Solar farms built to outlast any storm

MANILA, Philippines – As a tropical country, the Philippines experiences an average of 20-25 storms every year, causing considerable loss of lives and properties.

The PowerPlus solar power modules and mounting systems of Conergy, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of solar photo-voltaic energy systems, have been found to be virtually stormproof.

An independent cyclone testing carried out recently at the Cyclone Testing Station in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia awarded the systems the rating “Cyclonic Ultimate Strength”. This confirms that they can withstand even the most severe cyclonic storms.

“For tropical countries like the Philippines, it is important that solar farms are built with materials that can endure any weather disturbances to ensure that the power supply will not be interrupted especially in the most critical situations,” said Alexander Lenz, President of Conergy in Asia and the Middle East. “This is why we at Conergy take pride in our products and services ensuring quality and assurance for our customers.”

“Conergy stands for excellent quality standards and durability. This has now been proved once more by our products passing the cyclone test with flying colors,” said Rodger Meads, Managing Director of Conergy Australia. “We are thus the first solar company that has also had its combined system comprising both modules and mounting system certified and not just individual components.

“Our systems withstand the most adverse conditions, be it wind, hail, salty sea air or ammonia.” Meads further stated. “This provides a secure basis to our customers for their plant and their investment.”

Besides the static tests, the testing included most notably the so-called “low-high-low” test, which simulates the effect of the extremely high wind speeds that change quickly and drastically during cyclones. This cyclical stress is considered far more challenging than static loads and represents the most destructive element of such storms.

The Conergy mounting systems are thus fully certified for cyclones of category A to C, with certification for category D cyclones possible upon request. In conjunction with the Conergy PowerPlus modules, the Conergy systems achieved the top rating of “Cyclonic Ultimate Strength”. Conergy is the very first manufacturer to undergo testing and obtain certification for a complete solar system.

In Thailand, a neighboring country which is comparable in size, has a tropical climate similar to the Philippines and also experiences storms quite often, Conergy has has built four solar parks with a combined installed capacity of 27 MW.

Furthermore, the company has recently won another contract for two new solar parks which will have a combined capacity of 21 MW.

The four completed plants produce over 40,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year, the equivalent of supplying more than 14,400 Thai households with clean energy while sparing the country of at least 22,300 tons of carbon emissions annually had these been produced from fossilized fuels.