ENcome makes its Italian PV power plants compliant with A72

 

Klagenfurt am Wörthersee (18.05.2015) – The Italian „Allegato 72 (short A72, appendix to the technical requirements of grid operators) requires existing PV plants ? 100kWp to be equipped with a special GSM-modem, that can switch the PV park on and off with an SMS. PV park owners, who execute this mandatory modification in the first half of 2015, will receive an incentive of EUR 500 from GSE.

By June 30th 2015 all Italian photovoltaic installations with an installed minimum capacity of 100kWp need to be retrofitted in such a way that the grid operator can independently disconnect them from the grid. The legal basis for this was created by a change of Annex A72 of the TERNA network code (Resolution 421/2014/R/EEL). Latest events such as the solar eclipse at the end of March 2015 have shown the necessity for an independent plant control system for the grid operator as the nation-wide shutdown of selected installations required an organisational effort for plant owners.

 

ENcome managed the administrative as well as technical part of the shutdown for its clients and in parallel already prepared the required adaptation tasks to be compliant with the new regulation. As a result of extensive tests Encome has found the optimal hardware components for the modifications according to the A72 regulation. These, together with the appropriate software, will be connected to the grid relays of the PV park, in a way that allows the grid operator “remote controlling” the PV park. This control has access to the mid-tension switch and will disconnect the PV park in case of grid-overload, thus protecting the electric grid and the PV installation from critical load conditions.

 

ENcome’s electricians deliver and install the respective hardware and test the functionality of each installed device together with the grid operator. ENcome Italy submits and executes the necessary administrative tasks (measurement protocols, modification request, documentation).

Additionally ENcome manages the request for modification incentive for its clients. Power plants which are modified before June 2015 are eligible for an investment incentive of EUR 500. For A72-modifications between July 1st and August 31st plant owners will receive an incentive of EUR 250. Due to the obligatory nature of the modification, non-conformity bears the risk of loss of the feed-in tariff.

The ENcome group is a pan-European leading and independent provider for the operation of photovoltaic power plants with focus on technical Operation and Maintenance (O&M), technical Asset Management (TAM) and the compilation of technical expertise. At present ENcome operates power plants with a nominal capacity of several hundred megawatts in different countries. Well skilled engineers ensure the best yield for every renewable energy park in any grid environment. Furthermore ENcome offers other services along the asset lifecycle of photovoltaic installations partnering amongst others with renown law firms, tax advisers and security centres.