Pokrovskaya solar power plant, located in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, is expected to become the nation’s biggest solar project, upon completion.
DTEK Renewables, a subsidiary of Ukraine’s biggest private energy company DTEK, is the developer of the Pokrovskaya solar project. The plant is estimated to cost €200m ($227m) for construction.
With an installed capacity of 323MWdc (240MWac), the plant will be capable of generating approximately 400 million kWh of green electricity a year, enough to power roughly 200,000 Ukrainian households. It will help offset more than 400,000t a year of carbon emissions.
Pokrovskaya solar power plant make-up
The Pokrovskaya solar power plant is being built on an area equivalent to 600 football fields in Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region.
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Pokrovskaya solar power plant will become Ukraine’s largest renewable-based power project, when completed. Image courtesy of Jorgen Schyberg.
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The contract for the supply of PERC monocrystalline modules for the power plant was awarded to Risen Energy in February 2019. Image courtesy of Risen Energy.
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Pokrovskaya solar power plant has an installed capacity of 323MW. Image courtesy of DTEK.
It will be equipped with 874 Risen Energy RSM72-6-370M passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) monocrystalline modules. Each module will comprise a total of 72 photovoltaic cells to generate a maximum power output of 370Wp, at a maximum efficiency of 19.6%.
A 35/150kV substation will be constructed to transfer the electricity generated by the solar project to the national grid.
RSM72-6-370M solar PERC module details
Each PERC solar module installed at the Pokrovskaya solar farm will be 1.95m-long and up to 0.99m-high and weighs 22kg.
The superstrate of the module will constitute a 3.2mm tempered arc glass with low iron content, while the substrate side will be made up of white-back sheet. Each PERC module will be silver-framed along with anodized aluminum alloy.
Electric cables constituted within each module will have a length of 1.2m and a cross section of 4mm². The solar module of the farm will be connected to power generator via Twinsel PV-SYO2 connectors.
The anti-reflective and anti-soiling surface of the module will help reduce power loss due to dust particles.
Contractors involved in the Pokrovskaya solar project
DTEK Renewables awarded the contract for the supply of photovoltaic modules to be installed at the Pokrovskaya solar project to Risen Energy, a solar technology company based in China, in February 2019.
Siemens was selected as the general contractor for the construction of a substation and supply of transformers, switchgears, and control systems.
Pokrovskaya solar project benefits
The Pokrovskaya solar power project is expected to create employment for 1,000 people and generate additional tax revenues to the local government.
It will also contribute to the development of renewable energy sources in the country, alongside the 200MW Nikopol solar farm and the 200MW Primorskaya wind power plant.
The project will also support the Government of Ukraine’s long-term national energy development plan, aimed at increasing the country’s renewable-based energy consumption to 11% by 2020 and 25% by 2035.
Ukrainian power market
Ukraine’s total electricity generation in 2018 amounted to 159.35 billion kWh, a 2.5% increase compared to the previous year.
Nuclear accounted for 53% of the total electricity output, while thermal accounted for 37%, and hydroelectric accounted for 7%. Renewable energy sources accounted for just 2% of the total energy generation of the country in 2018. The remaining 1% was contributed by other sources.
The combined installed capacity of the country’s solar and wind projects reached more than 820MW in 2018. The country’s renewable energy capacity is expected to reach 5GW by 2021.