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October 28, 2008
Biel,
Switzerland: Pitched Roof Thin Film System Goes into Operation
Germany's
largest thin-film pitched roof system has been producing environmentally
friendly solar power in Moers near Duisburg since mid October.
Over eleven thousand Cadmium Telluride modules from the American
manufacturer First Solar deliver a total of 837 kilowatts.
The
New Thin Film Roof at Riedel Recycling |
The
solar power system was constructed by Riedel Recycling. The company
uses the former coal mixing hall in Moers for the storage and
preparation of building materials. Its 9,500 square meter south-facing
roof is now fully fitted with solar modules.
“The
installation was completed much more quickly than planned”, a
fact that clearly pleases managing director Ludger Riedel.
The
fitters required just three months despite pitches of 36.55 and
75 degrees, and heights of up to 30 metres, which were only accessible
with inclined lifts and ladders.
“Thin-film
modules are a good choice at our latitudes”, Riedel continues
“because they also deliver good yields despite weaker solar radiation.”
When
selecting the inverters, Riedel followed the advice of the Kamp-Lintfort
system supplier Solaxis GmbH. Solaxis employee Günter Grandjean
has been relying on SolarMax for eight years.
“My
best experiences have been with inverters from Sputnik Engineering”
he says. “The devices are reliable, have a long service life and
deliver high yields.”
Four
SolarMax central inverters run in the solar power system at Moers,
with outputs of 300 (2x), 100 and 30 kilowatts respectively. However,
inside their housings the inverters do not only convert the direct
current from the solar modules into alternating current, they
are also set to heat the administrative buildings in the future.
“The
SolarMax inverters produce a total of around 45 kilowatts of waste
heat” explains Günter Grandjean. “We divert this to air-conditioning
systems with heat exchangers in the administration building.”
And
the roof may also be producing more electricity in the future.
Ludger Riedel and Günter Grandjean are already pondering the installation
of additional solar power systems with SolarMax inverters to the
external pillars.
Further details about: Sputnik
Engineering and First
Solar
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