French cable manufacturer Omerin expands its solar installations

Omerin’s transition to solar for self-consumption is part of the company’s goal to significantly reduce grid electricity consumption throughout its operations – particularly for energy-intensive plants using industrial equipment – while also aiming to power its entire fleet of company electric vehicles with solar energy. The combined 10 solar installations span 34,000m2 of rooftop space and feature more than 16,000 solar panels. Powered by SolarEdge Inverters and Power Optimisers with a total power capacity of 6.1MW, solar energy is now expected to cover 30% of Omerin’s daily electricity requirements.

In order to further maximise its use of solar and reduce total electricity costs, Omerin has a collective self-consumption agreement with utility company, Enedis, also known as virtual storage. Any unused solar energy produced by an Omerin site that is not needed immediately is re-distributed to another company site that requires more energy, as long the site is within a 7KM radius.

To optimise solar energy production from the 10 sites, Omerin invested in SolarEdge Power Optimisers attached directly under each pair of panels. "Unlike conventional inverter string technologies, if a solar panel is underperforming due to shading or soiling for example, these small devices ensure that the panel in question does not affect the rest of the solar installation. This is crucial to maximising energy production for Omerin and optimising its return on investment," explains Thomas Sallès, Managing Director of Systèmes Solaires, the company that installed all the solar sites.

The installation of Power Optimisers also enables remote monitoring of the installation at a panel-level, allowing Omerin to closely monitor system performance in real time, while enabling the installer to troubleshoot problems quickly to ensure uninterrupted operation. The SolarEdge ONE for C&I software application enables Omerin to remotely control, manage and optimise the efficiency of the installation to enable a faster return on investment.

With a mix of staff, costly machinery and production lines operational within its 12 solar sites, the importance of safety was critical when choosing the solar system. In the unlikely event of an emergency, the SolarEdge Power Optimisers are designed to ensure that the voltage across the entire array is reduced to a touch-safe 1V within minutes. Additionally, integrated arc fault protection is designed to efficiently detect and interrupt potential arc faults.

Hervé Lhote, HSE and CSR Director for the Omerin Group, comments: "Our investment in solar energy is a strategic move to reduce grid electricity consumption while reducing our carbon footprint. By leveraging solar energy for our own self-consumption, we have significantly reduced our dependency on grid electricity while mitigating the business impact of fluctuating electricity prices. The safety and security offered by SolarEdge systems gave us the peace of mind to expand our solar installations and maximise use of our buildings to self-produce the levels of energy we need. With our collective self-consumption solution, we also faced a major challenge in terms of monitoring visibility. The SolarEdge ONE for C&I software platform is essential for us, enabling us to monitor the operation of the entire installation seamlessly."

Arnold Bourges, Country Manager France at SolarEdge, concludes: "Omerin is a prime example of the growing trend towards self-consumption with solar, enabling businesses to meet their ESG goals while taking control of their energy bills. It’s then the role of technology to ensure that every drop of energy is optimised to achieve a faster ROI, while ensuring safety is never compromised. This is why thousands of businesses choose SolarEdge Power Optimisers, the safe choice for their investment.”