The largest solar array in Manitoba, Canada, goes live this month, powered by APsystems microinverters.
The ambitious 200.2 kW ground-mount array will provide 100 percent of the power needs for the Crescent Beach Cottages, a waterfront vacation resort on scenic West Hawk Lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park.
Installer Evolve Green of Manitoba and the resort owners chose APsystems YC500A dual-module microinverters for their high production and the integrated Energy Monitoring & Analysis system. The APsystems EMA allows real-time monitoring of individual modules in the array to ensure optimal production at all times.
The resort’s rocky, forested terrain posed a challenge for installation – system designers had little room to work with – but creative placement put the topography to advantage. Installers mounted the second row of modules on a rocky tier some 8 feet above grade, allowing the two racks of modules to be placed closer together and conserve space.
The two-rack ground-mount system includes 308 modules and 154 APsystems microinverter units per rack — more than 600 modules and 300 microinverters total — provided through Canadian solar equipment dealer National Solar Distributors.
In addition to achieving “net zero” energy use for the resort, the owners will recover 30 percent of their investment through a rebate program by regional utility Manitoba Hydro.
See a video of the Crescent Beach Cottages array here.