Belectric completes floating solar PV plant in Israel
BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH, a solar developer firm headquartered in Germany announced it has further increased its footprint in Israel’s growing solar industry by completing a floating solar photovoltaic project on behalf of Israel-based renewable energy company Nofar Energy.
BELECTRIC’s Israeli subsidiary carried out the construction and commissioning work for the 480 KWp plant, which is located in the northern region of Israel on a reservoir near the Kibbutz Emek Izrael.
The general layout of this floating PV plant is similar to a land-based PV system, other than the fact that each of the approx. 1,300 PV modules and their combiner boxes are individually mounted on a floating platform. The direct current (DC) electricity, generated by the PV modules, is gathered by combiner boxes and converted to alternating current (AC) by inverters. The PV system is connected to the mainland via floating marine grade power lines. The floating platform itself is held in place by an anchoring and mooring system.
Ingo Alphéus, CEO of BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH said:
“Floating PV installations open up new opportunities for solar, especially in countries with high population density and competing uses for available land. We are an experienced system integrator and general contractor for utility-scale ground-mounted PV and with this floating project we are entering a very young but highly promising and fast-growing market.”
Anna Velikansky, Managing Director of BELECTRIC Israel Ltd. said:
“The greatest advantage of floating solar is that it avoids land acquisition and site preparation issues associated with traditional solar installations. An additional benefit is that the water cools the panels naturally, which increases their efficiency compared to land-based solar panels.”
BELECTRIC has already realised 25 solar projects in Israel, via its subsidiary Belectric Israel Ltd., with a total capacity of around 390 MW. Among them is Israel’s largest solar project to date with an installed capacity of 120 MW the solar plant near the village of Zeélim which produces more than 220 gigawatt hours of green electricity per year. The plant reached commercial operation Mid October 2019. The owner is Shikun & Binui Renewable Energy Ltd., which is the renewable arm of Israel’s biggest infrastructure and real estate group Shikun & Binui.
Source: Press Release by BELECTRIC. Photo credit: © BELECTRIC.
