French Methane Production Farm Produces 1MW of Solar Energy

SolarEdge, a global leader in smart energy technology, announced its premium-safety DC-optimized solar inverter solution has been chosen to power a pioneering 1MW solar plant recently installed at a methane production farm in France. SCEA Robin (Société Civile d'Exploitation Agricole) from the Ain district, has received praise from firefighters and insurers for its new 8,000m² rooftop solar system that features advanced technological safety capabilities required for such an installation nearby to highly flammable methane production.

SCEA Robin’s business portfolio includes pig farming, cereal growing and methane production. To counter its high energy costs, the company installed its first rooftop solar system in 2020 with a 100kW installation used purely for self-consumption. Witnessing attractive economics, the farm has now expanded its deployment of rooftop solar by over ten times, with a new accumulative power capacity of 1MW. Approximately a quarter of the solar energy produced is used for self-consumption, while the remainder is sold to the grid creating an entirely new revenue stream for the business. Since moving to this dual-use solar model, SCEA Robin is saving approximately 18% a year on its energy bills. 

While the expansion of solar has become very profitable for SCEA Robin, it has been hailed a success for other reasons. The proximity of methane production to solar presents significant safety risks which required approval from the local firefighters and insurance company. According to Christine Brouillet, farmer and methanization operator at SCEA Robin, technological innovation made all the difference.

“Solar is a now a key part of our business, helping us not only to significantly reduce our operational costs at the farm, but also generate additional revenues for us from the surplus energy produced,” says Brouillet.  “However, with our methanization farming on-site posing a flammable risk, as well as our farm animals roaming, we had rigorous testing to demonstrate that firefighters could shut down the solar system instantaneously in the event of a fire. SolarEdge Power Optimizers played an important role in getting approval, having the advanced rapid shutdown safety feature to assure us and the insurance company that firefighters could quickly and safely intervene if needed. This capability, along with their 25-year warranty, gives us the peace of mind that our investment is safe for the long term.”

Unlike traditional solar inverter technologies, SolarEdge’s innovative DC-optimized solution combines solar inverters with Power Optimizers. These are small devices attached to the underside of every pair of solar panels. The innovative SafeDC™ feature automatically powers down the solar array to a touch-safe 1V whenever the inverter or grid is shut down, enabling safe maintenance and emergency intervention should it be required. Integrated arc fault protection is also included, detecting and interrupting potential arc faults. Arc fault detection and interruption are not required by French regulations but are commonly requested by insurance companies. SolarEdge inverters include this safeguard which is designed to mitigate the effects of some arcing faults that may pose a fire risk. 

According to Gilles Bonnet, Prevention Engineer at insurer Groupama Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne, these advanced safety capabilities have not gone unnoticed.

“As a leading insurer in the agricultural world, we support a wide variety of farms which are now transitioning to solar with additional methanization activities. The phenomenon is spreading, and more and more large buildings are equipped with rooftop solar systems,” says Bonnet. “We develop specifications to minimize risks and make recommendations for buildings, livestock farms and production facilities. SolarEdge’s Power Optimizers caught our attention having been tried and tested successfully in the USA where most buildings are made of wood and therefore the current needs to be shut down as close as possible to the solar panel in order to mitigate the risk of overheating or a fire. Unlike other traditional string inverter technologies, anomalies can also be detected at a panel-level. At Groupama, any technological innovations like these that improve risk management of buildings – particularly when it comes to solar – are always very much appreciated.”

Solar installers are also seeing the value of Power Optimizers, particularly when it comes to maintenance. In the case of SCEA Robin, local solar installer Planète+ is able to monitor the system remotely at a panel-level to accurately pin-point any issues and resolve them quickly –minimizing time on site and maximizing system uptime. 

Kamel Messai, Co-Director of Planète+, concludes: "As the adoption of solar continues to grow, it is critical that safety continues to be non-negotiable. Safety features such as SafeDC and SenseConnect from SolarEdge have set a high industry benchmark for safety. Given that most people outside of the solar industry are not aware of these risks, we're now working with emergency services, insurers and our customers to help them understand these important issues.”