SunEdison, headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland, will soon start construction on the largest photovoltaic solar power plant in Europe in Rovigo, Italy.
The company recently received final approval from the Italian government to develop and construct the 72 Megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar power plant in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy.
Power generation will begin in the second half of 2010 with final completion expected by year’s end. In the first full year of operation, the system will generate sufficient energy to power 17,150 homes and avoid 41,000 tons of CO2 --the equivalent of removing 8,000 cars from the road.
"SunEdison is focused on enabling the growth of global solar markets through strong capabilities in project finance, engineering, low-cost procurement and operations and maintenance services," commented Carlos Domenech, President of SunEdison.
This solar-power plant will surpass the current largest European facilities, the 60MW solar farm in Olmedilla, Spain and a 50 MW plant in Strasskirchen, Germany. The project is expected to create over 350 local construction jobs and build the area’s expertise in solar energy technology. “We expect Rovigo to serve as a European model for large-scale, alternative-energy projects," said Renzo Marangon, a government official in the Veneto region.
SunEdison is a global provider of solar-energy services. In 2009, the company delivered more kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy than any other solar services provider in North America. SunEdison will jointly develop the project with financing partner Banco Santander, and additional financial partners are expected to join the project.
"A critical element of our approach is working closely with the right partners," said Pancho Perez, General Manager for Europe and MENA region at SunEdison, "including developers, suppliers and contractors. For the Rovigo project, we selected Isolux Corsan, a large-scale infrastructure construction company with a strong track record in utility-scale solar plants."
SunEdison is a division of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR) a company that designs and develops of the silicon wafer technologies that enable the next generation of high-performance semiconductor devices and solar cells.
Alison Pruitt is a freelance writer/editor living near Washington DC. She has written about a variety of issues, including education, healthcare, IT, the arts, and energy/environment -- and has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy. She has a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in English Literature from Rutgers University.
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