5 MW Carport will be the largest MLPE plant in Brazil

Solar energy continues to attract investments from various institutions. This time, the HFA (Hospital das Forças Armadas), belonging to the Ministry of Defense, is the one who invested in this technology and is building, in Brasília (DF), the largest plant with MLPE (module level power electronics) in Brazil. 

According to Ecori Energia Solar, which will supply the photovoltaic kits, the plant has 5 MW. In total, 9,176 545 W modules will be installed in the foundation's parking lot – which has an area of 25 thousand m² and will have more than 1.5 thousand spaces.

In addition to the complexity in the first phases of the civil work, the project, scheduled to come into operation in March 2022, considered local mobility to allow for the greatest number of vacancies and quality of maneuvers for those using the hospital. 

“A highly complex program like this reinforces that MLPE technology is the most modern and suitable for all types of use”, said Leandro Martins, president of Ecori. Furthermore, the executive highlighted that the carport model reinforces the possibility of expanding the use of photovoltaic solar energy on a large scale in commercial and service areas in cities.

Read more: Carports on the rise in the Brazilian solar energy market

According to Fábio Lamounier, CEO of Renova Engenharia, the company responsible for executing the project, this initiative is challenging. “We need to adapt our needs to the local reality. Making a system like this from scratch would be simpler, but we have to use the structure of the place.”  “All this with the aggravating factor of being a hospital area, where we need to always be vigilant with issues such as power outages, the use of sound tools, among other points that we discover on a daily basis”, he added. 

Partnership with Ministry of Defense

This is the second photovoltaic project carried out by the Ministry of Defense. The first, inaugurated a year ago, was the implementation of a MLPE plant on the roof of the ministry itself, on the Esplanada dos Ministérios, in Brasília.  The plant, with an installed capacity of 528 kWp, received an investment of R$ 2.4 million and has around 1,600 panels in an area of 3,200 m². This technology supplies around 35% of the energy consumed.

All equipment was also supplied by Ecori and sales, engineering and installation were handled by Renova. “Our presence in projects like these reinforces our commitment to bringing solar energy within reach of everyone, whether in homes, public buildings, industries, businesses and services. Photovoltaic solar energy is a sustainable and good source for everyone”, reinforces Leandro Martins.