Plans For 112 MW Solar In Netherlands

• Sunvest & Triodos have will be building 2 solar power projects with 112 ME combined capacity in the Netherlands
• To be owned by the partners, the 2 projects will be located close to each other in Midden Groningen municipality
• Goldbeck Solar will be undertaking construction of the 64 MW facility and plans to grid connect it in Q4/2020
• 48 MW facility will enter construction 2021/2022 once enough grid capacity is constructed in the substation at Meeden

Dutch solar project developer Sunvest and sustainable energy investor Triodos Renewables Europe Fund have secured financing for a 64 MW solar power project in Tussenklappenpolder near Muntendam in the Netherlands. With this financing, the 2 partners are confident of building 2 large scale solar parks in Midden Groningen municipality of the country with a combined capacity of 112 MW. Together the 2 projects 'virtually form the largest solar park in the Netherlands', they claim.

They explain that both 64 MW and 48 MW facilities were under development for several years and will be built separately with common grid connection infrastructure. Both Sunvest and Triodos will build and own these projects together.

The 64 MW Energiepark Duurkenakker project was originally developed by Sunvest and Solar Proactive. It will be built on close to 44 hectares of land with German EPC player Goldbeck Solar using more than 160,000 solar panels. Financed by Germany's Commerzbank, the project will be under construction for 6 months and grid connected in October 2020 or November 2020.

The other project, to come up in close proximity of the 64 MW facility, 48 MW Zuidbroek Energie will be spread across a 39-hectare plot of land and comprise some 120,000 solar panels. As there isn't enough grid capacity at Meeden substation today, the 48 MW project is expected to undergo construction in 2021/2022. Sunvest and Triodos took over this project from developer Van der Valk International.

"The development of Energiepark Duurkenakker was particularly complex due to the continuously changing environment with the construction of wind turbines and the nitrogen factory," said Sunvest Director Rene Hanssen. "Another special feature is that a large wind turbine will be located in the middle of the solar park, making efficient use of the location for the generation of sustainable energy."

Earlier this year, Dutch renewable energy company Solarfields secured government subsidies for the 'largest' PV park in the country having 147 MW capacity for which construction is due to begin in 2021. Back in December 2018, Solarcentury and Encavis commissioned the 44 MW Budel Solar Park on a landfill site calling it one of the Netherlands' largest solar parks.

Separately, Sunvest said it beat 14 companies to win the tender to install about 135,000 solar panels on the future Lanakerveld sunbathing area in Maastricht region of the Netherlands with a capacity to generate more than 50 MWh of clean energy annually. Sunvest says this Lanakerveld sunbathing lawn will be one of the first in the country to receive Nature Inclusive Solar Parks (NISP) certification.