La Trobe University chose FIMER's PVS-100 inverter technology to power its 519kW solar system on its brand-new sports facility at its Bundoora Campus in Melbourne, Australia.
La Trobe University is a leading Melbourne university with seven campuses across Victoria and New South Wales. In 2019, the university committed itself to reach 'net zero' emissions by 2029 through a long-term initiative.
As part of this initiative, the university built its world-class sporting complex for teaching, research, community participation and elite sport and wanted the complex to be powered by solar power.
The new facility was completed in January 2020 as part of the staged development of the park and includes an indoor stadium with six multi-purpose highball courts, a teaching and research building with world-class sport science and analytics research laboratories, and office space for commercial tenants.
Elite Solar Pro, an industry-leading solar and energy EPC based in Victoria, completed the 519kW system, which has over 1,100 x 470W panels installed on the stadium roof and five FIMER PVS-100 three-phase string inverters.
FIMER's five PVS-100-TL string inverters are located on the roof and built into a custom-made enclosure. The PVS-100 inverter, which is made in Italy, is ideal for this type of application where energy demand fluctuates, and the high power-rating of each inverter means that fewer units are required, reducing CAPEX, due to its high-power density and cuts OPEX as it is quick to install, easy to configure and maintain.
Warren Merritt, FIMER Australia's Technical Sales Lead, supported the installation and commissioning, including setting up the system's communications. He said of the project, "The PVS-100 offers businesses and organisations with the power, quality and flexibility to meet their energy requirements. This is an impressive installation of the PVS-100 on a fantastic facility. It has been a pleasure to work with La Trobe University on this project as they continue their solar journey."
The 519kW system is connected to FIMER's Aurora Vision Plant Management platform, enabling the system to be monitored and managed remotely.
The stadium was awarded Australia's first '6 Star Green Star Design and As Built v1.2 certified rating" for a sports building by the Green Building Council Australia.
The 519 kW system is capable of generating approximately 724 MW of solar energy annually, more than enough to meet the entire stadium's electrical demands, with the surplus going to supplement their main campus.
La Trobe Dean School of Allied Health Human Services and Sport, Professor Russell Hoye said the state-of-the-art Sports Stadium had transformed students' experiences and was a valuable community asset predicted to have more than 10,000 visitors a week.
"We're very proud of the fact that we've been able to create this incredible facility while remaining true to La Trobe's values of being sustainable, protecting our environment and aiming to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2029," said Hoye.
