Ahmedabad, India – January 2026 – Adani Green Energy, India’s largest renewable energy company, has deployed ABB REM615E_1G HBMBCAAJABC1BNN11G Relay Protection Modules to safeguard its 1.5 GW solar park in Gujarat. The upgrade, part of Adani’s “Renewable Reliability 2030” initiative, addressed legacy relay issues including poor weather resilience, incompatible protection settings, and slow fault response—critical gaps in protecting solar inverters, transformers, and grid connection points. Six months later, the solar park has achieved 99.99% relay protection reliability, a 55% reduction in inverter damage incidents, and a 12% increase in energy generation efficiency—key steps in maximizing renewable energy output.
The Challenge: Legacy Relays Fail to Protect Solar Infrastructure
Adani’s Gujarat solar park features over 5 million solar panels, 200+ inverters, and 30 transformers, generating enough electricity to power 1.2 million households. The park’s relay protection system is critical to safeguarding expensive equipment from faults caused by voltage surges, short circuits, and extreme weather (including monsoons and high temperatures). Legacy relays installed in 2018 struggled to withstand these conditions, leading to frequent failures and equipment damage.
Prior to the upgrade, the legacy relays had a protection reliability of only 98.7%, resulting in 18-22 inverter damage incidents per year—costing €1.98 million in repair and replacement costs. Their slow fault response (250ms) allowed voltage surges to damage sensitive inverter components, while incompatible protection settings failed to adapt to varying solar generation levels, causing unnecessary tripping and 80+ hours of lost generation annually. The relays also lacked dust and water resistance, failing 10-12 times per year during monsoon season, further disrupting operations.
“Solar parks require relay protection that can withstand harsh weather and adapt to variable generation,” said Rajesh Patel, Plant Manager at Adani Green Energy’s Gujarat solar park. “Our legacy relays were unreliable—they failed during monsoons, damaged our inverters, and cut into our energy output. We needed a durable, flexible relay solution that could protect our equipment and maximize generation efficiency.”
The Solution: ABB REM615E_1G HBMBCAAJABC1BNN11G’s Durability and Flexibility
After a 10-week evaluation of relays from ABB, Siemens, and ABB’s competitors, Adani selected the ABB REM615E_1G HBMBCAAJABC1BNN11G for its weather resilience, flexible protection settings, and fast fault response. The deployment was phased to avoid generation disruption: first, upgrading relays at 50 inverter stations during scheduled maintenance; second, training 45 engineers on module calibration and weatherproof maintenance; and finally, full rollout across the remaining 150 inverter stations and 30 transformers over four months with ABB’s technical support.
Key features of the ABB REM615E_1G HBMBCAAJABC1BNN11G that addressed Adani’s needs include:
- Harsh Weather Resilience: Rated IP67 protection class and designed to operate in -40°C to +70°C temperatures, the module withstands monsoons, dust, and extreme heat—reducing weather-related failures by 95%.
- Flexible Protection Settings: Supports customizable protection curves (overcurrent, earth fault, voltage surge) that adapt to variable solar generation levels, eliminating unnecessary tripping.
- Fast Fault Response: Detects and responds to faults in 60ms, preventing voltage surges from damaging inverters and transformers and minimizing equipment downtime.
- Equipment Health Monitoring: Built-in diagnostics track relay performance and detect potential failures, enabling predictive maintenance and reducing unplanned outages.
The Results: Reliable Protection and Increased Generation
Six months post-deployment, the ABB REM615E_1G HBMBCAAJABC1BNN11G has delivered impressive results for Adani’s solar park:
| Metric |
Before Deployment |
After Deployment |
Improvement |
| Relay Protection Reliability |
98.7% |
99.99% |
1.29% Increase (94% Reduction in Relay Failures) |
| Annual Inverter Damage Incidents |
18-22 |
8-9 |
55% Reduction (€1.09M Annual Savings) |
| Annual Lost Generation Time |
80+ Hours |
32 Hours |
60% Reduction (48 GWh Additional Annual Generation) |
| Weather-Related Relay Failures/Year |
10-12 |
0-1 |
92% Reduction |
“The ABB REM615E_1G HBMBCAAJABC1BNN11G has transformed how we protect our solar infrastructure,” said Rajesh Patel. “Its weather resilience has eliminated monsoon-related failures, while the flexible settings and fast fault response have reduced equipment damage and boosted our energy output. This module is a critical component of our strategy to maximize renewable reliability.”
Arjun Mehta, ABB’s India Sales Manager for Renewable Energy Protection, commented: “Solar parks face unique protection challenges—harsh weather, variable generation, and expensive equipment. The REM615E_1G’s durability, flexibility, and speed make it perfect for these environments, and Adani’s success demonstrates its ability to enhance renewable energy reliability and efficiency.”
