Solar power for thousands of households – thanks to an area of 18 football pitches
Austria’s largest open-air photovoltaic plant recently went into operation in Schönkirchen-Reyersdorf. It is designed to supply clean solar power for forty years. This requires exceptionally robust components, including those used in the electrical connection systems. These come from LAPP.
Austria has set itself ambitious climate targets. In particular, the photovoltaics sector is to be massively expanded. To meet the requirements with typical small-scale installations for single family homes with an output of five kilowatts, around 750 systems would have to be constructed – every day until 2030. However, there’s no need to worry about running out of roof space at some stage because in Austria, the trend is towards large installations with an output of several megawatts.
Austria’s largest open-air photovoltaic plant in Schönkirchen-Reyersdorf with components from LAPP
The country’s largest outdoor photovoltaic system was opened in November 2020 in Schönkirchen-Reyersdorf, north east of Vienna. The 34,600 modules cover an area of 13.3 hectares, which is approximately 18 football fields. Together, they generate 11.5 megawatts, a total of almost 11 gigawatt hours of electrical energy per year, corresponding to the consumption of 3,400 households. This saves 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The next stage of the project will be a further 10,400 modules providing 3.5 megawatts and supplying 1,000 more households with green energy. The costs are split equally between the energy companies OMV and VERBUND, with KPV Solar having overall responsibility for constructing the installation.
VERBUND is Austria’s leading electricity company and one of the largest generators of electricity from renewable energy.
5.5 ton drum
The heaviest cable drum that LAPP delivers to Schönkirchen-Reyersdorf weighs 5.5 tons. It contains aluminium power cables that supply the current from the inverter to the grid operator’s transformer. A total of 180 kilometres of ÖLFLEX® solar cables have been installed in the DC section of the photovoltaic modules. ETHERLINE® Cat.7 data cables are also installed, and monitor the function and output of the inverters. And then there are numerous accessories such as cable ties and FLEXIMARK® labels. LAPP also offers special EPIC® SOLAR connectors and SKINTOP® cable glands for photovoltaic units. All components can withstand heat, frost, ozone and UV radiation, while the cables are flame retardant and halogen-free. And they are UL-certified, meaning that they can also be used for the North American market.