The juwi Group announced that construction on a 40MW solar generation power plant is under way at a former military base in the Saxon region of Germany.
According to Matthias Willenbacher, cofounder and CEO of the juwi group, the total surface area of the planned photovoltaic (PV) installation is comparable to about 200 soccer fields. "Construction of the world’s biggest plant of this kind is a real challenge for a medium-sized enterprise like the juwi group. In Brandis we’re building on an area of more than a million square meters. By contrast, most house roofs, for example, comprise only 40 to 50 square meters."
The "Waldpolenz" solar park – which is being developed by the juwi group in the township of Brandis – will be comprised of approximately 550,000 First Solar thin-film modules. The direct current produced in the solar modules will be converted into alternating current and fed completely into the power grid. Once completed in 2009, the project will be one of the largest photovoltaic projects ever constructed. Currently the biggest PV plant in the world has an output capacity of around 12MW.
With a specific price of approximately €3,250 per kilowatt , the power plant is expected to be around 20%-40% cheaper than the going German market price. In addition, after just a year in operation, the "Waldpolenz" will have produced the energy needed to build it.
According to the company, the first part of the power plant will be ready to feed in electricity by the end of June. After operations begin, several juwi staff will be responsible for the management, servicing and maintenance of the installation.
The juwi solar GmbH (the company’s solar division) will set up a base on the grounds in Brandis and is expected to steadily add personnel over the next few years.
