A 7,4 MWp rooftop solar PV system in Germany has been successfully retrofitted, demonstrating how ageing commercial and industrial PV assets can be upgraded to improve energy yield without expanding installed capacity. According to Tobias Shnchen , Managing Partner at PV, the project shows how output gains can be achieved through modernisation rather than capacity expansion. PV was responsible for project management, planning, quality control and commissioning.
The system, originally installed in 2010 on the roof of a former logistics warehouse in Philippsburg, underwent a full module replacement and reconfiguration while retaining much of the original balance-of-system infrastructure. Shnchen says the retrofit increased expected annual energy output by up to 35 while maintaining the original rated capacity.
The modernisation involved replacing approximately 96 000 roof parallel thin-film modules with about 16 000 higher-efficiency crystalline modules. The new modules were installed at a 10-degree south-facing tilt to improve irradiation capture. Existing mounting profiles, generator junction boxes and AC-side infrastructure were reused while module supports, struts and clamps were replaced following updated structural calculations, explains Manuel Schwarzmaier , Project Manager at Schletter Group. Schletter supplied the mounting solution and carried out the structural redesign required for the reconfigured system.
