NAM selects solar power for Dutch North Sea platform

Sept. 30, 2013
NAM has contracted WhisperPower to supply three autonomous renewable energy systems.

Offshore staff

DRACHTEN, the Netherlands – NAM has contracted WhisperPower to supply three autonomous renewable energy systems.

These will be installed on an unmanned oil and gas platform in theDutch North Sea to power navigation lights, alarm and detection instruments, and the remote communication system.

WhisperPower’s Grid Independer is an autonomous hybrid power system comprising power generation, storage, and conversion components. The main power source is a solar panel array configured to 150 V DC. For this project the company is supplying 80 individual panels each of 200 WP.

The SUNTRACK Maximum Power Point Tracker, a solar voltage regulator with a load capacity of 400 A, charges the 1,200-Ah traction battery bank. The WhisperPower Center’s 10 kW sine wave inverter, connected to the battery bank, supplies 230 V AC/50 Hz.

A built-in 12 kW, 1,500 rpm generator starts automatically in the event of insufficient solar radiation.

According to WhisperPower, benefits of the system include reduced fuel consumption, and the ability to run for a longer period without refueling the main tank.

9/30/2013