meteocontrol: yield reports for 55 MW solar park in Belarus
The state-owned oil company Production Association Belorusneft is relying on German know-how to plan its next solar park in Rechytsa, Belarus. Belorusneft has enlisted Augsburg-based meteocontrol GmbH to produce yield reports for a planned PV park with a capacity of 55 MW. The reports will allow the energy supplier to objectively assess bids submitted in the contract-awarding process and directly compare engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) services.
Six EPC companies submitted bids to build the 55 MW solar park in Rechytsa, a town in eastern Belarus. To objectively and professionally assess and compare the bids, Belorusneft, the investor and operator of the park, enlisted meteocontrol as an independent expert. “meteocontrol’s wealth of experience and expertise in yield reports, especially for international PV projects, won us over,” said Alexey Zaitsev, Deputy Head of International Commerce Division at Production Association Belorusneft.
Reliable yield reports safeguard investments
On the basis of the submitted EPC bids, meteocontrol will produce a series of reports for the planned park site in Rechytsa. The choice of components for modules and inverters as well as the planned configuration will be considered in the calculations. The shading angle of the module rows, module circuitry and the assignment of inverters will play a key role, among other factors. In addition to system-specific parameters, the calculations will take into account local conditions as well as the latest climate-research findings. “The irradiance at the Rechytsa site is roughly comparable with southern Germany’s,” said Robert Pfatischer, Managing Director of meteocontrol. “However, we have to expect greater yield losses due to snow.” meteocontrol has access to constantly updated, highly accurate meteorological data and will combine this information with the yield data from the over 40,500 PV systems it monitors. As a result, the solar power forecasts will be based on actual operating data rather than assumptions. They will provide a highly
reliable basis for planning PV systems and help ensure planning and, thus, investment security.
Plans to develop photovoltaics in Belarus
When the law on the use of renewable energy sources took effect in July 2011, Belarus gained a legal basis for developing the PV market. Until lawmakers created the new regulatory instruments, little had been done to systematically promote the use of renewable energies in the country. In May 2015, a new directive with quotas for quantity and capacity management as well as the introduction of feed-in remuneration models took effect. This directive is designed to create new incentives for companies to make investments. Belarus does not have significant access to its own fossil fuel sources and meets more than 80 percent of its energy needs with imports from other countries – primarily Russia. To become more independent, the country has set the target of increasing the proportion of domestic and renewable energy used to 32 percent by 2020.
