Chub Cay Resort and Marina now has The Bahamas’ largest solar array, with four megawatts of solar panels over 10 acres of land and a 10-megawatt-hour battery storage system in a hurricane-rated enclosure to boot.
Compass Solar, the contractor responsible for the solar system, has made Chub Cay energy independent and greatly reduced the resort’s diesel fuel consumption and resulting emissions by 95 percent.
According to Chub Cay’s General Manger David Renaud, energy production was the resort’s second highest monthly expense, with diesel fuel being one part of that high expense.
“Our transition to renewable energy is designed to elevate the guest experience and benefit our bottom line,” said Renaud in a press release.
“Chub Cay is happy to be an industry leader and hopes that other resorts will follow the same path.”
Compass Power is a local company with now the largest solar installation in the country and the second largest power installation in the company’s 16-year history, the company’s principal Justin Cunningham said in the statement. The company specializes in commercial solar and microgrid projects, having completed more than five megawatts of solar installations and preparing to install another five megawatts.
“For Compass Solar to be the EPC (engineer, procure and construct) contractor for the largest microgrid in the country is a game changing opportunity,” said Cunningham.
“Coupled with the engineering skills required to build out large power stations, such as the Baha Mar resort, this makes Compass the only resident Bahamian contractor to install over 70 megawatts of traditional and renewable power applications.”
The statement revealed that the solar array has been recognized by Solar Builder Magazine as the 2021 Solar + Storage Project of the Year.
The array is comprised of 472 individual ground mounted structures, 2,000 ground screws and 540-watt bifacial solar panels that can capture direct sunlight and ground reflection.
The structure is designed to withstand 185 mph hurricane winds and 210 mph gusts.
The lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) comprises 40 battery racks with 17 modules, weighing more than 200 pounds each.
“To achieve completed redundancy for the resort, the BESS, PCS (power conversion system) inverters and PV (photovoltaic) field is divided into two halves, each separately connected and with the ability to operate independently of one another,” the statement revealed.
“All of the primary building material components were sourced from global tier 1 manufacturers and vetted by third-party industry auditors.”
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/chub-cay-boasts-countrys-largest-solar-array/
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