Granite Construction Co. uses solar power to reduce costs
October 21, 2011Siemens Industry added another megawatt of solar power to its portfolio as Granite Construction Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Granite Construction Inc., commissioned one of the nation’s first solar-powered aggregate and hot-mix facilities, located in Coalinga, Calif.
Granite Construction is using Siemens’ Sinvert PVS1051 UL inverter with an integrated e-house solution and a 1,000 KVA oil transformer. The 1-megawatt solar power generation system will provide clean energy to power Granite’s aggregate mining facility.
“Our solar initiatives at our Coalinga facility will offset approximately 50 percent of our power requirements, and the clean energy generated to support our operations is equal to the amount of electricity used to power 191 average American households annually,” said Sean Kilgrow, director of renewable energy business development for Granite.
Siemens Sinvert PVS1051 UL is used in photovoltaic systems to convert the direct current from the PV generators into a three-phase current, which is then supplied to the connected power grid.
“Granite’s application showcases the flexibility of Siemens Sinvert grid infeed system, and with peak efficiencies of around 98 percent, end users quickly realize the cost benefits of solar power,” said Rick Myers, senior director of Siemens solar vertical market management.
Granite’s 1-megawatt project is one of several solar accounts announced by Siemens.
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