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Solarcentury has been selected to offer EPC and O&M services for a solar farm for solar investor ECOSolar in Coclé province, central Panama. Working with local solar company Hybrytec, Solarcentury will install the 9.9 MWp “Divisa Solar” system which will be the biggest solar farm in Panama connected to the spot market, capable of producing enough clean solar electricity to power around 3000 homes. This is one of a handful of spot-market solar farms in the world and is a further demonstration of solar displacing fossil fuels with zero subsidy.
ECOSolar recognises the need to support the development of renewable technologies, such as solar which is low impact, with no smell, noise, moving parts and minimal visual impact, being low to the ground. Adding clean solar electricity to the energy mix in Panama will not only help to meet the country’s growing electricity demand but also help reduce carbon emissions, since less fossil fuel will be consumed, releasing climate warming carbon dioxide. Divisa Solar project will offset greenhouse gas emissions by more than 4,850 tons of CO2 equivalent annually.
Alberto Rabanal, CEO at ECOSolar stated, “The construction of the solar farm was financed through a non-recourse loan from the Inter-American Development Bank. With over 15 years’ experience installing solar across Europe, and more recently in Africa, we are confident that Solarcentury is the best partner for the Divisa Solar project. The project helps ECOSolar fulfill our mission to change the energy paradigm in Panama towards a cleaner and more accessible energy future.”
Hybrytec will manage all electrical and mechanical aspects of the project, including the installation of the PV panels. Construction will be supported by the employment of local labour.
Frans van den Heuvel, CEO at Solarcentury commented, “It’s all systems go as we now bring our experience of building large-scale solar to Latin America, the third continent in which we’re designing and building solar systems. We have offices in Chile, Mexico and Panama, and with a growing pipeline of projects throughout the Latin American region, we welcome the opportunity to work with forward-thinking investors, such as ECOSolar.”
Construction commences in January 2015 with the aim of connecting to the grid in May 2015.