PV solar system generates approximately 378 MWh of energy each year – providing 80% of the building’s total energy requirements
SolarEdge DC-optimized inverter solution chosen to maximise energy production and safety and reduce maintenance costs
To watch the full video of the Rehl Energy GmbH installation, click here
EPC company, Rehl Energy GmbH, has cut its energy bill by approximately 32.132,00€ and reduced carbon emissions by 146 tonnes each year following the installation of a DC-optimised SolarEdge PV system at its headquarters in Andernach, Germany. Comprising 1152 solar modules equipped with SolarEdge Power optimizers to maximize energy production and reduce maintenance costs, the solar+storage system produces more than 378 MWh of clean, renewable energy each year – enough to provide 80% of the site’s energy requirements.
As a leading EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) company, Rehl Energy is dedicated to helping its customers to introduce renewable energy technologies. Recently, it began to look at how it could make its own operation more energy efficient, starting with its 2,000 m2 head office facility. In addition to the energy loads that exist in a commercial building, such as air heating, lighting and air conditioning, the site also has a training centre, warehouse and assembly workshop, as well as several EV charging points, contributing to its high energy consumption.
Rehl Energy’s primary objectives were to maximize the amount of solar energy the array could produce, while also keeping operation and maintenance (O&M) costs to a minimum.
“In the last six years, we have installed hundreds of SolarEdge PV systems, and we know first-hand the superiority they offer in terms of their higher energy yield, lower O&M costs and advanced safety solutions compared to traditional string inverter systems,” says Viktor Rehl, Founder and Managing Director at Rehl Energy. “Therefore, we didn’t have far to look when it came to selecting the best solution for our own premises.”
The DC-optimized solution uses Power Optimizers to increase solar energy production by overcoming issues such as shading, soiling and module mismatch that can limit performance in traditional string inverter systems. The Power Optimizers also monitor the performance of each module in real time and communicate performance data to the SolarEdge cloud-based monitoring platform, enabling remote troubleshooting and pinpointed system alerts. In the unlikely event of a technical issue, an automatic alert identifying the exact unit at fault will be sent to the Rehl team, enabling them to resolve any issues, keeping maintenance costs, and potential energy losses, to a minimum.
Ensuring the safety of both people and property was another important factor in Rehl Energy’s choice of inverter solution. The system includes several integrated advanced safety features such as arc-fault detection, which is designed to mitigate the effects of arcing faults that may pose a risk of fire.
Another important safety feature is SafeDC™, which reduces high DC voltage during installation and maintenance, and, in the event of an emergency, automatically de-energizes DC cables to a touch-safe 1V when the inverter or grid power is shut down to protect firefighters who may need to access the roof.
Rehl concludes: ‘The SolarEdge installation is reducing our energy costs by 80% every year, freeing up significant capital to invest in growing our business. What’s more, as energy prices continue to rise, so too will the amount of money we save. At the same time, our team can take pride in the positive contribution we are making to reducing our impact on the environment, while knowing their safety is protected. As a company that has built its business on helping our customers to become more sustainable, we are proud to lead by example.”