Project Solar is under investigation over the integrity of its system designs, with the residential installer stood further accused of using counterfeit mounting equipment, Solar Power Portal can reveal. Contact online >>
Project Solar is under investigation over the integrity of its system designs, with the residential installer stood further accused of using counterfeit mounting equipment, Solar Power Portal can reveal.
“The ongoing investigation associated with a number of Project Solar’s installations is focussed on proving the integrity of their system designs, in relation to mounting components,” Ian Rippin, chief executive officer of MCS, and David Cowburn, chief operating officer of NAPIT said jointly in a statement.
NAPIT has requested the testing of a sample of mounting components used by Project Solar and the design calculations used for installations on which they have been used to determine compliance with MCS standards, the bodies confirmed.
In one instance Solar Power Portal has seen evidence of, mounting hardware is said to have been provided by K2 Systems and Solar Limpets. K2 however conducted a report of the installation following concerns from the homeowner, concluding them to be counterfeit.
“We have evidence that Project Solar UK has been selling non-K2 products that use our trademark and our designs without our authorisation as well as incorrectly using our MCS product certifications and these issues are in the hands of our intellectual property lawyers,” Kai Schuebel, director of K2 Mounting Systems, told Solar Power Portal.
Project Solar has used MCS-certified Fastensol brackets as standard in its installations. However those used in the install in question appear to be copies of Solar Limpets. The company owns various IP rights for its roof hook system.
“We have been made aware of the presence of what we believe are substandard copies of our Solar Limpet roof hook, which have apparently been imported from abroad,” Carl Reynolds of Solar Limpets told Solar Power Portal, adding “I remain very concerned that the safety of copycat products may pose a serious risk to the public and this was the first issue that I raised with the regulators.”
In response to the findings of K2 and Solar Limpets, Rippin and Cowburn stated: “MCS and NAPIT are also aware of a claim that the mounting components that have been used are counterfeit copies of an existing product.
“This issue is outside the remit of MCS and NAPIT and isn’t being investigated. The primary concern of our current investigation is to ensure the integrity of the design and installation.”
In emails seen by this publication, the homeowner at this time called on the installer to remove the installation and compensate him for the damage to the roof created by the installation.
In a statement provided to Solar Power Portal, Project Solar said: “Project Solar UK Ltd take any accusations very seriously and have not received any direct complaint [from the customer].
“Project Solar UK Ltd are more than happy for any such document to be answered through trading standards as the company has Primary Authority status and would suggest this document is forwarded to the relevant department within Trading Standards so we can fully investigate.
Interacting with the Chief Executive Officer of LMI Group Holdings, Kojo Aduhene, Dr Prempeh said the achievement by Helios Solar represented a significant milestone for the company and underpins the company''s commitment to facilitating Ghana''s industrialisation agenda.
The project, fully funded by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is part of a $30 million clean power and water deal with LMI Holdings to support job creation and greener, more sustainable and more competitive industrial development in the country.
The partnership with IFC gives LMI the means and space to make big bets in Ghana and beyond. Through this investment, the project will demonstrate how the private sector can bring effective solutions to development challenges.
Kyle Kelhofer, IFC''s Senior Country Manager for Ghana, stated that, "This project demonstrates how the private sector can bring effective solutions to development challenges and support job creation."
The PV Solar project involves the installation of 29,252 solar panels of the latest N-type technology across a rooftop area of 95,000m2 of the International Warehousing Company Mega-warehouse located in the Tema Freezone. A total of 128 Ghanaian nationals are directly employed in the implementation of the solar project.
Once completed, it is projected that the solar system will annually produce 24,750 megawatts per hour (MWH) of clean, stable and sustainable electricity, and this quantum of power generated is equivalent to the annual consumption of 55,000 homes.
Ghana’s industrialisation agenda has received a boost as Africa’s largest ‘Solar Rooftop Project’ situated at the Free Zones Enclave at Tema is expected to come on stream in the second quarter of next year.
Owned by Helios Solar Company (Helios) and part of the LMI Holdings Group, the rooftop solar project will supply 16.82 megawatt of energy to Helios and its partners.
The fully funded project by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) forms part of an all-encompassing $30 million clean power and water deal with LMI Holdings to support job creation and greener, more sustainable, and more competitive industrial development in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of LMI Group Holdings, Kojo Aduhene, disclosed this when the Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and his team paid a working visit to the site of the project.
He said the achievement by Helios Solar represented a significant milestone for the company and underscored its commitment to facilitating Ghana’s industrialisation ambitions.
“As an indigenous Ghanaian company, we understand the wealth of natural resources available to us and are keen to utilise technologies to help us realise our industrialisation ambitions. This solar system is good, not just for the environment, but also for our economy,” he said.
Expressing his delight at the project, the minister mentioned that the project would serve as a learning hub for artisans to acquire the skills in putting up solar and maintaining solar facilities.
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