The Bonfiglioli Group has been in operation since 1956 and has been producing complete photovoltaic inverter solutions for industrial and renewable energy applications worldwide since 2006. Inverters and photovoltaic (PV) components are developed and manufactured by Bonfiglioli Vectron, the group’s technical centre in Germany. Bonfiglioli’s product portfolio for the photovoltaic sector includes inverters for all types of applications, from compact, 30 kW devices to modular, turnkey 2,4 MW solutions for indoor and outdoor installation.
“Vectron has its roots in the highly demanding textile industry, where precision is critical, and Bonfiglioli inverters are superior in both performance and reliability. Another important feature of the inverters is their modularity. They comprise up to seven modules, so if one is down the rest will still be functional,” says Robert Rohman, MD of Bonfiglioli SA.
A global player
The company has invested heavily in the development of new products, services and solutions for photovoltaic energy conversion and this has consolidated its standing as a gigawatt player; the group has installed over 1,4 GW of equipment around the world and realised a turnover of over €55 million from the PV sector in 2011. In one major installation, Bonfiglioli supplied the inverters for the biggest photovoltaic park in Europe, with an installed capacity of 70 MW, in Rovigo, Italy.
A South African solution
Realising the vast potential for solar electricity production in South Africa, Bonfiglioli SA has invested fully in the country’s photovoltaic (PV) industry. The company has a dedicated presence in the local PV industry, and is geared towards utility scale developments in the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP). This aims to produce 3725 MW from solar PV and other renewable energy sources by 2016. Work has begun on 18 solar power plants across the country with a total capacity of 630 MW, and the third round of bids from the preferred independent power producers (IPPs) to supply Eskom through the national power grid will be in August.
A photovoltaics division manager for South Africa has been brought on board to develop a customised turnkey inverter solution to fit local market conditions for PV installations. The package consists of industry leading German engineered inverters together with locally manufactured medium voltage transformers, switchgear and auxiliaries, all of which are housed within an easily transportable 12 metre container. This solution will meet the localisation requirements for PV system developers specified in the REIPPP bid documentation. Bonfiglioli will supply the IPPs and EPC companies.
“A year ago we could not see much enthusiasm about PV among the main component suppliers but this year there is much more momentum,” says Rohman. “The scale is huge,” he adds.
Meeting Bonfiglioli
In April Bonfiglioli staged a successful exhibition at Power & Electricity World Africa. This is Africa’s largest and most holistic power and energy business event and it provided an opportunity to meet the Bonfiglioli team and find out more about the company’s PV portfolio. Massimo Sarti, general manager of the Global RePvS Division was also present at the exhibition. “Although we cannot produce the inverters locally because of our strict quality requirements, we have maximised the local content in all other areas and are able to meet the requirement of 60%,” he says.
“Bonfiglioli is well aware of the critical importance of optimum PV system performance, minimal equipment down-time, dedicated customer service and bankability of equipment manufacturers when it comes to large scale energy investment programmes such as the REIPPP,” says Stephen Davey, Bonfiglioli’s photovoltaics division manager for South Africa. “The Bonfiglioli SA PV division is based on the success of our global presence. Our inverters meet all the most stringent technical and performance requirements of solar intensive markets around the globe.”
For more information contact Stephen Davey, Bonfiglioli, +27 (0)11 608 2030, [email protected], www.bonfiglioli.co.za
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