Solar Spotlight: School Is in Session With SMA Inverters

In a collaboration with Harvey Construction Corporation, ReVision Energy installed the rooftop array on Phillips Exeter Academy‘s 84,574-square-foot field house as part of a modernization project.

The ballasted 535.44-kilowatt array consisting of 1,552 solar panels powered by eight SMA Sunny Tripower CORE1 inverters will generate approximately 598,000-kilowatt hours of solar electricity, enough to power 60 New Hampshire homes!

“This system size and layout, four large rectangles, landed itself perfectly to the input capacitates of the CORE1 Inverter.  We were able to design each “block” to maximize the DC inputs of two Core1 inverters, and each of their (six) MPPT inputs.  The 1,000V input capacity allowed us to maximize our DC home runs distances on this roof, saving costs and BOS materials.  We had a tight construction timeline on a busy new construction jobsite, so the portability and ease of installation provided significant installation labor savings,” stated James Hasselbeck, Revision Energy branch manager – PV Division.

Speaking of savings, this solar power system will save the Phillips Exeter Academy more than $2 million in energy costs over the life of the system. It will also have a huge positive impact on the environment, as the solar energy generated by this array is equivalent to offsetting 629,694 pounds of carbon pollution each year, which is equal to 700,060 miles driven by an average passenger car or 32,140 gallons of gas.

“This large-scale array is a tangible example of the academy’s commitment to sustainability, and it accelerates our state’s clean energy transition,” according to ReVision Energy events marketing specialist Christina Zlotnick. “The array enables the athletic facility to control its energy costs and increase its energy independence by reducing the need to buy power generated with fossil fuels.”

ReVision Energy is an employee-owned, Certified B Corporation, dedicated to accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable solar energy and is ranked as #1 rooftop solar contractor in New England and #14 nationwide by Solar Power World magazine.

This is not the first time ReVision Energy chooses SMA inverters. “We have used SMA products for over 14 years in thousands of installations with great success.  We were excited to follow the development and release of the SMA CORE1 Inverter, and this project provided our first opportunity to use them.” Hasselbeck added.

The SMA Sunny Tripower CORE1, world’s first freestanding PV inverter for commercial rooftops, has an innovative design, which provides a reduction in both installation time and costs. This project provides a great example of it.

For a closer look to this project, enjoy this video provided by Revision Energy as well as the pictures featured in our gallery.