today | CASE 42 ENSTO TODAY 1/2016 ensto Ensto’s high-spec plastics are half the weight of metal and extremely flexible for customization, which translates into lower costs of installation and maintenance, and thus higher flexibility and reliability for ABB and the operator of the solar plant. “We’re now seeing about 30 to 40 percent of ABB’s orders to Ensto specifying plastic,” says Trolia Slamic. Most of all, Ensto’s flexibility has served ABB well. “Ensto delivers configurations for plants between 40 and 200 MW, and those change from project to project,” says Trolia Slamic. “Every project is different.” The secret formula What’s Ensto’s secret? “Our processes are tuned for this,” says Ensto Project Manager Kari Sorjonen. “Once the design is finalized with our customer, we consume a very little amount of time via optimized processes for making the products.” Consultant Asko Rasinkoski, a Senior Technology Specialist at Soleras, says Ensto’s strength is “taking the customer seriously” and producing a solution which he terms a “standard-custom project." These projects have produced a fruitful relationship. "The contract is a good example of us trusting Ensto in their professionalism in providing high-quality enclosing solutions targeted at demanding environments," says Jyrki Leppänen, Director, Market management, Solar inverters at ABB. "Ensto is deeply familiar with the solar industry segment and is able to offer technical solutions meeting our needs." Ensto is currently working with ABB in bidding on 50 other projects in the Far East, Middle East and Latin America, for solar plants of 15 to 200 MW of installed capacity. And it’s not just Ensto supporting ABB. Over the past decade, ABB has been a reliable supplier to Ensto, too, with critical components for the most demanding AC and DC applications. Growing together Ensto has over 40 years of experience in integration solutions at large scales. For the past decade, it has gained solar industry specific experience in Europe. Now that competence is being taken outside of Europe, together with key partners like ABB. So far, Ensto’s Mikkeli factory has been the primary manufacturer of the Ensto solar array junction boxes. However, enough growth is expected that Sorjonen says there is a parallel ramping up of capabilities Ensto’s factory in Tallinn, as well. With the market mature, government regulation now largely irrelevant, and the big players staking their positions, Ensto has carved out its key competence: the interconnection of the whole farm. “The cost of one kilowatt hour ten years ago was four times what it is today,” says Trolia Slamic, “making today’s cost of a kilowatt hour comparable to a gas plant. The world is now ready for a bright solar future.” Anatomy of a Solar Farm 1 Mw/1 ha Photovoltaic power plants are called “farms” for very good reason: since each megawatt of output requires approximately one hectare of space they actually do sometimes compete with agriculture. MWp Solar plant capacity is expressed in MWp (megawatt peak) to reflect DC power output. The largest are currently around 600 MW, but up to one gigawatt stations are on the drawing board. 90 min solar radiation = all energy needs for 1 year Fun solar fact to astound and amaze your friends with at parties: In 90 minutes there is enough solar radiation on earth to feed all energy needs of planet for one full year.
EnstoToday 2016 No1 / ENG
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