Francom goes 100% ecological with the photovoltaic System

Photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Francom plant

The rooftop photovoltaic installation at Francom’s factory

The inverters in Francom’s photovoltaic energy system.

Cassola (Vicenza) 16 January 2018. The photovoltaic field that converts solar energy into a usable electricity supply for Francom’s plant in Via Portile, San Zeno di Cassola, became 100% operational today. Francom, Syncro System’s parent company, has extended its existing installation of photovoltaic panels to coincide with the construction of its new factory building. The system has doubled in total power, growing from 147 to around 300 Kwp. The original field was installed on the roof of the company’s new headquarters and began functioning in the Autumn of 2016. It consisted of 556 modules of 265 Wp each. The field was expanded in 2018, with another 504 Viessmann photovoltaic modules of 300 Wp being added along with 5 ABB inverters. Annual output of the complete new system is estimated at 330,000 KwH at full efficiency, equivalent to about 40% of the plant’s annual electricity consumption, or that of 120 average families. The expanded system with eliminate the emission of 120 tons/year of CO2 equivalent. “Francom’s expansion of its photovoltaic system,” explains Adelmo Rebellato, owner of Idea Casa Solution, the company that designed and installed the new field, “is a sign of the company’s respect for the environment. It delivers clean energy, of course, but it also tells us that we are dealing with company that is in excellent health, because only healthy companies have the courage to make choices of this kind. Francom re-uses the energy this system accumulates during the day and re-invests the savings they make from their electricity bill.” Francom uses nearly all of the energy produced by the system: what is left over is supplied to the grid operator, though at a lower price than the normal purchase price, because after all, nothing should be wasted. This major investment demonstrates Francom’s commitment to reducing its impact on the environment by maximising its use of alternative, renewable energy, in this case solar energy. As Luca Comunello, President of the Syncro System Group explains: “Francom firmly believes that wasting energy is a form of inefficiency that needs to be fought at all levels, not only to save money for our company but also to preserve the wellbeing of our planet for future generations. That is why one of the main objectives of the major investment programme we have been carrying out in recent years and that will come to fruition over the next few months is to make us more energy efficient. These new photovoltaic panels are an important part of this but certainly not the only one. Our new factory conforms to all the latest energy efficiency standards and our machines are all low consumption models. We have even changed the design of some of our products and installed heat recovery systems. Once all our projects have been completed, Francom reckons on reducing energy consumption by up to 60% and maybe even more. This clearly shows there is no contradiction whatsoever between good business performance and respect for the environment.”