Wind Energy

ESA Powers Up New 2 MW Solar Power Plant in Region of Umbria Italy

The solar farm was constructed in approximately five months on 14-acres of undeveloped land rented by ESA. It is nestled amongst farming land on the summit of a high plateau just miles from Lake of Bolsena, an area rich in numerous tourist establishments, largely for camping, agrotourism and bed and breakfasts.

The 8,350-panel solar array is one of the largest concentration of photovoltaic modules on one site in the region. It is also the largest project in the Castel Giorgio council.

“This new solar farm builds on Canadian Solar’s rich heritage in serving Italy’s vibrant renewable market, and we’re pleased to partner with ESA to bring clean energy to Umbria,” said Shawn Qu, CEO of Canadian Solar. "This 2 MW project demonstrates Castel Giorgio’s energy leadership. It’s a testament to the quality and efficiency of our modules that Canadian Solar was chosen to be part of one of the largest solar project in the municipality."

The project utilized 4,150 Canadian Solar panels and 4200 Trina Solar panels. In its first year of operation, this newly commissioned array has the potential to generate 3.1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) — roughly the equivalent annual demand of 300 average-size homes. Utilizing a proprietary monitoring system to track energy produced and store historical data, ESA can monitor the system from anywhere in the world.

The solar energy array was designed, engineered, procured, constructed and managed by ESA utilizing local labor. The solar farm will be operated and maintained by ESA. Enel, Italy’s largest power company, will purchase the electricity generated by the system through the feed-in-tariff program at a predictable rate.

"Projects like our solar farm demonstrate a fundamental shift in the value of renewable energy sources," said Mariano Lopez, CEO of ESA. "We’re proud to have commissioned this array because it represents positive movement towards achieving energy independence."

He added, “We have no intention of stopping here. We have upcoming plans that include additional large-scale solar installations — because renewable energy is definitely the way of the future."

Founded in 2002, ESA is a solar engineering company positioned as a leader in the industry providing turnkey solar PV systems globally. ESA owns and operates a diverse portfolio of over 400 solar PV power generating facilities located in the United States, Puerto Rico, Spain, France and Italy. ESA’s scope of services include engineering, construction, testing and operation, maintenance and monitoring.

Canadian Solar Inc. is one of the world’s largest solar companies. As a leading vertically integrated provider of ingot, wafer, solar cell, solar module and other solar applications, Canadian Solar designs, manufactures and delivers solar products and solar system solutions for on-grid and off-grid use to customers worldwide. With operations in North America, Europe and Asia, Canadian Solar provides premium quality, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solar solutions to support global, sustainable development.

Trina Solar Limited is a leading manufacturer of high quality modules and has a long history as a solar PV pioneer since it was founded in 1997 as a system installation company. Trina Solar is one of the few PV manufacturers that have developed a vertically integrated business model from the production of monocrystalline and policrystalline ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of high quality modules. Trina Solar’s products provide reliable and environmentally-friendly electric power for a growing variety of end-user applications worldwide. 

www.trinasolar.com