Yingli Solar has signed a significant agreement to supply 120 MW of YGE 72 Cell solar panels for a 300 MW project in France.
Once completed, this will be the largest solar power park in Europe.
As agreed on the deal, Yingli Solar will ship nearly 393,000 multi-crystalline panels between from December 2014 to June 2015.
The solar park is located in Cestas in the South West of France and is expected to be connected to the grid in October 2015.
The plant will provide electricity at 105 Euro per MW, lower than the price of the United Kingdom’s new nuclear electricity.
The 360 million Euro project is being developed by Neoen, a French developing firm.
Neoen along with other investors and local companies like Eiffage-Clemessy and Schneider Electric are responsible for engineering and construction of the project.
One important step for a project of such immense proportions is to gain the trust of investors and banks, which involves choosing the right partners. The decision to work with Yingli will to meet the challenging project program while ensuring the long term performance of the plants, said, Patrick de Labrusse, project director, Cestas, Eiffage-Clemessy.
ALSO READ : Yingli Solar jumps 2,000 MW of solar panel supplies in Americas
Yingli Solar panels will cover one third of the overall project which will be mounted in an east-west orientation to boost the overall power density given their layout.
The developer focused on multiple system optimizations and plant design to increase the project’s competitiveness.
By producing electricity at a lower cost, the project proves the increasing competitiveness of solar PV against traditional energy sources.
It is an honor to be part of this milestone project in the European PV market, and to deliver a promising model that is driven by profitability and cost-competitiveness rather than dependence on public incentives, commented, Liansheng Miao, chairman and CEO, Yingli Green Energy.
Reaching grid parity is a reality now it is a pleasure to partner with innovative European companies such as Neoen and Eiffage-Clemessy – they set a high standard and work hard every day to build a low-carbon economy across Europe, added Miao.
Sabeena Wahid
[email protected]