Thai steel fabricator taps into solar, sees energy bills plummet

Powering steel production with sunshine

Can a steel fabrication plant with power-hungry machinery tangibly benefit from solar energy?

Lucky World Group in Phanat Nikhom, Thailand, has demonstrated that it's not only practically feasible but can also deliver substantial energy savings.

This impressive project, which secured the Distinguished Award in C&I PV at the 2023 Hoymiles Global Solar Project Contest, shows how solar power can support even the most energy-intensive industries.

Let's dig deeper into how this steel fabricator is using solar power to slash its energy costs and boost its sustainability credentials.

Lucky World Group is a large steel fabricator for office supplies like work tables and storage cabinets.

Its production line, characterized by steel production machines, consumed enormous amounts of power and racked up hefty monthly electricity bills.

The company knew it needed to address its rising energy costs. Solar energy seemed like the perfect solution, but could it keep up with its power-hungry machines?

The Hoymiles-certified installation team chose a powerful system: 114 Hoymiles HMS-2000-4T microinverters driving a 250 kW solar array.

The HMS-2000-4T microinverters brought several advantages to the table. Each unit:

• Can handle up to four panels, streamlining installation.

• Offers a high maximum output of up to 2,000 VA per unit.

• Is compatible with a wide range of panels, from 400 W to 670 W+.

• Consumes very little mobile data, ensuring cost-effective system management.

The installation team explained that they faced stiff competition from numerous competitors bidding for the job.

Deciding to use Hoymiles microinverters – despite a slightly more complex installation compared to the traditional string inverters favored by competitors – proved a key factor in securing the contract.

Lucky World Group wanted panel-level monitoring to track the system's performance and energy savings in detail, which Hoymiles microinverters promised to deliver.

This large commercial project used 114 HMS-2000-4T microinverters

The new solar system hit the ground running. In just the first month, Lucky World Group saw their energy bill drop by an impressive 160,000 baht (approximately US$4,700).

Moreover, the Hoymiles system enables module-level monitoring, providing Lucky World Group with detailed insights into their energy production. The company could easily observe the amount of power generated and money saved.

The success of Lucky World Group’s large-scale PV installation shows that even the most energy-intensive industries can benefit from going solar.

It goes to show that solar energy isn’t just good for sustainability – it's also great for the bottom line.

And that’s a major reason why this project secured the Distinguished Award in C&I PV at the 2023 Hoymiles Global Solar Project Contest.