Powering the World Cup

Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution has installed a photovoltaic system at Nuremberg soccer stadium. PTD was prime contractor for the order placed by German insurer KarstadtQuelle Versicherungen.
The roof-mounted system, which is the largest of its kind at any of the stadiums staging matches at the 2006 World Football Championships, has been feeding up to 140kw of solar-generated power into the Nuremberg power supply system since May 19.
758 solar modules cover a total area of about 1,000 square metres of the stadium roof, with each module delivering an output of 185w of electricity in full sunshine. Two 60-kVA power inverters in master-slave configuration transform the direct current produced by the solar modules into three-phase alternating current at a voltage of 400V. The power inverters are equipped with monitoring and display systems, which also enable remote monitoring and control of the solar system. In order to further optimise power efficiency, the Siemens took the geometry of the 42-meter high roof and the position of the six rows of solar modules into account, designing the power inverters and adapting the devices accordingly.