In today's instalment of our Topic of the Week we are going to Lebanon. In regions where the power grid is unreliable, the only option to ensure a steady electricity supply in a diesel generator. Or is it?
Feelwood Village Compound is located in Baabdat, a mountain village close to Beirut. Feelwood is committed to provide a clean and quiet environment to its residents. Noting the dependency on diesel generators in the area due to chronic utility cut-offs, the owner “Corbani Group” decided to invest in an off-grid PV system. 230 polycrystalline modules have been installed on different roofs, oriented towards south and east west. The yield should reach 80,000 kWh per year. 48 batteries of the type MOLL OPzV 2870 Ah store the solar energy to make it available at night. The owner’s aim was to reduce the diesel generator usage during daytime and to rely only on stored solar energy at night.
Turnkey solar hybrid solution
To develop a turnkey solution, the local partner of IBC Solar Smart Age conducted a site evaluation, determining customer requirements and expectations as well as associated load curves. After several iterations and in-depth analysis of the collected data, Smart Age compiled a tailored solution to fit the requirements. The design of the 60-kW PV hybrid plant was further validated by IBC Solar, which provided all necessary components such as IBC Solar Line modules, batteries, a multicluster box, inverters and the IBC TopFix 200 mounting system.
High solar radiation and attractive state funding
Lebanon has been an important target market for IBC Solar in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since 2015. Private households and companies are increasingly investing in PV solutions, with a focus on self-supply with solar power to reduce energy costs and to become more independent from utilities. Albert Engelbrecht, Senior Vice President Solutions International, commented: “The combination of high solar radiation and attractive state funding programs like Green Loan in Lebanon will make the countries in the MENA region key solar markets in the future.” (HCN)
Here, in case you missed them, are Part 1 and Part 2 of this week's series.
