Polk Solar Microgrids Travel to Meet Energy Demands
There is a wide range of applications for Polk Solar mobile microgrid technology. Some ideas are presented here.
Resource Extraction
Resource Extraction (Mining / Energy)
Remote mines and oil and gas production sites are oftentimes not connected to the power grid and therefore depend upon diesel or other fossil fuel sources to generate electricity locally. The price of diesel at these remote sites tends to be higher due to transportation costs and theft. In addition, standalone diesel gensets typically cannot provide optimal load ranges as low-loads damage the diesel gensets or are highly inefficient and uneconomical to operate.
Off-grid hybrid power systems with diesel gensets in combination with solar and energy storage are gaining importance, especially as photovoltaics (PV) energy battery storage prices continue their downward trend. In addition to the increasing interest in the U.S., solar-genset hybrid “microgrid” solutions are increasingly deployed in South Africa, Tanzania, and Australia. The goal of these systems is to maximize output from the PV array and energy storage, with genset operation making up the difference — thereby minimizing fuel consumption.
Mobile PV-genset hybrid systems are especially beneficial during the exploration phases of projects as permanent fixed mount systems result in additional transportation and decommissioning costs. With the exception of Polk Solar’s innovative mobile microgrid package, portable PV–diesel hybrid systems are unable to deliver meaningful diesel fuel savings because of the low proportion of PV generation output versus overall requirements of the electric loads.
With nearly 1,000 square feet of on-board PV and dual axis solar tracking, Polk Solar delivers over 3-5 times more solar output than competing packaged systems. Coupled with your generator or our integrated 20 or 30 kW on-board diesel genset and battery bank, our portable hybrid microgrid system can be deployed as a single unit or in a multiple paralleled system configurations—providing dependable off-grid power for the most demanding mining and energy extraction applications and/or delivering clean, quiet, and economical power for man-camp operations.
Disaster Relief
Emergency / Disaster Relief
In rapid response to crises situations, our mobile microgrid products offer the perfect solution for the temporary power requirements of space conditioning (heating and cooling) shelters, purifying water, powering a mobile hospital, telecommunications equipment, etc., resulting from:
Developing Economies
Developing Economies
There are an estimated 1.3 billion people globally without access to modern power and at least another 1 billion with unreliable grid access. In many countries, there is increasing government support for distributed off-grid solutions, especially solar PV deployments. The sale of small-scale solar products in Africa has swelled in five years from 40,000 to nearly 7.5 million in 2014. Private financing such as venture capital for off-grid renewable energy companies continues to grow for companies poised to capitalize on the need for innovative and cost-effective power solutions in the developing world.
Mobile hybrid microgrid solutions provide the perfect compliment to the innovative financing and transaction structures that facilitate deployment of off-grid power systems for the world’s poor. Third party developers and their funders are increasingly deploying leasing and/or pay-as-you-go (prepaid energy) revenue models that require zero capital outlay on behalf of electricity consumers. Unlike traditional prepaid energy services delivered to on-grid customers in the developed world, the generating assets supporting such structures in off-grid distributed applications must be collateralized and easily removed and redeployed in order to mitigate risk of payment default by the consumer.
The Polk mobile microgrid solution provides transportable, reliable and cost effective power to support the electrification needs of a small residential village or commercial/industrial energy user within a developing economy.
Military
Military / Defense
Renewable energy sources are transforming the expeditionary energy needs of militaries around the world. The military’s dependence on fossil fuels jeopardizes both human life and the environment, inspiring new technologies for reliable, cost effective energy production sources to mitigate these risks. Mobile solar microgrid systems provide the solution to critical power needs of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and Main Operating Bases (MOBs).
Military Uses
- Large Scale Area and Site Lighting
- Large Scale A/C Systems – Central and Distributed
- Water Desalination/Purification/Well & Pump
- Containerized Housing Units
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Benefits: Sustainability & Survivability
- Delivers substantial genset fuel savings
- Highest solar output of any portable system – patented dual axis tracking 1,000 square feet array
- Transportable and easy to deploy in less than 90 minutes
- Highly adaptive and operator-friendly – user feedback improves usability and conserves resources (e.g. genset fuel)
- Operates in wide variety of environments with ease, efficiency, and maintainability
- Entire system fits in a shipping container
- Robust and durable – patented face-down stow protects PV array, lowers maintenance cost, and increases efficiency
Other
Other Applications
Entertainment / Events- Agriculture / Irrigation
- Construction sites
Telecom / Cell Tower