French company HDF Energy has equipped its new hydrogen fuel cell production plant with a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) with a 500 kW solar project, adapting the PV modules and inverters to the sawtooth roof design.
French hydrogen specialist HDF Energy recently commissioned a new factory in Blanquefort, western France, where it will produce high-performance PEM hydrogen fuel cells for the maritime and heavy rail mobility sectors.
To supply the building with renewable electricity and for the test phase of the fuel cells, the company chose to install a 500 kW solar power plant on the roof for self-consumption.
“It is a fairly complex roof, designed by the Patriarche Architectes group,” says Christian Baudon, president of the French consultancy Christian Baudon Conseil. pv magazine France. “it has 12 sheds that give it a sawtooth-like appearance typical of industrial workshops.”
The company was responsible for the design of the PV system and is currently overseeing approximately ten C&I projects in logistics, commercial, factory and aircraft hall buildings in the Bordeaux region, as well as around Carcassonne and Perpignan.
“The solar power plant consists of 12 blocks of 41/42 kW each,” says Baudon. “We used four Sungrow SG110CX inverters on the roof, with three sheds per inverter and 18 strings per inverter.”
The facility also features 1,149 Trina Solar TSM-435 W modules, which were installed on the southern slope of the roof by French EPC contractor Eiffage. The project started in September 2023 and should be completed in a month and a half.
“One of the biggest problems was the weather conditions,” Baudon said. “The slope is 38 degrees and when it rains the roof turns into an ice rink.”
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Given this steep slope, the modules are mounted on a steel tray with a “mini-rail” mounting system from the German supplier Novotegra.
The company did not say how much has been invested in the project, but said the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) over 20 years is between €0.03 ($0.0325)/kWh and €0.04/kWh.
“Based on one fuel cell produced per month, which is initially planned, the production of 578 MWh/year in P90 and 626 MWh/year in P50 will allow a self-production rate of 83% and self-consumption reach. rate of 20% to 30%,” Baudon said. The surplus is injected into the grid at €0.114/kWh.
“If HDF Energy then switches to two fuel cells produced per month, the factory’s production will certainly no longer be sufficient for quality testing,” Baudon said. Two options then arise: obtain green energy from other sources or increase the power of the solar power plant.
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