We wish you a healthy, happy and successful 2024. Bring it on!
Let’s wrap up 2023 with a story from one of our Polish installers about their greatest achievement of the year.
Congratulations to Patrycjusz Kopacz – CEO & Founder at greenOn.pl – and his team who have been recognised by the long-established innovator in electronics best known for their AC Inverters – Fronius.
The award for ‘The Best Photovoltaic Installation with Energy Management System in Poland 2023‘ was made at the Fronius System Partners Conference which took place in Salzburg, Austria last month.
The award demonstrates what can be achieved by a motivated and energetic installation team working with other industry specialists to form a well-considered installation plan.
The winning installation powers a substantial private residence in Poland’s southern city of Bystra and helps provide the annual energy consumption of 35,000 kWh.
A significant part of this consumption is used to feed a heat pump. More is required for the domestic EV charger. That level of power demand is at the very limit of what can be provided by the customer’s local electricity network …sometimes just beyond it! Consequently it is important that the new system offered power-peak shaving; an uninterrupted power supply (of course); and significant cost savings on the energy bill.
At tender, only ‘greenOn’ – working in collaboration with the technical assistance of Michał Pobłocki at Globtechnic – were able to meet all the customer’s requirements.
Patrycjusz says:
When I started working on the project, I knew that it would not be another standard energy storage system. Almost a year ago, we started the implementation process by coming up with the power installation concept and a suitable location to install all the equipment. A special building was constructed for this purpose, which includes three parking spaces and an EV charging station.
There were no plans to heat the building, so the next problem was to ensure the batteries never fell below their operating temperature. In the region, the outdoor temperature falls well below zero frequently, for at least 4 months of the year. The solution was to design a special cabinet with its own heating and air conditioning in which a steady temperature can be maintained. The cabinet also provides protection against dust and other environmental factors.
A 40kWp solar array had been installed a few years earlier by a different contractor but Patrycjusz had strong reservations about incorporating that into the new installation in it’s existing form: We’d been observing the operation of the PV system for two years and were able to demonstrate some technical errors which were limiting its effectiveness.
Deciding to re-build the solar array from scratch the team achieved about 30% more energy from the same panels.
Patrycjusz explains: We also decided to remove the Fronius Symo photovoltaic inverters from the house and install them in the new building. This allowed us to reduce the temperature at their confined location and to eliminate DC cables entirely from the house.
To ensure uninterrupted operation of the system, we installed three Victron Energy Quattro 15000VA inverters, one for each phase, and 16 Pytes batteries to provide a total storage capacity of 81.9 kWh.
The system comprises
- 3 x Quattro 48/15000/200-100/100
- Cerbo GX + Touch 50
- 3 x Lynx Power In
- EV Charging Station NS + Black front
- EV Charger BMW
- Energy meter ET340
- 16 x Pytes E-Box-48100R-C 5,12kWh
- Specially designed rack cabinet
- PV Inverters 2 x Fronius Symo 7.0.3-M, Fronius Symo 12.5.3-M, Fronius Symo 10.0.3-M
Patrycjusz says: Modern technology and art often go hand in hand. The renewable energy systems we build serve a purpose, but they are also visually appealing. That’s why we decided to submit our system to the competition organized by Fronius International and Fronius Poland.
Winning first prize for the Best Photovoltaic Installation with Energy Management System in Poland is a huge distinction of which we are very proud, but above all a confirmation that our hard work, innovative ideas and passion bring measurable results.
Let’s take a look at the installation:
Patrycjusz would also like to thank:
Ekosun – design facilities, technical and logistic support,
Globtechnic – Victron Energy distributor and technical support
Pytes Energy – manufacturer of energy storage
Prefel.PL – prefabrication of an energy storage cabinet with a heating and cooling system