ABB has furnished a complete package of advanced power conversion and protection technologies for two new solar plants in Brazil, the first solar facilities in that country to incorporate ABB’s PVS-175-TL string inverters and Emax 2 E/9 air circuit breakers.
Prosys Engenharia, a Brazilian multidisciplinary engineering company, is constructing the two solar projects in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The plants were completed in 2019.
The UFV Vale Formoso and UFV Paraisópolis projects are 5 and 2 MW solar power plants, respectively. In developing these locations, Prosys Engenharia sought a supplier that would be able to provide a complete, integrated solution, not just a standalone solar inverter.
A powerful compact package
For the UFV Vale Formoso plant, Prosys Engenharia is installing 27 PVS-175-TL inverters and five oil-filled transformers with low-voltage (LV) panels containing the advanced Emax 2 E/9 breakers and Tmax T4H molded-case circuit breakers, along with a cubicle utility connection. The UFV Paraisópolis project is being equipped with 11 PVS-175-TL inverters, two oil-filled transformers with LV panels and Emax 2 E/9 and Tmax T4H breakers, as well as the cubicle utility connection.
The PVS-175-TL string inverter is equipped with 12 maximum power point trackers (MPPTs), the highest number of MPPTs in the inverter market. An MPPT optimizes the DC power match between the solar array and the battery bank or utility grid, converting higher-voltage DC from the solar panels to a lower voltage for charging batteries. The PVS-175-TL offers the highest power density available within the 1500Vdc segment. Its ultra-high power density of 1.3kW/kg delivers up to 185kVA at 800Vac.
“We realized that, with this complete ABB solution, we could reduce capital expenditures and operational costs, while increasing efficiency,” said Alexandre Zamith, Prosys Engenharia Sales Director. “The all-in- one Emax 2/E9 breakers in this package were especially important, because they would allow us to optimize the operation of the solar plant.”
ABB has designed the Emax 2/E9 specifically to manage microgrids and other next-generation facilities. It is the first circuit breaker with an lcu (ultimate breaking capacity) as high as 90kA at 900V, the higher range found in renewable-energy plants.
30 percent less space required
“Prosys Engenharia chose the Emax 2/E9 for its flexibility,” said Carlo Collotta, ABB Global Product Manager, “and its ability to integrate communication among components by gathering all information from the breakers, including maintenance data. These projects were the first solar plants for Prosys, so selecting the right protection and connection technology was key to the customer’s reputation and future business.”
Prosys Engenharia was very pleased with the reliability of the Emax 2/E9 and with the fact that its compact dimensions allow the size of switchboards to be reduced by as much as 30 percent, compared to standard equipment.
“Our solar team in Brazil offered an exceptional integrated solution for Brazil’s newest solar plants,” said Leandro Beato, ABB Product Marketing Specialist, “and has helped energize the path toward increasingly reliable renewable-power plants in the future.”
