PV system supports diesel generator in Canada

2019/09/29 / Canada, Sachs Harbour

A saving of 80,000 euros in 20 years

The inhabitants of Sachs Harbour source the diesel for their local power generators from 523 km away. The fuel can only be delivered by air or by sea and therefore, the costs are well above average.

ANNUAL SAVING OF 4,100 EUROS

Up until a few years ago the entire mains supply of this off grid community, with a population of 130 people, came from a single diesel generator. In autumn of 2015, the local energy supplier decided to install three Fronius Primo inverters, with the aim of reducing the financial costs.

Saving costs with photovoltaics

Grid parity of the PV energy is set to be achieved faster than anticipated due to high diesel costs in Sachs Harbour. Consequently, they will have a very low payback time of less than six years, following which the system will be paid off enabling the residents of Sachs Harbour to save more than 80,000 euros in diesel costs in the first 20 years.

Optimum performance in extreme conditions

Depending on the time of year, temperatures in Sachs Harbour normally range between -18°C and -37°C. Yet the Fronius Primo has once again shown that it thrives in these extreme conditions. The inverter is designed to withstand ambient temperatures between -40°C and +55°C, meaning that it can be used in extreme conditions ranging from the Canadian Arctic to the Kalahari in Namibia.

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Fronius Primo UL

The communicative inverter for private househoulds.

Size of installation	15 kWp
System type	Ground mount PV system connected to MicroGrid with diesel generator
Inverters	3 x Fronius Primo 5.0-1
Commissioned	Fall 2015
Special feature	Extreme temperatures down to -37°C