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Size Matters: World’s largest solar park in Germany

Largest Solar Park

The photovoltaic solar park near Senftenburg in Germany has bowled over many. This remarkable spectacle now has something more to boast about. A new section has been added to it lately. What makes that news even more sensational is that due to the new addition, the plant will now become one of the biggest solar parks in the world! This annex was constructed within three months, quite an achievement, and has been applauded by many for its unmatched capabilities. The revolutionary site was inaugurated on 27th April 2006 and will surely set an example to other such solar projects.

What is it

Eastern Germany’s hi-tech solar park was always a marvel, but now the entertainment zone has been upgraded with a new section. Developed by Unlimited Energy, this undertaking has been quite a spectacle. An old and unused mine pit was used for building this new sector. There are many such sections of barren land that are cast off and abandoned. Utilizing them is to construct solar generators is quite innovative and thought provoking.

Most of the times, such territory gets discarded because it contains elements that can harm human life. Hence, constructing solar powered equipment here is a good way to undo the damage. Also, this ensures that the land is not put to any hazardous or injurious use in the future. There is another awesome realization achieved at this site, the time frame within which the plant was completed.

Kudos to Unlimited Energy, under whose workmanship this marvelous structure was erected in just under three months. The company has proved its farsightness in many other ways. Another yet notable addition to the park is the inclusion of wildlife reserves and plantation. In between the solar installation, the company has provided shelter for wildlife and also cultivated local plants.

How big is it

The plant is worth 40 million euro or 48 million US$. The power capacity of the plant is also astounding. The new section generates about 78 megawatts of energy, increasing the capacity of the entire plant to a whopping 166 megawatts. It also has about 62 central inverter stations to help transform the energy absorbed from sunrays and put it into use. Also around 330,000 crystalline PV modules have been assembled on the site.

In fact, Saferay company has garnered quite a reputation for the solar farms it has built throughout Germany. Each is put up with the same efficiency and built within an astonishing time limit. This is a remarkable feat considering it has been in the business for about a year.

How green is it

The original plant was built on the former military ground at Pocking and was saved about 10,000 tons of CO2 annually. This number will increase after inclusion of the new annexure. Also, the plant previously powered up 3300 Germans homes. With the new addition, the plant will now supply power to 25,000 homes in Germany.

To add another feather to its cap, the plant is also very cost effective. The foundation has been fabricated with concrete or piles. Any type of material from steel racks, aluminum, and wood has been used here based on their prices – this is referred to as the flexible installation technology. It applies the master-slave inverter concept developed by Shell churn out energy.

The plant operates pretty well in Germany, naturally, its power will be multiplied in places blessed with ample solar light. All these facts will definitely give many companies incentive to develop the same structure in other parts of the world.

The predecessors

This move by Saferay has caused quite a stir and has obviously made competitors green with envy. What has caused further amazement is the rapid pace at which work was completed at the site. Many companies will therefore be enticed to follow in Saferay’s footsteps. Talks about more such constructions are already doing the rounds.

Lately, shell announced another solar plant near Leipzig that will be the largest in the world. Few others are the 15 megawatt site in South Korea and 100 megawatt structure in Israel. Then of course, there is the venture by GE; the Powerlight plant with a capacity of 11 megawatts in Portugal. Another plant in Portugal will be the 116 megawatt installation put up by a group of German companies.

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