Solarworld supplies panels for Dominican Republic’s largest PV plant

PV manufacturer Solarworld has supplied panels and racking for the largest solar power installation in the Dominican Republic, a recently completed 1.5MW array at Cibao International Airport.

The power plant was developed and installed by Dominican-based company Trace Solar in collaboration with Solarworld’s EPC division. The plant is expected to provide around half of the energy needs of the airport, which is in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.

Solarworld’s Sunfix ground mount racking was used, along with 5,880 SolarWorld Sunmodule solar panels. The plant is expected to generate around 2.3GWh of electricity annually. The project was described in a statement by Enrique Ramirez, president of the Caribbean island’s national energy commission as one of the largest and most ambitious in Latin America. The commissioning of the plant in July was presided over by Dominican president Danilo Medina and Felix Garcia, head of Cibao Airport’s board of directors.

Kevin Kilkelly, president of Solarworld America said: “As a company with business ties to Latin America dating back more than 30 years, Solarworld has long understood that solar power is an essential part of the region’s energy mix. For island nations like the Dominican Republic, solar offers a clean and cost-effective solution to dependence on expensive imported oil for power generation.”