Gamesa, a Spain-based wind energy firm, launches its new off-grid system, which can be used to supply electricity to remote areas without access to the grid, such as islands, mines, and certain rural areas.
 
Gamesa’s new power generating solution, with a total capacity of over 2MW, combines three power sources – PV, wind, and diesel – with energy battery storage. A prototype of the new system was inaugurated on May 10th in La Muela municipality, Spain. The system is comprised of 816 PV modules, with a total capacity of 245 kW, a 850 kW wind turbine and three diesel generators, 222 kW each. Within the next couple of month, the company will add a 500 kW battery to the system. The prototype is expected to generate enough power to meet the needs of 400 households.
 
“At present, more than 1.2 billion people lack access to electricity. Rural areas of India, South-east Asia, Africa, islands such as Haiti, Indonesia and the Philippines, and other remote corners of the plant, such as jungles and deserts, stand to benefit from these off-grid solutions which can generate cheaper and cleaner power," Ignacio Martín, Chairman of Gamesa said at the inauguration ceremony.
 
The system includes control software developed by Gamesa that facilitates integration of the four technologies. Depending on the specific project requirements and weather conditions, the system can be tailored for customer needs by increasing, reducing or eliminating capacity in any of them.
 
Gamesa will also provide turnkey development of the off-grid systems. The company will be building, commissioning, operating and maintaining the facilities by itself. Under its 2015-2017 plan, Gamesa is exploring new opportunities, such as PV and off-grid power, to expand its traditional wind business.
Source: PVmagazine