Siemens Industry has announced it has added another megawatt (MW) of solar power to its portfolio as Granite Construction Company (GCC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Granite Construction, recently commissioned one of the nation's first solar-powered aggregate and hot-mix facilities located in Coalinga, Calif.

GCC is using Siemens' Sinvert PVS1051 UL inverter with an integrated e-house solution and a 1,000 KVA oil transformer. The 1MW solar power generation system will provide clean energy to power Granite's aggregate mining facility.

"Our solar initiatives at our Coalinga facility will offset approximately 50 percent of our power requirements, and the clean energy generated to support our operations is equal to the amount of electricity used to power 191 average American households annually," says Sean Kilgrow, director of renewable energy business development for Granite.

Siemens Sinvert PVS1051 UL is used in photovoltaic (PV) systems to convert the direct current from the PV generators into a three-phase current which is then supplied to the connected power grid.

"Granite's application showcases the flexibility of Siemens Sinvert grid infeed system, and with peak efficiencies of around 98 percent, end users quickly realize the cost benefits of solar power," says Rick Myers, senior director of Siemens solar vertical market management.

Granite's 1MW project is one of several solar accounts announced by Siemens. In September, Siemens began production of 10 Sinvert PVS2000 inverters for a 20MW solar field in Stillwater, Nev., being developed by Enel Green Power North America, Inc. The project also includes 10 2,000kVA 12.47 kV step-up transformers and one 20MVA GSU transformer.

In July, Siemens announced it had received a multi-million dollar order from Interconnect Solar Development, LLC, to supply solar technology for the 20MW Murphy Flats solar field located in Idaho. The project includes inverters, transformers and containers, and will feature Siemens 1000VDC inverters along with 1000VDC panels for maximum energy harvesting.

Siemens has begun production of its Sinvert solar inverters at its West Chicago manufacturing facility, localizing its manufacturing to better serve its customers based throughout the United States. The company invested approximately $10 million upgrading two buildings at the location, one of which will support the growing demand for solar power domestically.