Functions start on Croatia's biggest PV plant

• The 6.5 MW solar project will be constructed with PV modules supplied by Croatian manufacturer Solvis d.o.o.

Hrvatska elektroprivreda (HEP Group), a Croatian state-owned power utility, has actually started developing the 6.5 MW SE Cres solar energy plant on the island of Cres.

The project, designed to guarantee adequate electricity supply throughout the peak visitor season, will be released on a 17-hectare story of land, simply north of the district of Orlec. It will certainly include 17 sub-units of 500 kW and also will certainly include 20,330 panels given by Croatian maker Solvis d.o.o.

"The panels will be positioned so as to allow the unimpeded passage of small pets inside the solar energy plant fencing and also grazing sheep within the fenced area," HEP stated.

The plant was assigned through a tender to a consortium led by Austrian designer PVI GmbH. Business operations are scheduled to start by the end of the year.

The project is part of HEP's 350 MW strategy to broaden its solar energy generation profile. It will initially develop 4 PV plants with an incorporated ability of 11.6 MW for around HRK80 million ($11.8 million). HEP stated it will yearly invest HRK150 million in solar projects until 2023, which ought to result in a complete financial investment of around HRK750 million and yearly ability additions of about 20 MW.

By the end of 2019, Croatia had installed about 69 MW of solar. Around 50 MW of that capability was released under a feed-in tariff system for roof solar, which ended in 2015.

In order to sustain growth, the Croatian federal government presented new stipulations to tender 1 GW of massive PV in May. In general, the government intends to appoint 2.26 GW of renewable energy capacity under the scheme, while likewise including other sources such as hydropower, wind, biomass, biogas, and also geothermal energy.