Alfen selected by Solarcentury to supply substations for 110MWp solar farm
Alfen, specialist in energy solutions for the future, has been selected by Solarcentury, an international utility-scale solar developer, to provide 54 transformer substations with separate grid connections for the 110 megawatt-peak (MWp) Vlagtwedde solar farm in the Netherlands. Solarcentury is developing the solar farm. With 110 megawatt-peak (MWp), the solar farm will be the largest in the Netherlands, generating enough power for 30,000 homes. The project is expected to be operational in Q1 2020.
Alfen has been supporting Solarcentury with solutions for multiple solar PV farms throughout the years. In 2016, Alfen connected a 6MWp solar farm on the island of Ameland in the Netherlands, which was the largest Dutch solar farm at that time.
In the previous years, Alfen made grid connections for two solar farms in the East of the Netherlands. Last year, Alfen introduced its innovative 800 VAC substation solution for large solar farms at the Twence Solarpark (17.5MWp) and Nyrstar Budel solarpark (45MWp). With 110MWp, this new Vlagtwedde project will be the largest in the Netherlands.
Rick Fransen, Business Development at Solarcentury Benelux, comments: “Our global development pipeline is currently more than 5GWp of which more than 600MWp in the Netherlands. As capacities and voltages are increasing, we have been looking for new solutions to maximize energy efficiency while minimising costs. Alfen has developed a tailormade and integrated grid connection solution to support these new developments in solar PV projects, which further supports our business cases. Our vast experience with Alfen and their innovative technology also makes them the partner of choice for this new project.”
Serge Kraaijeveld, Sales Manager Smart grid solutions at Alfen, comments: “We are very pleased with this continuation and expansion of our relationship with Solarcentury. This project fits perfectly in our strategy of further expanding into the solar PV segment. We supply local micro-grids and grid connections, amongst others to solar farms. In doing so, our vast experience with the electricity networks is essential. We support in addressing the challenges arising from the energy transition with our transformer substations, but also with our smart chargers for electric vehicles and energy storage systems that can be used to balance the fluctuating output of solar PV farms. Through the collaboration with Solarcentury, Alfen can further demonstrate the quality of its solutions in the heart of the energy transition.”