Largest solar power plant in Austria uses Fronius inverters

The largest solar power plant in Austria opened its doors in Eberstalzell (Upper Austria) in mid-September 2010. The plant, roughly equivalent in size to one and a half football pitches, has 4,700 solar panels and 18 Fronius CL central inverters to produce an impressive output of 950 MWh per year.

Covering an area of 60,000 m², the solar power plant is right next to the western motorway (Westautobahn A1) and just ten kilometres from the Fronius production and logistics site in Sattledt.
The eighteen Fronius CL central inverters impress with their unique modular system based on the Fronius MIX™ concept. Each Fronius CL employs up to 15 identical power stage sets that are switched on and off depending on insolation and operating hours. "This optimises utilisation levels and ensures maximum yield from the PV system when the sun's not shining in a bright blue sky," explains Christoph Panhuber, head of the division.

Optimum insolation and professional system monitoring
Fronius naturally paid particular attention to the efficiency of the system in the Eberstalzell plant.
The use of monitoring components enables the performance of the system to be observed in detail so that the engineers can respond immediately should an error occur. The network-enabled Fronius Datalogger records data for further processing. In addition, the integrated sensors provide useful additional information and complement the monitoring process perfectly.

To gain the maximum possible insolation benefit, the solar generators face southwards. A 1 km long, 30 kV underground cable connects the PV system to the medium-voltage network.
A special transformer reduces power losses from 1,000 to just 350 W.

Investment in research
The investment costs for the entire project amount to approximately six million euros. The main purposes of the solar power plant are research, analysis and visualisation of the recorded data. An Infocenter is also provided for accommodating the technical equipment and for presentation and information purposes.