Category — Optimal Power

Optimal Power Solutions has recently completed upgrades to its software control at a privately-held island hybrid system in the Bahamas. OPS made various improvements in order to better support the islands unforeseen peak loads.

This included a new facility that enables separate diesel generators to charge a single battery bank simultaneously via the HPC power conditioning units. In addition, OPS also provided enhancements to its SCADA remote management software and improvements to the integration of the eight wind turbines.

We previously covered this project in an earlier article, Caribbean island lights up with OPS renewable energy technology.

Caribbean Project Photo Slideshow

Optimal Power Solutions is the lead renewable energy technology provider for the system upgrade of the US Navy’s China Lakes testing and training facility.

This project site is located in the Superior Valley, U.S.A. Due to the remote nature of the site, the facility requires a self-contained electrical generating system that includes a large-scale photovoltaic system.

OPS is currently supplying the power conversion equipment and system integration for this system upgrade. The upgrade aims to optimize the energy output of the site’s existing PV modules (210kWp). The existing modules will not be replaced however the previous inverter will be de-commissioned.

Due to the limitations of the existing PV modules to operate at high voltages, OPS was required to design and implement a custom boost-mode MPPT charger. This newly designed boost mode charger will enable the best possible integration of the existing PV array.

This is the same US Navy testing and training facility where an OPS system was previously commissioned in early 2009. It is expected this system upgrade will be commissioned in mid-April 2010.

OPS India has recently completed the prestigious solar power project at Governor house, Raj Bhavan, in Kolkata, West Bengal. Raj Bhavan Kolkata is the country’s first Governors residence to switch to solar power generation. India’s President Pratibha inaugurated the solar power system in December 2009.

West Bengal’s Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi), The Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah, President Smt. Pratibha Patil and West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation MD Gon Chaudhuri joined together to turn on the solar power at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata. Dr. Farooq Abdullah also announced the governments allocation of Rs. One Crore ($220,000 USD) for all Governor houses in the country to introduce solar power generation.

Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi has been striving to build awareness of carbon emissions through green and energy efficient building initiatives. The introduction of solar power at Raj Bhavan is expected to reduce the buildings carbon emissions by 40%.  The first stage implementation of solar PV at Raj Bhavan is 10kW however by March 2010 a further 40kW will be added and connected to the grid. The final system will be about 110kW.

OPS India supplied the system design, products and power integration for the Raj Bhavan system.

“We will all pool our scientific, technical and managerial talents, with financial sources, to develop solar energy as a source of abundant energy to power our economy and to transform the lives of our people”
Dr. Manmohan Singh, PM India.

Optimal Power Solutions is excited to announce its standard product line of DSP-based power inverters for 2010. Highly reputed for their reliability and efficiency, OPS inverters have been used extensively across a range of applications, from remote micro-grids to megawatt-scale solar farms.

The OPS Product Range 2010 Brochure, now available through our website, details standard inverter models in the following product lines:

· Hybrid Power Conditioners (HPC product line)

An integrated power conversion and management solution for off-grid applications. 7.5kW to 250kW.

· Grid Support Conditioners (GSC product line)

Designed as a distributed generation system for grid connected applications with unreliable utility supply. 7.5kW to 250kW.

· Grid Export Conditioners (GEC product line)

A unique grid connect inverter featuring fast and efficient MPPT. 7.5kW to 500kW.

The OPS Product Range 2010 Brochure is now available through the download section of our website. For sales enquiries, please contact your closest OPS office or email info@optimal-power-solutions.com

Click the above image to download The OPS Product Range 2010 Brochure

Optimal Power Solutions announces the appointment of Debabrata (Deb) Ghosh as Chief Operating Officer for the global group. Deb has ten years experience in management and technical roles across a number of high tech industries.

Before joining OPS, Mr. Ghosh was a Market Manager for High Precision Slicing in Electronic and Photovoltaic materials at Saint-Gobain Corporation, the world’s largest provider of abrasive products. He has held several product management positions at Applied Materials, Inc. and Axcelis Technologies, Inc., covering a wide range of offerings including PVD, Electroplating, Spares, Services and Intellectual Property. He began his career at the Indian Space Research Organization and has also worked for Tata Consulting Engineers in the Special Projects Division.

Mr. Ghosh earned his Bachelors degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed his MBA from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad in its Founding Class. Mr. Ghosh has been named as an inventor in 5 US patents related to semiconductor processing and RFID technology.

India’s largest pilot project of solar PV grid-connect is now online and a huge success!

OPS India (Optimal Power Synergy India) is in the final stages of its 3 megawatt grid connect project in Karnataka, India. OPS India has supplied the 3 megawatt project with all power conversion equipment and system integration. Whilst two thirds of the project is now fully operation and online, the final commissioning is set to occur in the next week.

This project will supply 3MW during daytime (11am to 5pm) to the state grid which will enable greater power capacity to meet the irrigation power supply demand. This pilot project is expected to facilitate future planned projects in the areas of Shikaripur taluk in Shimoga district and in Itnal village in Chikodi talu of Belgaum district. The Karnataka government is planning to launch a solar technology programme to over 3900 villages, estimated to meet the energy needs of 5.0 million people.

India will soon launch an ambitious plan to boost its solar power generation from 3 MW to 20,000 MW by 2022. The policy framework, known in official circles as “the National Solar Mission,” will address the high cost of manufacturing solar panels as well as the currently high price of solar power (in comparison to conventional coal power stations).

For more Flickr photos of this project please follow the photo links below.

Optimal Power Solutions is negotiating its first project application in South East Asia of our newly developed product, the Macro Hybrid Power Conditioner.

The Macro HPC is an energy optimized large-scale hybrid system. It offers high power renewable energy connected to an automated multiple engine control system (MGCS).  It has a facility to schedule specialized loads through the use of a Station Control Module (SCM).

The MGCS synchronizes various generator sets to operate at peak capacity in parallel, whilst the SCM communicates with the power producing components of the renewable energy station and the Hybrid Inverter Module.

The SCM also controls the Inverter Module at the external PV farm to ensure that all PV power being exported is managed in the event that the battery bank is fully charged and the village load is being met at the time. Controllable loads can be initiated to ensure no excess renewable energy is wasted.

The first application of this newly designed OPS product will be a 1MW power plant in East Malaysia. The Macro HPC platform provides for a scaleable capacity of up to 10MW, in solar photovoltaic increments of 100kW or 250kW.

Optimal Power Solutions envisages a high take-up in future of the Macro HPC in the following applications:

• Remote & Island Village Communities
• Large-Scale Communications Towers
• Health-Care Facilities
• Governmental & Educational Institutions
• Remote Infrastructure
• Off-Grid Airports

3 megawatt solar PV system to be fully online by late 2009.

Optimal Power Synergy India Pty Ptd has signed an agreement to provide all power conversion and integration work for a 3 MW grid connect Solar PV project to be installed in Karnataka, India.

Karnataka has severe power supply issues due to a reliance on hydroelectric power generation coupled with lower monsoonal rainfall over the last few years. Hydroelectric generation capacity has diminished due to low dam levels. In response the Indian Government is interested in megawatt-sized PV systems at various locations in the countryside to improve power supply to villages and rural areas.

The 3MW Karnataka project is now under construction and the first megawatt will be online by late September 2009. The remaining PV power supply will be completed by November 2009.

27th May 2009

OPS India is playing a key role in India’s first multi megawatt solar grid connect power plant which being installed at the Disargarh Power Corporation (DPC) site in Jamuria district of West Bengal.

The 2 MW Solar PV grid connect power plant is being implemented by West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation ( WBGDCL ) for DPC.  This is the first time in India that a large solar grid connect project is being implemented with a feed in tariff for the energy being generated. The project site is just adjacent to a now defunct coal based thermal power station which makes this project all the more unique.

OPS India are supplying  250 KW Grid Export conditioner PCU’s manufactured in Kolkata, India. The project implementing agency, WBGDCL , has awarded the EPC contract for this project to Titan Solar, Hyderabad.

Project implementation is currently underway with the first MW of modules now being installed.  The power plant is being scheduled for commissioning by June 30th.

For more Flickr photos of this project please follow the photo links below.