PV hybrid system at the Aldabra Atoll UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Seychelles Islands.
Aldabra, the largest atoll in the Indian Ocean, is a refuge for many threatened species, both flora and fauna. The atoll belongs to the Seychelles Islands and was designated a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.
The Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) is dedicated to researching and preserving the atoll and therefore runs a research station on Aldabra which is directed by Dr. Frauke Fleischer-Dogley (CEO). Together with the SIF, IBC SOLAR started planning a sustainable energy solution in April 2010 that was intended to supply the research station with electricity. Since its founding in the 1970s, the research station was operated solely on diesel generators. Keeping the atoll supplied with fuel was a major logistical and financial challenge and a constant threat to the fragile ecosystem.
The PV hybrid system at Aldabra is composed of 108 IBC PolySol 235 TE solar modules with a total nominal power of 25.35 kWp, and 96 batteries of the type 12 OPzV.solar 2200 made by Moll, which have a total capacity of 315 kilowatt hours at 48 volts. In addition to planning the off-grid system, IBC SOLAR also supported its installation on site and trained the researchers in handling and maintaining the solar system. By now, the plant has been operating for one year and the noise of the old diesel generators is now a thing of the past.
Source: IBC-SOLAR
IBC SOLAR Press Release - PDF
