An increasing number of hotels and resorts are generating at least part of their electricity on-site with renewable energy power plants. A development partnership with Club Med’s Europe – Africa Technical Department has given HeliosLite excellent insights into the requirements of the hospitality sector regarding solar power plants. As a consequence, the new tracking system is also optimised in respect of land use and movability.
“In cooperating with Club Med, we have learned more about the electricity consumption of hotels and resorts” said Jay Boardman, CEO and Co-founder of HeliosLite SAS. “We are looking forward to also testing our disruptive 1.5-axis tracker with Club Med. Our new trackers allow for increased power generation in the mornings and in the evenings when power consumption in most hotels is high.”
Claude Blondel, manager of Club Med’s “Energy Mission”, added that Club Med is looking at solutions that are flexible and cost competitive. One of the objectives is to offset local power outages with solar energy in regions where the grid is not stable.
The main-consumers of electricity at hotels and resorts are typically, air-conditioning, restaurants, lighting and pumping. Furthermore, numerous hotels and resorts are located in remote sites without access to grid electricity or in countries where the grid is not stable. Under these conditions, diesel generator sets are often used to generate electricity or provide back-up power for hotels and resorts. However, electricity from diesel is typically very expensive and solar energy represents an excellent business case for reducing diesel consumption. More and more hotels and resorts are looking at generating green electricity with solar and wind power plants on site. The new 1.5-axis tracker has not only proven its robustness in wind channel tests, but it is also easy to install and relocate.
“This development is also triggered by factors beyond costs” said Thomas Hillig, managing director of the consultancy THEnergy. “On their holidays, tourists do not want to smell diesel fumes or listen to the noise of gensets. The pressure on hotels to turn toward green power is increasing.”
This white paper shows that the new 1.5-axis trackers can significantly contribute to this development. The solution is also interesting for other off- or weak grid solutions and owing to its scalability suitable for utility-scale solar power plants.
HeliosLite is based in the French Alps and specializes in disruptive tracking systems. With conventional PV technology, the company’s cost-effective tracking solution boosts energy production to lower the cost of energy. The company also strives to work with local partners for manufacturing, installation and operations through an elegantly simple design using standard and proven components and an informational system for complete performance monitoring.
THEnergy assists companies in dealing with energy-related challenges, offering strategy, marketing and sales consulting services. For industrial companies THEnergy develops energy concepts and shows how they can become more sustainable. It combines experience from conventional and renewable energy with industry knowledge in consulting. In addition to business consulting, THEnergy advises investors regarding renewable energy investments in changing markets. It is also active in marketing intelligence and as an information provider in select fields, such as renewables and mining, through the platform th-energy.net/mining or renewables on islands through the new platform th-energy.net/islands.
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