Founded in 2009 and based in Edmonton, Great Canadian Solar has been involved in the design and installation of more than 70.0 megawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems for residential and commercial customers. More recently, the company introduced its Solar Sea Can solution, a mobile, compact, and flexible off-grid solar energy system.

Solar Sea Can is deployed in remote areas, providing power to construction sites, oil field installations, micro-grid applications, mining operations, and emergency response teams. Essentially, companies rent Solar Sea Can to power office trailers, lighting, security systems, and other critical tools rather than gas-fueled generators.

When Great Canadian Solar entered the design and engineering phase in the development of Solar Sea Can, finding the right battery storage system was a top priority.

“We needed a battery storage system that has a smaller footprint than traditional systems and is easily transportable,” said Csilla Harsasi, Renewable Energy Technologist and Technical Lead on this project. “Because Solar Sea Can operates in remote areas, it was important for the battery storage to be environmentally friendly and durable — something that could stand up to a little abuse.”

The right battery chemistry was also important. Harsasi was looking for more advanced technology with lithium ferrophosphate chemistry to maintain high round-trip efficiency during the solar charge cycles. After doing extensive research, she found that Fortress Power offered solutions that fit perfectly with the Solar Sea Can application.

The success of the initial Solar Sea Can with a 9-foot off-grid container led Great Canadian Solar to develop a higher-capacity, 20-foot container capable of generating up to 16kW of power with 30kW of storage. This unit combines two Outback Radian GS8048A (8kW) inverters and two Fortress Power LFP-15 batteries, which not only improve reliability and efficiency, but also produce significant GHG emission savings.

“Because Fortress Power battery storage is so compact, we can use any pickup truck to bring it to a job site, where it can be quickly charged and discharged,” Harsasi said. “We only need eight to 10 hours of autonomy at a construction site, and the Fortress Power system offers plenty of capacity in a small footprint.”

The feedback from Great Canadian Solar customers has been overwhelmingly positive. They were amazed at how well the system worked, even during frigid winter months. In fact, Solar Sea Can with Fortress Power battery storage produced an average of 839kWh of solar energy per month from January to March.

Shifting from a diesel generator to Solar Sea Can from April to June, Great Canadian Solar reports that 99 percent of its energy was generated with their solar system. Fuel costs were reduced by $9,000 and CO2 emissions were reduced by 3.55 tons, or the equivalent of 0.81 acres of forest carbon-sequestration.

Most importantly, Great Canadian Solar customers are never without power at job sites. Once they have the Solar Sea Can unit onsite, they don’t need another energy solution. In addition to tremendous results in the field, Great Canadian Solar has been impressed by the support and training provided by the Fortress Power team.

“Besides having great products, Fortress Power has great technical support,” Harsasi said. “They helped us set up the batteries properly from day one and have always responded quickly when we have questions. Because Fortress Power has been very proactive about making sure their battery systems are compatible with major solar manufacturer solutions, there’s less work getting the unit up and running on job sites. We haven’t had this kind of experience with any other company.”

The Solar Sea Can has been in use for about 1 1/2 years, primarily on medium-size and large construction sites. With Fortress Power battery storage systems, the Solar Sea Can has proven more reliable, cost-effective, and portable than traditional generators.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with Great Canadian Solar and leading the charge together with green energy innovation!