Major construction company installs large-scale PV generator for internal use
Granite Construction Co. aggregate and hot-mix facility adds 1 MW capacity, including inverters from Siemens.
Chalk up another megawatt of installed PV (photovoltaic) capacity as Granite Construction Company (GCC) has commissioned one of the nation’s first solar-powered aggregate and hot-mix facilities located in Coalinga, CA.
“Our solar initiatives at our Coalinga facility will offset approximately 50% of our power requirements, and the clean energy generated to support our operations is equal to the amount of electricity used to power 191 average American households annually,” says Sean Kilgrow, director of renewable energy business development for Granite.
GCC is using Siemens’ Sinvert PVS1051 UL inverter with an integrated e-house solution and a 1,000 KVA oil transformer. The 1 MW solar power generation system will provide clean energy to power Granite’s aggregate mining facility. These inverters convert the direct current from the PV generators into a three-phase current which is then supplied to the connected power grid.
“Granite’s application showcases the flexibility of Siemens Sinvert grid infeed system, and with peak efficiencies of around 98%, end users quickly realize the cost benefits of solar power,” says Rick Myers, senior director of Siemens solar vertical market management.
Granite’s project is one of several solar accounts announced by Siemens. In September, it began production of 10 Sinvert PVS2000 inverters for a 20 MW solar field in Stillwater, NV, being developed by Enel Green Power North America, Inc. The project also includes 10 2,000 kVA 12.47 kV step-up transformers and one 20 MVA GSU transformer. In July, Siemens announced it had received a multi-million dollar order from Interconnect Solar Development, LLC, to supply solar technology for the 20 MW Murphy Flats solar field located in Idaho. The project includes inverters, transformers, and containers, and will feature 1,000 VDC inverters along with 1,000 VDC panels for maximum energy harvesting.
Siemens has begun production of its Sinvert solar inverters at its new West Chicago manufacturing facility, localizing its manufacturing to better serve its customers based throughout the U.S. The company invested approximately $10 million upgrading two buildings at the location, one of which will support the growing demand for solar power domestically.
Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander(at)cfemedia.com
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