Case study 05 · ALRO SNACKS · Off-grid microgrid
A factory with no grid connection
At ALRO SNACKS, production runs fully off-grid. Solar panels, battery storage and a generator form one stable grid together, day and night, and the Voltmasters EMS makes every decision in real time.
The challenge
No grid to fall back on
On a normal site, the grid absorbs every shortfall and every surplus. At ALRO SNACKS, there is no grid. Every kilowatt the factory consumes has to be generated on site or drawn from the battery at that very moment. That sounds simple, but it is one of the most complex applications in energy management.
Voltage and frequency
Must stay stable, even during sudden load peaks in production.
No export possible
Surplus solar energy has nowhere to go once the battery is full.
Getting through the night
Without sun, the battery needs enough reserve, or the generator has to step in.
Everything at once
Generator, battery and solar panels must work together as one grid, without a hitch.
The Voltmasters solution
The EMS makes every decision in real time
The Voltmasters EMS steers the three sources as one system. That is what it was built for: getting the most out of every installation, even when there is no grid to lean on.
Battery
Absorbing peaks, guarding the night
The batteries absorb load peaks and keep voltage and frequency stable. At the same time, the EMS watches the state of charge, so enough energy remains to get through the night.
Generator
Starting and stopping at the right moment
The generator starts and stops based on the battery's state of charge and the factory's consumption. It only runs when needed, for example during long periods without sun.
Solar panels
Fully used, smartly capped
Solar energy is used to the full. If the factory cannot consume it and the battery is full, the EMS curtails the PV inverters immediately: exporting to the grid is not an option here.
The installation
What is on site
- 2× Poweroad battery, of 115 kVA / 215 kWh each, supplied by Gridsync
- 2× SMA PV inverter, of 125 kVA
- A generator from Locquet Power & Light, as backup for long periods without sun
- Voltmasters EMS, steering every component in real time
Voltmasters result
A factory that runs fully off-grid.
Off-grid, a microgrid or a complex site that needs smarter control? We are happy to think along.
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