed Ben Bella International Airport in Oran, the second largest major city in Algeria. The project is the largest rooftop photovoltaic (PV) installation of its kind in Africa and one of the few examples worldwide where solar energy has been used as the main energy source for an airport.
The project – part of a major airport expansion and modernization initiative by the country’s transport ministry – will see the photovoltaic power plant generate around 3,038 MWh of electricity per year, which will enable the airport to receive almost 30% of its energy from the rooftop installation.
Given the critical requirements of an international airport, which must be operational 24 hours a day, the project also demonstrates the potential of solar technology in Algeria, which has traditionally relied on additional off-grid power sources such as inverters and gas generators to power major commercial infrastructure.
While enabling Ahmed Ben Bella International Airport to reduce carbon emissions and become more self-sufficient, it will also support Algeria’s ambition to have 13.5 GW (gigawatt) generated from solar power plants. 2030.
As a country with an important solar resource, the Algerian government is committed to the development and promotion of renewable energies, with improvements in solar technology and reduction in price to make it an attractive solution for installations. in large scale.
FIMER President, Filippo Carzaniga, said: “This project is important because it demonstrates the potential of solar energy as a major energy source for important commercial buildings in Algeria, in particular for critical infrastructure such as the airports. Being able to play a key role in powering the largest solar site on the roof of an African airport is a great achievement for FIMER. We are delighted to see that our reliable and efficient inverter technology is helping to maintain availability and support Algeria’s broader ambitions for solar generation. »
FIMER worked in partnership with Globale Realization, which was responsible for setting up all the electrical systems at the airport. The company has installed 46 FIMER TRIO-27.6 string inverters, which offer all the reliability and flexibility necessary to face all the constraints and guarantee a technically solid design of the installation. The inverter also has an efficiency of 98.2% and comes with two independent MPPTs (Maximum Power Point Tracker) for the best energy harvesting, regardless if the PV array is arranged with multiple orientations.
In addition to the string inverters, the project also uses the FIMER VSN800 weather station to automatically monitor site weather conditions and the temperature of photovoltaic panels in real time, transmitting sensor measurements to the data center.
CEO of Global Achievement, Mahdi OUNADI, comments: “Algeria is a country that has benefited from rapid population, urbanization and economic growth. With a very solar-friendly climate, we expect this large-scale project to provide an example of what can be achieved and encourage future investment in technology. We have chosen to work in partnership with FIMER because their inverters are perfectly suited for outdoor installation and we are able to use their monitoring system to collect and analyze data to ensure that the installation is operating in the most efficient way. as efficient as possible. Therefore, this project also helps to demonstrate the potential of PV for future major infrastructure projects.