GE Power Conversion’s Marine Power Test Facility undergoes sustainable solar upgrades
Solar development business Ortus Energy has successfully completed the first phase of a fully funded Power Purchase Agreement for electrical engineering company GE Power Conversion.
Ortus Energy integrated a 400kW photovoltaic system into GE’s Marine Power Test Facility in Leicestershire, UK. Having set several carbon neutrality goals, GE’s Marine Power Test Facility now benefits from a rooftop, 400kWp system consisting of 962 panels. It is estimated that the installation will save approximately 70 metric tons of CO2 each year in addition to generating an estimated 315,000kWh of sustainable energy in the same time frame. The energy will aid in running GE’s facility.
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GE’s Marine Power Test Facility is used by the company to conduct the testing and emulation of full scale, multi-megawatt integrated electric power and propulsion systems. It is also used for the testing of new energy technologies for naval and other marine platforms.
The newly installed photovoltaic system will contribute the energy needed to run tests on electric ship equipment which consists of high- and low-voltage systems, AC and DC and fixed and variable frequency electrical systems.
To optimize the use of the solar power, Ortus installed the array as four separate but interconnectable roof-mounted components. This enabled the best possible configuration with the test facility’s current automation and energy management system.
Phase two is scheduled to begin in the first few month of 2023 at GE Power Conversion’s systems and manufacturing facility in Rugby, UK. The installation will potentially be five times the size of the Phase one, with an estimated at 1.8MW output.
“The system upgrade has been conceived and integrated in such a way that all sources of energy, from fuel to grid supply, can be optimized for efficiency, carbon reduction and operating cost,” said Peter Oram, sales and commercial director, GE Power Conversion UK. It’s important for this advanced Marine Power Test Facility and the customers that rely on it, providing a full-scale demonstration of future, greener maritime technologies and their deployment within a micro grid.”
“We’re delighted to help GE improve their environmental profile, ESG commitments and carbon footprint, as well as locking-in a sizeable portion of their energy price for 25 years, at no upfront cost,” explained Alistair Booth, managing director, Ortus Energy. “Our fully integrated approach to building, financing and operating distributed energy streamlined the project for them and the solar PV system will be particularly beneficial for the Marine Power Test Facility site, as it looks to decrease its reliance on grid electricity.”
