The Templin thin film park has been developed on a former Russian military airfield, Gross D

Belectric inaugurates 128 MW solar power plant in Templin (Germany)

The Templin thin film park has been developed on a former Russian military airfield, Gross Dölln and is equipped with more than 1.5 million thin film modules from First Solar and 114 solar inverters from SMA.

BELECTRIC has successfully connected the largest and most state-of-the-art Thin-Film ground-mounted solar power plant in Europe to the energy grid in Templin, Brandenburg. With an installed nominal power of 128 MWp, the power plant on the largest former Russian military airfield, Gross Dölln, will play an important role in supplying greater Berlin with renewable energy. Thanks to integrated dynamic reactive power control, the latest generation of solar power plants can considerably improve the stability of the power grids. This means that more energy can be transported in the existing grids, the need for grid expansion is reduced, and consumers can benefit from a significant reduction in their energy bills. “Decentralized solar power plants will play a decisive role in the future structure of the power market in Germany. Power from plants like this is the most economical method of generating power from solar energy. At present, we have almost reached the power production cost level of onshore wind,” explained Bernhard Beck, Chief Executive Officer of BELECTRIC Solarkraftwerke GmbH.

In total, over 1.5 million thin-film modules from the manufacturer First Solar and 114 central inverters from the manufacturer SMA were installed in Templin. In a single year, the solar power plant generates more than 120 million kilowatt hours of power, which corresponds to the annual consumption of almost 36,000 households. This saves around 90,000 tons of the climate-damaging greenhouse gas CO2 every year.

“I am extremely pleased that the Templin solar power plant has now been connected to the grid. Thanks to the excellent cooperation with our long-standing partners First Solar and SMA and the tremendous support from the town of Templin and the Uckermark administrative district, we were able to construct the power plant in just four months,” said Martin Zembsch, Chief Sales Officer of BELECTRIC Solarkraftwerke GmbH. “Special recognition should also be given to the over 400 BELECTRIC employees who carried out construction of the plant professionally and within the set budget and time schedule. Our thanks also go to the involved authorities and to the network operator EON EDIS, who gave us their absolute support from the very first day of planning.” For this solar power plant, BELECTRIC once again worked together with Dusseldorf-based COMMERZREAL: “This project is a further milestone in the long-term partnership that includes almost 50 joint projects over the past five years,” explained Martin Zembsch. The mandated lead arrangers for the long-term debt financing are Bayerische Landesbank and UniCredit, which in the past have structured other major BELECTRIC projects in Germany and abroad together with the respective investor.

Stefan Degener, Head of Business Development Europe at First Solar, added: “As the leading global manufacturer of thin-film solar modules, we are pleased that First Solar modules form a significant part of this successful and important project. The project underscores our technology’s power to compete in solar power plants. Large ground-mounted photovoltaic plants not only contribute to stable power supply, they also ensure power supply at stable prices over the long term.”

BELECTRIC is one of the most successful international enterprises in the development and construction of ground-mounted solar power plants and roof-mounted photovoltaic systems. As an international company, BELECTRIC is represented in 18 countries. Its position as technology leader is a result of the high degree of vertical integration in the development and manufacturing processes. The combination of economical and ecological interests has always been the basis for the sustainable success of our nearly 2,000 employees. BELECTRIC demonstrates its great innovative spirit, with over 100 patents filed every year. Alongside solar power generation, BELECTRIC Drive® concentrates on the combination of photovoltaics and e-mobility.

First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) manufactures solar modules using an advanced semiconductor coating process that significantly reduces the cost of solar power. Thanks to the ability to produce affordable, clean, renewable energy, First Solar offers an economical alternative to conventionally produced power and the associated dependence on fossil fuels, the emission of greenhouse gases, and network requirements based on peak times.