After years of disappointment a chicken farmer in Turkey is thrilled with the remodelling of his solar power system.
What began as a small chicken rearing operation 55 years ago in Arnavutköy, Türkiye has grown into a large farm business housing 110,000 chickens and 100,000 chicks at any one time. It also produces around 3,200 eggs a day.
To maintain the health of the livestock, reliable electricity is vital for the farm’s temperature and ventilation control.
Reliable electricity, however, is seldom found in rural locations. Business success brings increased power demand – so alternative power sources simply had to be found.
Some years ago the farm installed a substantial 412 panel solar array which was connected to budget-priced AC inverters, but the investment didn’t yield the hoped-for solutions.
Large array with long term problems
The total photovoltaic capacity of 224.5kW was connected to five 50 kW on-grid inverters configured for net-zero power export.
The solar installation suffered from persistent faults – especially during wet weather when the inverters would regularly shut down as a result of grounding faults caused by damaged cables, poor connections, and inadequate protection for the power installation.
It was by chance that the disillusioned farm owner heard of a three-phase solar power installation nearby – running perfectly and exceeding expectations. After visiting and viewing the professional workmanship and meticulous approach of that installation, he asked his neighbour who the installer was.
