The solar panels are ready for connection in the 2 MVA solar power plant park built at the Tápiószele (Hungary) plant of Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 and will provide a significant portion of the plant’s energy needs from renewable sources.
An important milestone in Ganz’s energy efficiency investment in Tápiószele was reached in May when the 2 MVA solar power plant park was completed on the site of the company’s main production facility. As part of the Factory Rescue Programme, the company has started to improve the energy efficiency of its transformer factory and turn it into a modern production facility. The construction of the solar power plant, implemented as part of the Energy Use Optimisation Programme launched in 2023, was carried out by Forest-Vill, which installed 4040 solar panels on an area of 3.7 hectares.
The planned annual energy production of the solar PV system is 2,830 megawatt-hours (MWh), which will cover a significant part of the site’s annual electricity consumption of 3,500-3,600 MWh. The manufacturing company is currently able to use around 60 per cent of the electricity generated by the small-scale solar power plant, but the use of the solar farm can be increased by installing drying technologies using natural gas, electrifying the heating of the production halls and integrating additional electricity consumers.
This will be helped by the fact that the two companies will continue to work together after the completion report, as Forest-Vill has also committed to installing a hybrid system of lithium-ion and so-called NAS battery energy storage on site. The hybrid system will be able to operate the two technologies in parallel, combining the high charge/discharge capacity of lithium-ion batteries with the longer-lasting capacity of NAS batteries. The two systems have a combined capacity of 5.2 MWh.
This will also allow Ganz to store some of the electricity generated locally from solar power and use it at off-peak times. Forest-Vill has begun the design work, with preparation and installation of the energy storage systems to take place by the end of the year. Once the completed systems are commissioned, the next major task will be to optimise the power generation, use and storage, as well as operation on site, which will be completed in 2025, said the company.
“The Energy Use Optimisation Programme is an important milestone in Ganz’s development. In addition to improving our products and manufacturing, our priority is to optimise the operation of the factory and make it sustainable,” said Gergely Gál, Managing Director of Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines. “By building a solar farm, we will significantly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and take a big step towards our goal of zero emissions. Forest-Vill’s expertise will help Ganz achieve its sustainability goals and increase the competitiveness of our products in the international market.”
In addition to the solar power plant, the programme includes other improvements that will help Ganz increase the energy efficiency of its transformer and rotating machine plants in Pest County. Besides the installation of new state-of-the-art machines, the company will further reduce its gas consumption by insulating the factory halls and service buildings. Thanks to the programme, Ganz plans to reduce its CO² emissions by almost 40 per cent by the end of 2024.
“In recent years, solar power generation in Hungary has reached unprecedented levels, and this trend is not over yet. Now advanced energy storage technologies make it possible to use the electricity generated by solar panels at night. We are proud to work with one of Hungary’s leading manufacturers and to support Ganz’s sustainability goals,” said Csaba Németh, Managing Director of Forest-Vill.
Forest-Vill has extensive experience in the development and construction of electricity grids and has grown dynamically in recent years to the point where, in addition to its core business of building substations, it can now also undertake the construction of high-performance solar farms from design to full implementation, relying primarily on its own pool of experts. The company also has extensive experience in the construction of electricity storage facilities, including the design and full construction of the country’s largest 20 megawatt energy storage to date with a capacity of 60 megawatt-hours in Szolnok.