MV SOLAR
FIJI SOLAR SHOWCASE
CORALVIEW ISLAND RESORT
Aboutus
MV Solar Fiji in partnership with Coralview Island Resort are delighted to welcome you to the Fiji
Solar Showcase. Located in the scenic surrounds of Coralview Island Resort, the Showcase is built
to be Fiji's number one live demonstration location for those interested in seeing solar technology in
action.
The Showcase supplies Coralview Island resort with all of its electricity needs. It has been built by
MV Solar Fiji Pty Ltd to the same exacting Australian standards that MV Solar Pty Ltd has been
working to for years. We have built the Showcase as part of our permanent move into the Fiji market
so that our Fijian friends can see our quality workmanship and components operating in Fiji for
themselves.
Visiting our Fiji Solar Showcase is a must for those looking to install Solar for their resort or
commercial business in Fiji. Visit us today to see what quality, cyclone rated solar installations built
for Fiji look like.
Showcase Highlights
Fiji Solar Showcase Overview
The AC Microgrid supplies the resort with all of
it's AC power needs and also demonstrates a
small grid connect solar system. It also allows
the diesel generator to power the resort directly
or charge the battery bank if required.
The DC solar field demonstrates a number of different
panel mounting systems and charges the battery bank
through a charge regulator. The battery bank stores the
excess generation of the solar field for use at night and
during cloudy days.
Cyclone Rated S o lar P a ne ls
To
sele
ctthe
right
pane lf
roth eFij
imar
ketw eco
nduc ted
anexhaustive
panel evaluation program that included:
• Panel performance and longevity
• Panel wind loadings and cyclone resistance
• Salt spray and sand tolerance
• Cost effectiveness
• Supplier reliability and support for product warranties in the Fiji market
As a result of this process we were pleased to announce the selection of
Winaico as our panel supply partner for Fiji. Winaico panels are highly resistant
to salt spray and have been tested for hundreds of cycles at a cyclone beating
5,000Pa of wind pressure loading. Importantly, they specifically honour all of
their product warranties for installations in Fiji.
The Fiji Solar Showcase uses 50kW of
Winaico cyclone rated solar panels
We have noticed that other Fiji installers typically use panels designed for
northern Europe or America and often mix panels from different suppliers to
meet an order. These have a front pressure loading of 5,400Pa to deal with
snow falling on the panel, but only have a 2,400Pa wind loading which is
measured as a back pressure rating. These are not cyclone resistant and the
panel gets sucked out of the frame during cyclones in Fiji.
s
Cyclone Rated Mounting
S y stem
The Fiji Solar Showcase lets you take
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ook ate a
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fothe
different panel mounting systems we supply in Fiji.
All of the ground mount, roof flush mount and roof tilt frame
panel mounting systems are made of light weight anodized
Aluminium. Importantly our frames have an anodization thickness
of 24um which is more than twice the industry standard of 10um
(note that 10um will last for only around 10 years in high salt
environments). Our mounting systems are designed to last as long
as our panels in high salt environments and will still be going
strong after 25 years.
Our ground mount panels are mounted facing North for maximum
generation, while our roof mounted panels are mounted East/West
to give more generation in the mornings and evenings. All of our
panels are tilted more than the minimum 10 deg to make sure
water runs off and cleans the panel during rain.
All of our mounting systems meet the Fiji building code
requirement of a wind category C rating or above, which means
they are rated to withstand cyclonic wind speeds.
The Fiji Solar Showcase includes more than 30kW of
ground mount panels, more than 10kW of flush
mounted roof panels and more than 5kW of tilt frame
roof mounted panels.
Battery Storage Systems
An on site 540kWh battery storage system means that the
working Solar Power Station at the Fiji Solar Showcase supplies
all of Coralview Island Resorts power needs day or night.
We use large format, deep cycle lead acid batteries for proven
performance and reliability. The batteries are housed in a
purpose made battery room with underfloor cabling, battery
racking and protective coverings to keep the system safe and
secure.
New battery technologies such as lithium ion
and aqueous sodium ion batterers will be added to the
showcase in the future as they become economically viable in
the Fiji market.
The Fiji Solar Showcase battery bank consists of 180 two
volt deep cycle batteries each of 1500Ah capacity. The
cells are arranged into three banks of 120Volts.
The resort maintains it's autostart diesel generator as a backup
unit for times of extraordinary cloudy weather or system
maintenance on the solar power station. It is run every Monday
from 910:30am to test the generator and ensure that the
generator autostart battery is fully charged.
OffGridInverter Systems
Off grid inverters are an essential part of any microgrid power
station. An inverter takes the DC voltage from the batteries
and solar panels and converts in into the AC power that is
the basis for our normal electricity systems.
The Fiji Solar Showcase demonstrates the use of the
Selectronic SPPro inverter/charger system. This is a smart
inverter system that can be configured as an AC or DC
coupled system. At the Fiji Solar Showcase we show both
configurations and how they can be combined to improve the
output of your off grid solar power station.
In DC coupled mode the solar panels charge the batteries
directly and the SPPro draws power from the battery bank to
power the resort. In AC coupled mode the SPPro can also
charge the batteries from our Enphase micro inverter
connected panels or from the diesel generator.
Three 15kW Selectronic SPPro inverter/chargers form
the basis of the 45kW 3 phase AC power system for
Coral View Island Resort. These inverter/chargers are
connected to the internet and can be remotely monitored
for performance and reprogrammed remotely if required.
Enphase microinverters for
gridconnect
The microgrid at the Fiji Solar Showcase is large enough
to demonstrate the function of a grid connect solar PV
system using Enphase micro inverters.
A single Enphase micro inverter is connected to every
panel and converts the DC output from the panel directly
into AC electricity to power part of the resorts load.
Each Enphase micro inverter is connected to the internet,
so that you can view the power generated by the
system down to the generation of each individual panel at
any time via the MV Solar website.
We can build a grid connect system of any size using
Enphase micro inverters, from small home or business
systems to large commercial installs. With Enphase you
can install your system in stages so that it grows with you.
Grid connect Enphase micro inverters allow the output of
each panel to be optimized and and tracked via the
internet. To see the output of the micro inverters at the Fiji
Solar Showcase see:
https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/pv/public_systems/M
5XY768094/overview
Internationally certifiedsolar
design andinstallation
MV Solar Fiji brings the same exacting standards for solar PV
system design and installation to Fiji that we have been working to
for years in Australia.
MV Solar is owned by Mr Michael Valantine, who is one of the
pioneers of the Australian Solar industry. Before starting MV Solar
Pty Ltd in Australia Michael wrote and taught the first NSW TAFE
training course for renewable energy in Australia.
As well as being an accredited electrical expert, Michael is a
Clean Energy Council of Australia accredited designer for both off
and on grid solar PV systems and is also accredited to install
systems to that same exacting standard.
In recognition of his standing in the industry, Michael is a
committee member of the Sustainable Energy Installers
Association (SEIA).
Our Fiji Solar Showcase is used to train our Fiji staff to those
same exacting standards.
Solar Power Station Design
Part 1: System Sizing
Diesel
Solar
Battery
Before
Size
44 kW
Fuel
4,200 I/month
Run cost
$22,000 /m
The solar power station as part of the Fiji Solar Showcase
has been designed to supply all of the needs of Coralview
Island Resort. The 50kW solar field and 540kWh battery
bank supply power equivalent to the 44kW diesel generator
used at the resort previously.
It is estimated that the presence of the solar power station
increases the capital value of the resort by more than the
cost of installation. This means that the payback is
instantaneous if capital values are included in the
calculation and indicates a low financial risk.
Showcase
Size
44 kW
50 kW
540 kWh
Fuel
60 I/m
0 l/m
0 l/m
Run cost
$250 /m
$0 /m
$0 /m
The high cost of purchasing and transporting fuel to off
shore island resorts also means that is means that the
solar power station be cash positive in around three years.
This represents an internal rate of return of more than
30% and a supply free power for decades to come.
The small residual diesel fuel cost comes from running the
backup generator for less than 1.5 hours each week to
ensure the generator is functioning properly and the
autostart battery is properly charged.
Solar Power Station Design
Part 2: Electrical Circuit Design
The design of the Fiji Solar Showcase is one of the most
sophisticated in the world. It combines a large DC coupled
solar field with a smaller AC coupled solar field, a hybrid
DC/AC coupled battery bank and an AC coupled
diesel generator.
This advanced design has been created in part to
demonstrate the skills and capabilities of MV Solar. It also
improves the performance of the solar power station and
reduces the amount of strain on the battery system by
letting the AC coupled generation power the resort directly
without having to go through the battery bank.
Importantly for the Fiji market, the solar microgrid is
scaleable and can be expanded in the future to keep pace
with your growing resort, business or village.
ComingSoon
MV Solar Fiji also sell, install and service a range of other
products for the Fiji resort and off grid village market
including:
-Desalination units and solar pumping systems
-Commercial and residential solar electric heat pump hot
water and pool heating systems
- Modular protective sea walls
- Small village home and church off grid solar systems
Examples of these products will be available for inspection
at the Fiji Solar Showcase shortly.
ContactUs
www.mvsolar.com.fj
MV Solar Fiji Pty. Ltd.
13 Bouwalu St. Lautoka, Fiji
Phone: +679 6662648
Email: info@mvsolar.com.fj
www.facebook.com/mvsolarfiji