One of the world’s largest off-grid solar projects is now operating in Afghanistan.
SMA supplied 118 Sunny Island inverters to control the off-grid system and 55 Sunny Tripower inverters to convert the direct current (DC) generated by the plant’s solar panels into alternating current (AC) suitable for use by electrical appliances.
Situated in Bamyan province in Central Afghanistan, the local community previously relied on diesel generators or their own solar panels for power – and many had no power at all.
The 1 MW solar project is providing clean, reliable energy to 2,500 homes, businesses and government buildings. The facility also incorporates a diesel generator and batteries for periods of unfavourable weather conditions.
“To effectively improve the lives of the people in the war stricken country of Afghanistan, it is extremely important to bring a reliable energy supply not only to homes, but also to businesses, hospitals, schools and government buildings,” said Volker Wachenfeld, senior vice president Hybrid & Storage at SMA
“Photovoltaics is the quickest, most sustainable and cost-effective energy source to achieve this even under harshest conditions.”
In other SMA news, the company has teamed up with Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) and Phoenix Contact to form a research and development program called ‘PV Pack’.
The project will focus on developing alternative inverter cooling technologies and materials, plus advanced packaging solutions for inverters in the 10-kW to 40-kW capacity range.
SMA says as a result of the initiative, three-phase photovoltaic inverters in this range “should see a marked improvement in functionality, efficiency, cost and service life.”
SMA is the largest solar inverter manufacturer in the world. Headquartered in Germany, it has a presence in 21 countries; including in Australia where its products are a popular choice for home and commercial solar installations.
