Probably one of the highest solar power systems in Colombia is located high above the roofs of the capital Bogotá. Energy supplier „Grupo de Energía de Bogotá“ had installed a photovoltaic system for self-consumption with 18.5 kWp output on the roof of its ten-floor administrative building. All components for this system were delivered from Germany and our Premium Partner Colombinvest with the support of IBC SOLAR was responsible for designing and installing it on site.
The system is a pilot project for „Grupo de Energía de Bogotá“ – the holding is the main shareholder of the largest energy supplier in the Bogotá region – which will be used to test the application of photovoltaic technology at further administration centres in Colombia, Guatemala and Peru. Photovoltaics can become another pillar of the renewable energy supply in Latin America. Solar energy is an important addition to the traditionally heavily used hydropower, especially during periods of draught such as those currently being experienced in Colombia. The dependence on fossil gas is still extremely high with a share in power generation of currently around 1/3.
The engineering for the pilot project presented a number of challenges. The idea was to install as much solar capacity as possible on the relatively small surface of the building and therefore generate a maximum of output power, as the plan was to introduce a self-consumption system with the aim of covering around 10 percent of the building’s entire power supply, which is around 264,000 kWh a year. 56 high-performance modules and 2 three-phase transformerless inverters from a European manufacturer supply around 24,500 kWh each year and it was therefore possible to meet the investor’s target. Since being commissioned in March 2015, the system has already generated 11690 kWh of solar power to date with daily peaks of 20 kVA solar generation.