The ground-mounted system, named Project Blue, is located in the southwestern lowlands of Albania, in Sheq - Marinas Fier, one of the regions with the highest solar irradiation in the country. The project is being developed and executed by Albanian companies Blessed Investment and Matrix Konstruksion. The plant is scheduled for completion in December 2023.
Trina Solar is supplying a combined system of Vanguard 1P trackers combined with bifacial Vertex DEG21C.20 double-glazed PV modules in 650W and 655W configurations with an installed capacity of 67.5 MW. The power plant has a projected energy output of 108,000 MWh per year and is the first large-scale solar project of this scale to be implemented in the Balkan region without any government subsidy.
Challenging installation
In addition to hardware components, the project includes software for monitoring the trackers and ongoing technical support.
A number of challenges had to be considered in the project planning: Due to its coastal location, the site is susceptible to high wind loads and salt spray. It is also located in a marshy area that is also subject to flooding. Trina Solar therefore first conducted in-depth climatological tests to verify wind and snow loads, as well as salt fog exposure, before working out the system layout and dynamics.
For the marshy terrain, micropiles are used to ensure a strong foundation and stability during the system's expected lifetime of more than 30 years. The choice of double-glass modules ensures that the system will withstand the challenging conditions.
Further investments ahead
"Our goal is to generate clean energy and reduce our carbon footprint to create a sustainable future for Albania," emphasizes Besnik Leskaj, President of Blessed Investment. "Project Blue is ambitious and opens new opportunities for generation and use of solar energy for Albania and the Balkan region. There were many hurdles to overcome, and we are particularly pleased with Trina Solar's contribution as a competent partner to make the project a reality. We are especially proud of the impact this project will have in Albania."
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Arian Leskaj, President of Matrix Konstruksion, added: "I would like to highlight the pleasant and constructive cooperation with Trina Solar. The productive exchange of know-how and skills between the project teams was, in our opinion, the key to success in this collaboration. The team took all the necessary steps to set the project on a long-term path to success. The combination of Vertex double-glazed modules and the Vanguard 1P trackers will prove to be extremely effective and robust, even in the challenging conditions of the coastal site. The monitoring software and ongoing consulting services will also be of great benefit to ensure Project Blue's success in the future. We intend to expand our business with Trina Solar, both as an EPC and as an investor in new and ongoing projects in Albania and other regions."
Integrated solution and services
"This project is another important development step for our business in Eastern Europe," said Gonzalo de la Viña, President EMEA at Trina Solar. "This is especially true in terms of our ability to deliver system solutions that cover the entire process from initial consultation, through design and implementation, to post-completion support. This ensures that the system is fully optimized and the various components are perfectly matched, as they all come from Trina Solar. This is the direction we are moving in as a company. I am sure that this plant will serve as a blueprint for similar projects in the European market in the near future." (hcn)
