SMA Inverters Powering 3 MW of Mexico's Largest Solar Plant

SMA inverters have recently been installed to help power up 3 MW of solar in Mexico as part of a rebuild for the Aura Solar I project in La Paz, Baja California Sur.

Aura Solar I is a 30 MW solar plant developed by Gauss Energia, a leading developer in Mexico. It is currently the largest solar plant in Mexico, delivering solar power directly to a local utility.

After suffering damage from a hurricane, a significant portion of Aura Solar I was out of commission. When the time came to rebuild the 3 MW section of the project that had been destroyed, Gauss Energía selected SMA inverters. The Aura facility has been delivering power to the grid since last year.

"We are extremely proud to be selected for the rebuilding effort of this facility," said Andrew Mears, Vice President of Strategic Sales for SMA America. "Gauss Energía has set the gold standard for utility-scale solar in Mexico and throughout Latin America."

As Gauss Energía planned to rebuild, the team chose to make a major shift in inverter technology for the replacement project, selecting SMA string inverters instead of central inverters as used previously.

The project rebuild uses 50 Sunny Tripower 60-US inverters, which will be responsible for producing energy for 10 percent of the total Aura Solar I project.

"In such a significant project, we cant afford failure," said David Briseño, Business Development Director for Gauss Energía. "SMAs string inverters maximize operational efficiency and provide reliable performance. We are glad to partner with SMA to ensure stability as we rebuild this important section of Aura Solar I."

The project is being constructed as a fixed structure, rather than using trackers as done previously, to mitigate any future hurricane-related threats or similar obstacles.

The Aura Solar I plant is self-sustainable, and unlike most other solar plants of this size around the globe, it operates without any subsidies from public or private agencies. The facility has also led the way for environmental sustainability in the region, substantially reducing the consumption of fossil fuels.

About SMA
The SMA Group with sales of around €1 billion in 2016 is the global market leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV plants. SMA offers a wide range of products and solutions that allow for high energy yields for residential and commercial PV systems and large-scale PV power plants. To increase PV self-consumption efficiently, SMA system technology can easily be combined with different battery technologies. Intelligent energy management solutions, comprehensive services and operational management of PV power plants round off SMAs range. The company is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, is represented in 20 countries and has more than 3,000 employees worldwide, including 500 working in Development. SMAs multi-award-winning technology is protected by approximately 900 patents and utility models. Since 2008, the Groups parent company, SMA Solar Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and is currently the only company in the solar industry that is listed in the TecDAX index. www.SMA-America.com