BANKABILITY KEY FACTOR FOR SPV CHOICE IN ITALY
25/01/2011 Control Techniques
When one of Europe's leading companies in the supply of photo-voltaic systems moved in to the Italian market, grid-tie inverter systems from Control Techniques-Emerson were the standard choice for all big installations because of their reputation and confidence in the Emerson name."We were a newcomer in Italy with no brand exposure and wanted to have a partnership with a well-known and trusted company," explains Dott. Marco Lupini, President of Eurener Projects Epc S.r.l. (EPRO EPC is specialised in high-tech free-standing PV parks, BIPV power plants and PV Green Houses for companies and investors. Epro Epc offers consulting, design, construction, project management and operation for large turn-key PV power plants). Dott. Marco Lupini is also CEO of Eurener Italia S.r.l. (Eurener produces in its factories of Spain and Portugal monocrystalline, polycrystalline and glass-glass photovoltaic solar modules using technologically advanced automated machinery; production capacity is 100 MW per year) "We have a very powerful team for PV Projects, the best roofing company in Italy, one of the best European PV panels quality and now with Control Techniques, the best inverter too. A very bankable proposition!"
EPRO EPC's operations in Italy span three market sectors -
-€¢ Industrial; the replacement of existing roofs with PV arrays,
-€¢ Agricultural; greenhouses producing conventional vegetable crops as well as electricity from solar roofs
-€¢ Free standing PV parks
The Eurener Group is one of the leading manufacturers of photo-voltaic modules in Europe and, as one of the leading companies in the renewable sector in Spain, has worked closely with Control Techniques on projects amounting to in excess of 15MW. One of Eurener's biggest projects on green houses to date in Italy is a 2.8MW installation in the Comune di Piedimonte San Germano in the Lazio region. It also has both free-standing projects and greenhouse installations in Puglia, Sardinia, Lombardy and Veneto as well as many industrial projects mainly across the north of Italy. A government target to replace all asbestos roofs before 2016 is a powerful driver in this latter market. A further 12MW greenhouse project in Frosinone, due for completion shortly, is expected to yield in excess of 1,350 hours of electricity production per year, with a guaranteed efficiency of plant from the end of the panels to the grid of 94%.
"Our yield, including government subsidy is -‚¬0.5114 and our return on investment per megawatt is -‚¬690,000, with operational costs between 10 and 12% of income," says Dott. Lupini. "These include taxes, depreciation, operating costs and interest - giving a rate of return of 32 to 39%," he says. "We are very serious in our approach to this market and are in it for the long term. Our panels are manufactured in Europe to very high standards, which means that we can offer a solid 25 year guarantee - unlike some of the smaller operators who use inferior products from the Far East with no insurance to the user - and with no resale value. That's why it's important to have comparable quality and long-term assurance on the inverters too."
"Over the next few years, we know that government subsidies will decrease and that the market will stabilise at a lower level, but we expect the Italian market still to be buoyant compared with elsewhere in Europe because of the higher cost of energy in Italy. Our focus is likely to be more on the industrial market in the near term," he adds.
Most of EPRO EPC installations feature a complete turnkey installation from Control Techniques, from the PV panels to the grid. This encompasses MV/HV switchgear, medium voltage transformer, ancillary DC equipment and the Control Techniques SPV grid-tie inverter and control system all housed in a thermostatically-controlled shelter. Control Techniques Italy also supplies a complete package of string connection boxes and web-based SCADA for round the clock monitoring. "At a downtime cost of -‚¬6,000-10,000 a day, failure is simply not acceptable!" emphasises Dott. Lupini.
Control Techniques SPV grid-tie inverter systems enable investors to exceed their return on investment expectations through high yield. This is achieved through a modular design that allows the inverter capacity to be continuously scaled to optimise energy efficiency for all conditions and allows the system to begin generating sooner in low light conditions - and to keep generating longer as light is fading at the end of the day. The result is a peak efficiency of 98% and 97.6% using the EU weighting factor. Control Techniques' unique Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithm maximises power from both crystalline and thin film solar arrays.
In the event of any inverter module trip, the system automatically reconfigures to continue generating. For critical systems, redundancy is easily built in simply by adding additional modules, with active and standby duty being rotated to extend plant life.
Extended warranties and service contracts up to 20 years are available to ensure continued high yield throughout plant lifetime. But, for investors, credibility is about more than technical data; it is about financial credibility and integrity too. Control Techniques is a key member of Emerson - a Fortune 500 global manufacturing company that brings innovative technological solutions to its customers. With 140,000 employees worldwide, 265 manufacturing facilities and a strong balance sheet, Emerson is a truly bankable partner.
For further information, please contact:
Katie Owen, Press Officer, Control Techniques Ltd, Drive Centre Marketing,
Ty Rheoli, Unit 79 Mochdre Industrial Estate, Newtown, Powys SY16 4LE
Tel: 01686 612900 Fax: 01686 612999
Email: katie.owen@emerson.com
For the best in drives information visit our website: www.controltechniques.com
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