Visit of Astrakhan Oblast Governor A. Zhilkin to the construction site of the 15 MW Zavodskaya solar power plant/PRESS RELEASE

20.02.2017

Feb 20, 2017, Astrakhan Oblast Governor A. Zhilkin paid a visit to the construction site of the 15 MW Zavodskaya solar power plant in the town of Volodarsky. A work meeting was held during the visit with representatives of Solar Systems (the company that finances the construction of the solar power plant).

Currently 5,376 piles weighing a total of 120 tones have already been driven in, a road has been built from reinforced concrete slabs, high voltage transmission lines have been built as well as the foundation for the indoor switch-gear and the modular power inverters. In late January successful tests of the power inverters were carried out during which a special test bench was used to test the operation of the modular power inverters. In addition, high voltage tests were conducted and protective relays were tested. In early February the modular power inverters were delivered to the construction site of the Zavodskaya solar power plant. Cables are planned to be delivered and trenches are planned to be dug for the cables by the end of March.

The footprint of Zavodskaya SPS will be 26 ha. 57,000 photoelectric modules with a capacity of about 260 W each will collect solar energy at the site. All panels will be directed toward the sun at an angle of about 30 degrees, as this is the optimal angle to collect solar radiation from the first to the last rays in the Astrakhan Region. The rows of modules will be installed so that the panels do not shadow each other under any lighting conditions. The distance between the rows of modules will be about 8 m. The peak power of the station will be indicated in the period of the highest solar activity (in the high sun). Zavodskaya SPS will be completely automated. The warranty service life of each module is about 15 years; the effective life of the station is 25 years.

‘What makes this power station unique is that it uses an alternative power source,’ believes Astrakhan Oblast Governor Alexander Zhilkin. ‘In addition, it’s an environmentally friendly project: the power station will be generating power with zero emissions into the atmosphere.’

The reduction of CO2 emissions due to almost complete absence of waste or other environmental impacts will be over 3,784 tons.

Solar Systems LLC was founded  in March 2014 with the aim to construct and operate solar farms in Russia. At the moment, the company implements projects in Samara and Astrakhan Regions. It is planned to construct solar farms in Volgograd Region, Stavropol Territory and the Republic of Kalmykia within the next three years. By means of commissioning elevan solar farms, the total installed power of energy systems of these regions will increase by 255 MW. The total amount of investments is over 33,5 billion rubles.