Delta Inverters Power the Major Car Manufacturer R&D Europe Research Project in Offenbach Germany

One of the major car manufacture R&D project aims to develop more intelligent and efficient ways of using energy resources in the area of e-mobility and Delta inverters installed at the 140 kWp solar car park at the site help provide a renewable energy source for this research.

At this car manufacturer R&D Europe GmbH in Offenbach, a few kilometers up the Main River from Frankfurt, advanced research is undertaken in the area of EV charging technology. The charging concept is bidirectional, meaning that in addition to charging an electric vehicle, stored electricity in the battery can be fed back to the public grid when needed. In the spring of 2017, the project began with the installation of a publicly available charging station that featured 940V high voltage

technology capable of charging up to 4 vehicles with different connector types simultaneously. The new charging system can draw energy from the grid and from renewable energies as a power source.

The high-voltage charging system was provided by the firm EV Tech as part of this major car manufacturer flagship energy project called “Smart Company”. The project seeks to find solutions for how to use solar energy to charge electric vehicles but in addition to enable the stored energy from the vehicles to be fed back to the grid

as needed in order to stabilize it in times of scarce supply. This car manufacturer hopes this bi-directional charging technology can not only be used in the regional market but contribute as well for the global e-mobility market.

The public charging station was officially opened on 29 May 2017 in a ceremony attended by Mr. Bernard Massberg, head of the mobility department at the Hessian Ministry of Economics, Energy, Transport and Regional Development, and Mr. Horst Schneider, Mayor of Offenbach.

In September 2018, construction of a 140 kWp solar car park with in-roof solar modules began at the R&D center. The EPCs in charge of the construction were Apollo Vertrieb Photovoltaik GmbH in coordination with a solar car park specialist, ClickCon GmbH. The construction of the solar car park was completed in May 2019.

Two Delta M88H inverters with 88kVA were installed in the PV system along with a H5A Flex 5kVA inverter. 456 SIEnduro 300W solar modules are incorporated in the inroof

PV system on the car park canopies. The solar car park is expected to yield a total of 140,000 kWh energy annually.

Delta inverters were selected by the EPC for the project due to good experience with the units, integrated string monitoring, a suitable MPP operating voltage range and

a compact form factor.

This project is part of this major car manufacturer’s commitment to electrify vehicles in Europe, with a solid goal that two thirds of their vehicles sold in Europe after 2025 will be with electric drives.

Delta is proud to have contributed their solar inverters to this important e-mobility and smart energy project at this famous car manufacturer R&D. The project complements well Delta’s own mission to create innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow. When companies work together to develop technology that create much needed carbon-saving and sustainable energy solutions for future generations and also contribute to a more secure and energy-stable world, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.