TWO CHALLENGES FACING SELF-CONSUMPTION IN THE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL (C&I) SEGMENT

Two challenges facing self-consumption in the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) segment

Saltoki e-Solar points out fire safety and the incorporation of storage systems as two of the main challenges facing the photovoltaic sector.

Alberto Gómara, Technical Director of Saltoki e-Solar

At Saltoki e-Solar we are aware that we are facing a more stable market, but in continuous technological evolution, where products and regulations must adapt, thus generating new opportunities for the different agents in the photovoltaic sector. And the Commercial and Industrial environment (C&I), a market segment with a significant share at present, is one of those that will be most affected by these developments. Among these changes, it is worth highlighting the incorporation of storage systems and fire safety, aspects that may set a trend in the very near future.

Commercial and industrial accumulation

The accumulation of energy at a commercial and industrial level is one of the main challenges of the sector and one of the key solutions for the future of photovoltaic self-consumption installations. Companies are increasingly aware of the advantages that this type of system can offer to improve their productivity and optimize their energy resources. Factors such as Peak Shaving, reduction of the carbon footprint, capacity increases or available grants such as those from IDAE are revealing themselves as levers for activating this type of project.

BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems), for example, are large storage systems with a storage capacity of more than 200 kWh that can reach tens of MWh, initially designed for renewable parks and which have been adapted to the environment of industrial self-consumption.

The LFP or NMC technology used in these BESS is robust and has been scaled for 600-900 Vdc working environments, where the management of stored energy is vital for safety and maximum use of energy. In this sense, the novelty in this type of solutions is the development of EMS (Energy Management System) and BMS (Battery Management System) management electronics to be able to work with such large accumulations and to make their management flexible and safe, thus adapting to the requirements of the sector.

All in One C&I systems will also be introduced to the market, which are adapted to medium-sized installations (<200kWh) and which include, in a compact form in the same equipment, the four main elements: the PCS or Power Conversion System (inverter charger), the batteries, the EMS and the BMS. There are also solutions that replace the PCS with a hybrid inverter. These systems are used both for new installations and for Retrofit (incorporation into existing installations) through a DC and AC coupling.

Fire safety of facilities

  Increasingly, insurance companies and the public will ask us for measures that increase the safety of properties that have this type of installation associated with them, including automatic disconnection systems in the event of a fire and new inverters with AFCI systems . One of the objectives that will be pursued is the cutting of direct current (DC) from the installations in the event of an emergency, thus guaranteeing the safety of personnel during fire extinguishing tasks. Currently, there are different technologies to meet this requirement: from systems that electronically deactivate the solar modules one by one, “de-energizing” the DC cables, such as optimizers ; to safety switches that electrically and mechanically cut off the DC coming from the panels. This type of switch, with a capacity of up to 5 solar panel strings and automatic cutoff with a range of up to 1500 V and 38 A, are integrated in a very small box.

The system is automatically activated in the event of a loss of alternating current (AC) power, after activating an emergency button or when the temperature exceeds 70º. These boxes, which have IP66 protection, are installed outdoors, located as close as possible to the solar panels, thus guaranteeing their resistance to adverse environmental conditions.

Inverters are also an element that is evolving to improve safety. One of the functionalities of the new equipment that different manufacturers have incorporated into the market is the AFCI function, which consists of protection against the appearance of electrical arcs caused by bad connections on the DC side. Although this mechanism does not provide active protection, it does stop the inverter, which can help extinguish the arc by interrupting the flow of current in DC. This system should not be confused with active protection elements, such as the switches and optimizers mentioned above.

Integration with electric vehicle charging points.

Finally, an area that has seen significant growth in recent times, and in which Saltoki e-Solar is investing heavily, is the integration between photovoltaic storage and high-capacity electric vehicle charging points . Industrial storage emerges as an effective solution to overcome the limitation suffered by some service stations that do not have enough network power to supply multiple fast chargers. This storage allows them greater autonomy and service capacity for electric vehicles . Ultimately, these new advances and market demands will become new business opportunities , thus confirming that, despite certain obstacles to overcome, the sector continues to have great growth potential.