It is REC’s first solar installation in Argentina, an additional 2MW added to the Chimbera solar power plant in San Juan in the western region of the country. Some 8,400 REC Peak Energy Series panels have now brought the capacity of the plant up to 7MW, enough to power around 1,300 Argentinean households and reducing the country’s annual carbon footprint by 2,000 tons.
The ground-mounted REC installation covers around three hectares and is expected to deliver 3,900 MWh of electricity per eyar. The plant is owned and operated by 360 Energy SA, an Argentinean venture formed to develop, build and operate solar projects initiated through the country's renewable energy generation program (GENREN). Power generated by the plant is fed directly into the grid where it is sold to energy providers through a government-supported power purchase agreement (PPA).
“This is our first installation with REC solar panels” said Santiago Lagos, CEO of 360 Energy. “Given the planned size of the finished installation, this project is hugely important to the future of solar energy in Argentina. We were impressed by both the quality and price of REC solar panels and would choose REC again as the project moves to the next stage.”
The installation is an important stepping stone for REC as the company hopes to expand its presence in the country as Argentina continues to move forward with its solar energy programme. The western region of Argentina receives twice the solar radiation of Germany making solar a viable resource to meet the country’s electricity needs. Incentive programmes and generous feed-in tariffs are now in place to jump-start Argentina’s solar industry and the country is now in an ideal position from which to drive forward large-scale solar projects, something that REC hopes to exploit.
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