meteocontrol and Phoenix Solar establish alliance in the MENAT region
The Middle East, northern Africa and Turkey (MENAT) are the focal point of the partnership between the photovoltaic service providers meteocontrol GmbH and Phoenix Solar AG. Phoenix Solar, an international photovoltaic company, will rely on meteocontrol’s monitoring systems to operate PV power plants in the MENAT region. The companies are launching the partnership with a joint project in central Anatolia.
meteocontrol has developed a cost-optimized monitoring concept for a complex of six PV power plants near the city of Kayseri in central Anatolia. The blue’Log Station X-Series will monitor and control the individual units of the entire power plant, which produces nominal power of 6.9 MWp. Phoenix Solar has been awarded a contract by a Turkish consortium to perform all planning and purchasing work in the group’s first plant-sized project. Another complex that generates power of 4.9 MWp is currently being constructed at the Kayseri site. “The partnership with Phoenix Solar enhances our growth strategy in the MENAT region,” says Martin Schneider, Managing Director of meteocontrol, who adds: “For this reason, we are really looking forward to a long-term partnership. We’re also happy about already having two more orders in the project pipeline.”
Largest private PV power plant in Jordan
One particularly promising project is the largest private PV power plant in Jordan: The 11 MWp PV power plant will consist of three individual units. It is designed to meet all the electricity needs of the Marriott and Sheraton hotel chains in Jordan. It will also serve as a pilot project for similar power plants in Jordan and other MENAT countries. The systems are being installed in the Muwaqqar and Damikhi, Qatrana, regions and will be connected to the grids of Jordan Electric Power Co., plc., and Electric Distribution Company, plc. Under Jordan’s renewable energy law, which is considered one of the most progressive in the entire Middle East, the Power Wheeling Regulation permits solar energy to be generated at sites located away from the area of consumption. Once the plant is completed, Phoenix Solar will also manage operation of the three power plants. For this work, meteocontrol is supplying both the remote monitoring system for the VCOM virtual control room and a local SCADA system for on-site monitoring.
Individual monitoring solutions from a single source
Augsburg, Germany–based meteocontrol provides its customers complete packages to monitor and control all sizes of PV systems. Thanks to its many years of experience and international expertise, the PV service provider with subsidiaries in Europe, Asia and North America enjoys a broad base of knowledge about the equipment- and country-specific implementation of PV system monitoring: On the basis of the system design and following customer requests, meteocontrol plans the monitoring solution and configures the system. The company’s employees work around the world to install monitoring systems and commission them. “With meteocontrol, we have gained a skilled partner who can help us with our projects in the MENAT region,” said Klaus Friedl, Director of the Middle East region at Phoenix Solar AG. “We are looking forward to jointly tapping the huge potential of this rapidly growing solar market and to further strengthening our position.”
