SolarWorld, one of the largest solar equipment manufacturers in the US, has supplied solar panels to the largest solar electric installation in the Dominican Republic. The 1.5MW solar array is located near the runway of Cibao International Airport and consists of 5,880 SolarWorld Sunmodule panels mounted on top of the company’s Sunfix ground mount racking. The facility generates enough energy to supply at least half of the airport’s energy requirements.
“As a company with business ties to Latin America dating back more than 30 years, SolarWorld has long understood that solar power is an essential part of the region’s energy mix” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. “For island nations like Dominican Republic, solar offers a clean and cost-effective solution to dependence on expensive imported oil for power generation.”
The project was developed and installed by the Dominican company Trace Solar SRL within a framework set by the Caribbean nation’s renewable energy laws which use tax incentives and net metering to encourage solar deployment. Trace collaborated with SolarWorld’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) division to design the system, which is expected to generate 193,000 kWh of electricity every month. This equates to a saving of around 1,240 barrels of oil.
SolarWorld has supplied panels, mounting systems and complete solar systems for on and off grid customers in Latin America since the late 1970’s and has also donated panels to hospitals, medical clinics and water treatment facilities in Haiti, Peru, Mexico and Honduras through its Solar2World programme. The company is based in Bonn, Germany, and employs around 2,500 people. It’s production facilities are located in Freiburg, Germany, and Hillsboro, USA.
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