Plugging into the Sun

The world's biggest Solar Photovoltaic Power Station "If firms interested in promoting the central generation approach are willing to take the risk and are able to finance the construction of 100MWp scale PV manufacturing plants to obtain greater economies of scale.....estimated costs could be substantially lower"
Canadian Government report on the world photovoltaic industry, June 199611

As part of the Solar Crete campaign, Greenpeace invited Enron Solar to visit Greece to make formal proposals to develop a solar photovoltaic power station on the island. In June 1996 Enron Solar submitted a proposal to the Greek Government to build a 50MW solar photovoltaic power station on Crete.12

The formal acceptance of the first 5MW tranche is set to be agreed by the Government in May. Following acceptance, it would take only 15 months to construct the first tranche. The solar power station "can help Greece meet its commitment to work toward the stabilisation of global CO₂ emissions and establish Greece as European leader in the commercial development of solar power".

At 50 Megawatts, it is 15 times larger than any other single photovoltaic installation in the world. This power station represents more than 50 per cent of the entire 1996 global sales of photovoltaics, and over 8% of the entire amount of photovoltaics currently in operation in the world.

At an installed cost of $2.40/Wp for 50MW, it is the lowest price on record, 4.2 times less than the average global cost of grid-connected photovoltaics. The solar power station will be comprised of 48.6 million solar cellsi on 528,000 solar modules to provide an estimated 116 million kWh of electricity. That's enough power for almost 100,000 people. The annual load profile of solar electricity generated parallels Crete's typical electricity demand.

The first 5MW tranche is set to be built in the Municipality of Mires, near Heraklion. The site is considered "exceptional from a technical point of view as it is of sufficient magnitude, bears a slight southward inclination and is in the direct vicinity of the PPC Mires substation. In addition, the adjacent municipal waste deposit site makes the site of little value for other land uses".13

The 50MW power station is configured in 50 x 1,000kW sections of polycrystalline solar panels. 5MW is to be installed in 1998, and 9MW a year thereafter until completion in 2003. Commercial operation will begin in early 1999, under a long term contract to sell power to the state electricity utility, the PPC.

It will have an economic life of 30 years and approximately 49 per cent of the funding is expected to be provided by the Greek Government and EU grants. The total capital cost for 50MW is estimated at $120 million, and $2 million a year operating costs.

The total installed costs for 50MW are given as $2.40/Wp, and the total installed costs for the 5MW tranche are $3.55/Wp.

The solar power station: "provides the potential for the development of a new type of tourism in Crete with all the side benefits this might have on the local economic life and development. It will bring in advanced technology to Greece and the local community. The knowledge to operate, maintain and service this technology will not only facilitate jobs but will allow for specialised skills to be developed in a highly technical field. As awareness of the capabilities of the photovoltaics increases, additional markets for grid-connected systems, rooftop systems and remote applications will emerge that will justify further investment in Greece in manufacturing".

As the world's first major megawatt-sized photovoltaic installation, the experience and knowledge gained will make it far easier and even cheaper to build other similar power stations. The consequent manufacturing capacity needed to meet increased demand does not present a problem. According to Siemens Solar: "100MWp per year factories are conceivable based on extensions of today's technologies".14

As a result of the Greenpeace campaign, the company is also discussing other proposals throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa and Middle East regions. This summer Greenpeace embarks on a Solar campaign tour of the Mediterranean with its ship the MV Sirius.