Sycamore International is an industrial recycling centre located in West Grove, Pennsylvania. Their day-to-day business is to refurbish and recycle secondary technologies to enable a transition to a global circular economy.
In addition to being eco-responsible in their business, they wanted a solution that maximized the use of renewable energy. In order to ensure continuity of their operations even in the event of a power failure and to limit their dependence on the grid, Sycamore was looking for a backup solution. Based on these requirements, TerraSol, in collaboration with ESS and CE+T America, designed and delivered a solar microgrid and energy storage solution.
Solar + Storage Microgrid
The solution is “Made in America” and can support an average load demand of 40kW and limited to 60kW to avoid penalties from the grid utility. More precisely, it is made of:
- 70kW/400kWh iron flow batteries provided by ESS
- 115 kW of solar panels from SunPower
- 3×30 kW power converters delivered by CE+T America
According to Sycamore International CEO Steve Figgatt, the solar and energy storage microgrid “has a very reasonable return on the capital investment through both electricity production and peak load shaving, and enables our facility to operate comfortably with a net-zero carbon footprint.”
Why choosing CE+T America?
Our partner was looking for a power converter able to support 480Vac and 860Vdc but also connect 115kW solar array and iron flow battery system. With our Stabiliti and its 3 ports, only one single unit is needed to “blend” the energy whatever its source. Moreover, our Stabiliti is IP54 and therefore can be placed outdoor.
Integration of batteries is easy thanks to the wide range of DC, from 200 to 1000 Vdc per port. Moreover, as the galvanic isolation protects batteries against grid disturbances, the battery life is extended. Another interesting feature is the automated cleaning cycling included.
Connecting PV is easy and possible as Stabiliti has an integrated MPPT and enable to maximize the PV production as the galvanic isolation reduced Potential-Induced-Degradation (PID).