With U.S. solar installations at an all-time high, dealing with end-of-life solar equipment is expected to be critical issue to address 20 or 30 years in the future. But with increasing extreme weather events, better inspection methods and evolving technologies, there are several reasons to repair or replace solar modules now.
An 8 MWdc installation on a landing strip at LF Wade International Airport in Bermuda is a case in point. The airport solar project in St. George’s was Bermuda’s first utility-scale solar facility, according to Saturn Power, an Ontario-based developer and parent company of the project’s developer, Saturn Solar, Bermuda.
Development of the project began in 2018 with construction and permitting work beginning in late 2019. With a series of delays mostly caused by the COVID pandemic, construction work on the project was concluded in late 2021.
When a thunder and lightning storm came through in 2024, a few hundred modules out of the 24,000-module installation were damaged and needed replacement as well as some of the inverters. While the developer keeps a backup of about 50 modules in storage, these were quickly used up and the inventory had to be replaced.
With the modules and inverters now six years old or more, finding replacements was the first challenge. The project involved replacing and shipping out for recycling a few hundred ZNShine solar modules and custom-sourcing similar or matching replacements. The replacement modules needed to match or exceed the voltage and power requirements of the existing system, while also being of similar dimensions to ensure compatibility.
Additionally, Saturn Solar needed to source Huawei 45 kW inverters, which had been discontinued by the manufacturer for two years by that time, making them difficult to find in new condition.
Arranging logistics was the next challenge, as shipping to and from the island could only be done using 20-foot containers through New Jersey, the primary port for shipments to the island.
The solution
Saturn Solar’s service partner, Bluewater Logistics Group, sourced replacement modules from GCL from Texas that had a power rating of 370 W, slightly higher than the existing panels, but the dimensions were compatible with the existing solar array.
They were also able to locate the discontinued Huawei inverters from surplus stock in Alberta, Canada. This required ensuring that all components were in mint condition as they are crucial for the solar system’s performance.
The damaged ZNShine modules were shipped in containers that were then re-used to return ship the replacement parts. The GCL modules were transported from Texas and inverters brought in from Canada and delivered to the port in New Jersey to be readied for shipping to Bermuda.
The logistics company took charge of the necessary paperwork for international shipping, ensuring compliance with regulations across the three jurisdictions involved in the project: the United States, Canada and Bermuda (a territory of Great Britain). Managing the project under one contract ensured that products were sourced, transported, packaged and shipped to meet the project demands.
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