COLWAY Chooses RuggedCom Communications Network for a Photovoltaic Plant in Egypt

Objective

Provide Ethernet network for interconnecting multiple remote telecontrol units in a photovoltaic plant and ensure reliable operation in the extreme environmental conditions of the Egyptian desert.

Solution

High performance and cost efficient fiber optic network based on RuggedSwitch® RS900 and RMC30 Media Converters to allow seamless integration of Ethernet and serial equipment.

Company Overview

COLWAY’s is a Spanish group of companies that offer Smart Engineering Solutions and turn-key projects for telecommunications, railway and renewable energy industries. COLWAY Renewable Energies is a division that promotes, develops and implements renewable energy projects with a special focus on photovoltaic solar plants.

COLWAY was selected by the AOI (Arab Organization for Industrialization) as an EPC contractor for design, implementation and commissioning of the first clean energy 600kW on-grid PV plant near Cairo.
The AOI is a large government owned industrial organization in Egypt. AOI focuses its main activities on supplying the needs of the Armed Forces in defense equipment and
weapons systems, and uses its excess capacities for supporting community development plans in the f ields of infrastructure, environmental protection and transportation projects. AOI has recently become active in renewable energy projects.

Customer Requirements

The customer objective was to develop state-of-the-art technology for renewable energy plant and use it as a reference design in future projects of new plants connected to the grid and also as an alternative for electrification of rural areas.

COLWAY’s goal was to install the first photovoltaic power plant and connect it to the power grid of Egypt. The main challenge was Cairo’s desert climate that is characterized by very abrupt temperatures changes both in winter and in summer time. Meteorological phenomena like sudden showers, very high humidity, night frost, intense dust and sand storms are very frequent in the region.

For this purpose, COLWAY required all components of the system including communications network to meet the most demanding industry standards and to ensure high performance and faultless operation. In order to penetrate the African market, COLWAY looked for a world renowned partner like RuggedCom with a proven expertise in utility communications networking solutions designed for mission-critical applications in extreme environmental conditions.

Solution

COLWAY selected RuggedCom’s RS900 Ethernet switches and RMC30 Media Converters. The RuggedSwitch® RS900 is a 9-port rugged, fully managed, Ethernet switch that combines robust design, flexibility, compact form factor and cost efficiency. The RMC30 is a rugged 2-port serialto-Ethernet converter that allowed COLWAY to connect a number of devices to the Ethernet network that were only equipped with RS485 serial interfaces. The communication architecture was composed of core RS900 switches linked together with fiber optic cables. Furthermore end devices such as telecontrol units, sensors, controllers and RMC30 media converters were connected via copper Ethernet cables in a star arrangement to multiple RS900 switches.

The solar plant was composed of more than 2600 photovoltaic panels combining two different technologies: 85% of panels with fixed structure and 15% of panel with two axis solar trackers. Mixing various technologies was a design decision taken in accordance with customer’s will to test different solutions and understand which one fits best the local requirements and provides higher ROI (Return On Investment). The installation contained modern components and specialized systems manufactured by world leaders in the clean energy sector like Gamesa, or Ormazabal.

Figure 1. Technical Directors of the AOI During the Visit at Cairo Photovoltaic Plant

“A robust and reliable communications network from RuggedCom was a key factor in enabling COLWAY to deliver a safe monitoring and control system for solar panels and make this first PV project in Egypt a full success”, said Mr. Miguel Colomer, CEO of COLWAY Group.

Figure 2. Solar Panels with Fixed Structure

Figure 3. Two-Axis Solar Trackers

Key Features

• -40°C to +85°C operating temperature range
• Robust design that exceeds industry standards
• Compact, galvanized steel enclosure
• DIN or panel mounting for efficient use of
  cabinet space

Benefits

• Guaranteed smooth and reliable operation reliably in climatically demanding
  environments
• Flexibility due to wide range of power supply input options and different mounting options

 

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