Safe solar project for Queensland firefighters

Firefighters in Queensland wanted to contribute to the fight against climate change but needed a safe energy solution that delivers dependable performance monitoring. Green Energy Electrical had the solution tucked inside a toolbox.

The company’s owner, Steven Pilcher, always keeps an Enphase microinverter on hand for clients who want solar energy systems. The device is compact and lightweight, and Pilcher finds that showing it drives home the inherent safety of the product. This was especially useful when completing a 2 kW solar project for the Mapleton Rural Fire Brigade.

The all-volunteer fire brigade represents the front line of defence against Australia’s bushfires. Firefighters use the Mapleton station for meetings, training and to fill their trucks with water, but without paid staff, the building is often unattended.

While the brigade is out running fire prevention programs and community education activities, Enphase collects real-time system performance data and makes it available online to the fire brigade and installer. The microinverters keep the fire station safe by operating at low voltage, eliminating most of the risks present in string inverter systems.

“They take fire out of the equation,” said Pilcher. “It’s that level of safety - and the monitoring - that get me the jobs.”

Without a central inverter and with less concern about shading, the commercial office building’s 557 m² roof had space for 25% more modules.

Pilcher recently noticed that the Mapleton project had stopped reporting performance data. Without having to visit the station, he correctly diagnosed the problem - an unplugged internet cable - and notified fire warden Geoff Noble. “He was the first to know,” Noble revealed.

Enphase monitoring not only keeps the fire brigade informed about how its system is operating, it also helps Green Energy Electrical provide efficient system maintenance. The recently announced Enphase Energy Management System will give users even more control over their energy, including the ability to store it for later using the Enphase AC Battery.