Delta was very proud to be able to supply inverters to our customer, ENTEGRO Photovoltaik Sistemleri, to support their installation of the very first grid-tied PV system in the Aydin province in Turkey.
Initial situation
The owners of the Algur Dairy, located in the city of Soke and the province of Aydin, in southwest Turkey, were seeking a new roof-mounted commercial PV system that would help provide electricity for their own consumption and would also allow them to sell back surplus electricity to the government through a recent FIT (feed-in tariff) regulation in Turkey. The FIT regulation was originally established in July 2011 and later updated in October 2013 to include unlicensed commercial plants up to 1 MW in size. The qualified unlicensed systems that are connected to the grid are eligible for reimbursement of generated power of US$0.133 per kilowatt-hour for a period of 10 years. In the province of Aydin, the Algur Dairy PV installation would be the first grid-tied system in the region and help to expand the newly developing Turkey PV market. For Algur Dairy to meet their ambitious goal, the solar installation company ENTEGRO® Fotovoltaik Sistemleri was selected to carry out the installation of the new system.
ENTEGRO® Fotovoltaik Sistemleri was established as a joint venture between ENTEGRO® Photovoltaik Systeme GmbH, a well-established PV system installation company in Germany and two Turkish solar engineers, Eşref Deniz and Özgür Yağmuroğlu. In 2013, the newly formed ENTEGRO® Fotovoltaik Sistemleri has closed on 1 MW installed PV capacity in Turkey. Within 2014, the ENTEGRO® Turkey office expects over 3 MW installed PV capacity – an impressive figure in the budding new Turkey PV market.
Project realisation
The planning of the new 150 kWp roof-mount PV system at the Algur Dairy in Soke, Turkey began in July 2013. Solar modules for the installation (621 pcs. total) were ordered from the solar firm BYD. The solar inverter sourcing was particularly important as the model selected would need to be installed outdoors and should be rugged enough and adequately sealed to avoid potential damage caused by the mud and dust involved in a dairy operation. The Delta SOLIVIA TL-series inverters were well-suited for the demanding usage requirements of the Algur Dairy installation thanks to their rugged aluminium enclosures and IP65 rated protection class, that make the models impermable to dust and even direct water spray.
Positive feedback about the reliability of the Delta inverters from its German partner firm, ENTEGRO® GmbH, that had installed the units previously in Germany, convinced ENTEGRO® Fotovoltaik Sistemleri to make use of these quality inverters that would run reliably for many years. The large power output of the SOLIVIA 30 TL (30 kW) made this model attractive for the 150 kWp system since only 5 inverters total were required. By selecting the 30 TL model the installer was able to reduce the number of inverters in the system, which reduced the space needed and labor required to install them.
Turnkey installation of the solar power plant by ENTEGRO® Fotovoltaik Sistemleri was completed in just 20 days. According to Eşref Deniz, managing partner at the firm, the ease of inverter installation and string architecture of the SOLIVIA 30 TL contributed to the speed of the installation. The system was commissioned on Nov. 27, 2013 and began generating electricity to the grid. At a rated power of 150 kWp the plant is expected to produce an annual average of 245,000 kWh of electricity and will eliminate approximately 110 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The conclusion
Delta was very proud to be able to supply inverters for the very first grid-tied PV system in the Aydin province in Turkey and believes this is only the start in a country where grid parity has already been achieved and where there is an excellent future solar energy potential.
The cooperation with ENTEGRO® was excellent throughout the project and the Algur Dairy owners now have a solution to combat increasing energy costs in Turkey but also to provide future revenue opportunities through the selling of excess power back to the grid. The owners utilize nearly 80% of the generated power from the PV system and the remainder is sold back to the grid.
Andreas Schmidt, Marketing Head for Delta EMEA says, “The Delta SOLIVIA TL-series inverter is a very good fit for this type of commercial application, where ruggedness and reliability are critical.”
Indeed, ENTEGRO® has received considerable positive feedback regarding the Delta SOLIVIA inverters since it began sourcing the models, and thus, according to Eşref Deniz, managing partner and electrical engineer at ENTEGRO®, has led to the decision in naming Delta as its preferred solar inverter supplier in Turkey.
Über Delta Energy Systems (Germany) GmbH
Delta Electronics Group is the worldwide leading manufacturer of switched-mode power supplies and an important supplier of video displays and electronic components for computers, telecommunications, networking, medical and industry applications and renewable energy. Worldwide, Delta employs 80,000 people in sales and distribution, development, and production.
Since 1999 the subsidiary Delta Energy Systems has invested in the development and global marketing of the Solar Inverter Program, which has made an important and successful contribution to Delta’s focus on providing innovative, environmentally friendly and efficient energy solutions for a better future.
