Tropigas

World’s largest Enphase Energy installation
2.4 MW design
Module-level monitoring of 8,000 modules

PROJECT Overview

Azimuth was the Engineer-of-Record and Owner’s Advisor for this large, ground-mount project developed for Tropigas, the largest liquid fuel distribution company in Latin America. The project is adjacent to the run-of-river hydro project also developed by the same owner. The design integrates microinverter power electronics manufactured by Enphase Energy, and is the largest Enphase project in the world.

Location:
Chiriqui, Panama

Scope:
2.4 MW ground-mounted solar-PV farm

Estimated Annual Production:
3,400 MWh

Design Rationale and System Architecture

Due to the difficult soil conditions, the racking design required a poured-in-place concrete pier foundation. The power electronics consists of 8,000 Enphase Energy microinverters, one installed at each module, providing the module-level inversion from DC to AC power. The power from the custom-fabricated combiner panels is stepped up to distribution voltage and then combined with the power from the adjacent run-of-river hydro plant.

The module tilt was engineered to maximize the annual revenue from selling the energy on the spot market, rather than the maximum annual or seasonal kWh energy. This calculation model is influenced by the fact that the sun traverses north of the site for 3 months a year.

Project Challenges

Tight schedule demanded ongoing coordination of international logistics, local labor, and interconnection with the local utility. Widely fluctuating climatic conditions and varying subsoil conditions presented further installation challenges.

CONTACT US

If you would like to set up a time to talk or if you just have a quick question, feel free to send us a message. We look forward to helping you or your organization any way we can.

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