Michelin Tire Facility Increases Solar Energy Build to Three MW

In February 2010, PV installation and design Engineers at Cenit Solar embarked upon a collaborative effort with Michelin Tires of Valladolid, Spain to erect a two megawatt solar energy site atop its 300.000 square meter production facility.

The option of installing independent strings and a varying number of modules gave Cenit and Michelin the flexibility and control necessary to reach the highest yields possible.

Because the tire production process requires steam exhaust through the numerous rooftop chimneys, Danfoss’ TripleLynx inverters - capable of multiple power point tracking and 1000W output, created the optimum scenario for best maximizing yield and efficiency under shading, weather and structurally challenging conditions.

Nearly a year to the day after officially connecting to the Spanish national grid, the varying array of strategically placed modules, controlled by Danfoss TripleLynx inverters, has expanded from two to three megawatt output, reaching upwards of 4.8 million kWh per year.

“As the 2010 numbers reflected an 8% greater yield than projected, we felt confident keeping with and expanding the Danfoss inverter set up in 2011”, said Cenit Project Director, Antonio Munoz.

As output data is accumulated in the coming months and years, the Michelin Tire facility could prove to be a solid model throughout Europe when constructing, managing and monitoring large-scale, rooftop multiple-string inverter energy sites.

Click here for further information on the facility, on stateofgreen.com