LAKE FOREST, CA—Staar Surgical, a manufacturer of implantable lenses used in ophthalmic surgery, has inaugurated a 1.1 megawatt solar energy microgrid at its production facility here. The system was installed to reduce energy costs, improve sustainability, and safeguard production in the event of grid outages caused by extreme weather events.
The microgrid was designed and built by local solar energy contractor ReVamp Energy. The panels, inverters and other electrical equipment were supplied by SolarEdge Technologies Ltd., a multinational manufacturer based in Herzliya, Israel. The microgrid is powered by a 780-kilowatt DC-optimized inverter solar system on the facility’s roof and two newly constructed carports. Consisting of 1,752 solar modules, the system is expected to cut Staar Surgical’s energy costs by approximately 50 percent, representing an annual saving of around $325,000. However, that figure pales in comparison to the savings that could potentially be achieved by preventing spoiled production runs.
“Manufacturing contact lenses is a highly energy-intensive process that requires each lens to be heated in an industrial kiln continuously for several days,” explains Jay Cutting, ReVamp’s president. “Any reduction in power of more than a few seconds has the potential to ruin an entire production run, leading to losses of potentially hundreds or thousands of dollars. The increasing frequency of red flag weather events in California necessitated that Staar Surgical address the mission-critical challenge of identifying a cost-effective and sustainable method to safeguard production.”
Excess solar energy produced during the day will be stored in a 450-kilowatt battery to power the site’s production lines, which run 24/7, and provide essential backup in the event of power outages. The battery is expected to provide between eight and 24 hours of back-up power, dependent upon the manufacturing facility’s load requirements. In the rare event that an outage lasts even longer, the system also includes a generator, giving Staar Surgical the ability to maintain production.
To ensure seamless operation, ReVamp Energy designed custom-made switchgear that will automatically switch the site’s energy supply to back-up power in the event of a power outage. For added convenience, the microgrid is manageable via the SolarEdge monitoring platform. This will enable Staar Surgical and ReVamp Energy to track a variety of key parameters, such as solar energy production, consumption and battery energy levels in real time.
