ROMAC PCI Builds MV Switchgear for Prescott Solar Power Plant in 8 Weeks

December 23, 2011 (Commerce, CA) ­­– ­Designing and constructing the 10-megawatt (MW), 43,000-panel Prescott Solar Power Plant in Arizona took a lot of time and work. Alternative energy projects like Prescott can take longer to design than expected, leading to last-minute requests from contractors and distributors for new electrical infrastructure equipment.

“The job had a killer schedule, but ROMAC PCI rose to the challenge in great fashion,” says Karl Dellinger, Industrial Division Manager for Wilson Electric Services Corp. (Tucson, AZ), lead electrical contractor and project manager for the Prescott Solar Power Plant project. “ROMAC impressed everybody with how quickly we got that component turned around. The construction was accurate and trouble free. The appearance and craftsmanship were great. Everyone else said they needed 24 weeks to build the unit, and I was very impressed with how ROMAC PCI pulled it together in just eight weeks.”

Although ROMAC PCI was aware of the Prescott Solar project as early as 2010, an RFP wasn’t issued until April 2011. And the 1200A medium-voltage photovoltaic switchgear with bidirectional metering and main isolation switch needed to be delivered to the site no later than July 8, 2011, to meet the cable-pulling schedule.

“We’re used to the urgent need for speed,” explains Howard Preszler, Estimating/Project Management Supervisor for ROMAC PCI. “We’ve worked on solar and other cogen facilities before; each one has their own set of standards and ways of doing things. ROMAC PCI works on custom projects, so we had the design and manufacturing flexibility SunEdison, Arizona Public Service, and Wilson Electric needed.”

As expected, a change order came in as late as May 8 for the switchgear. Also, when the unit arrived at the site, the design engineers were concerned about tension on the 15 kV cables coming from the pad mount transformers in between the panels and the main switchgear.

“At the last minute, they asked ROMAC to build some special lug pad adapters for a 5-in bus at 45 and 90 degree angles,” says Nick Arena, principal of ESPI, a manufacturer’s representative (Phoenix, AZ). “Also, there were some concerns about the design of the fiber optic landing pads in the relay compartments. One call to ROMAC, and Howard had an answer within six minutes. Wilson Electric told us it took 30 days to get a similar answer from a major OEM on a different solar plant construction project.” The relays provide phase projection for feeding power to the grid from the solar power plant.

For more information about how ROMAC PCI’s custom engineering, design, and manufacturing services can help save your company time while accommodating special requests, contact Howard Preszler at hpreszler@romacsupply.com or call Howard directly at 323-490-1514.

About ROMAC:

Based out of Commerce, California, ROMAC’s 240,000-sq-ft facility has one of the nation’s largest inventories of custom, new, and surplus electrical products. ROMAC and its OEM subsidiaries – ROMAC Power Controls, Inc. (PCI), ROMAC Power Technologies, and ROMAC Hardware Resource Company (HRC) – offer a complete line of new and replacement electrical apparatus, from power-generating equipment through distribution, controls, and motors, as well as custom design, engineering, fabrication, and testing. ROMAC is a proud member of NEMA, NETA, AFE, EGSA, NDA, and IEEE, ROMAC is a founding member of the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL), a standards development organization dedicated to the safe reconditioning of industrial electrical equipment and components. For more information, visit ROMAC’s website at www.romacsupply.com, or call 1-800-77-ROMAC.

• Newsletter Vol 3, December 2011
• ROMAC PCI Switchboard Retrofit Helps Keep West-Coast Amusement Park Turnstiles Turning