JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (“the company”), a fast-growing, vertically-integrated solar power product manufacturer based in China, today announced that 16,000 of the company’s solar panels are now installed on top of the much-applauded Solar Tunnel in Antwerp, Belgium, a section of the high-speed rail line between Paris and Amsterdam.
The €15.7 million project is the first of its kind in Europe and will supply 3300 MWh of electricity annually, enough to power 4,000 trains.
The undertaking was facilitated by the influential renewable energy developer Enfinity and Belgian rail operator Infrabel, along with local municipalities and financing organizations.
JinkoSolar panels cover a total surface area of 50,000 square meters, approximately the size of 8 football pitches. The electricity produced by the installation will be used to power railway infrastructure, such as signals, lighting and the heating of stations. It will also power the trains using the Belgian rail network. The endeavour is estimated to reduce CO2 emissions by 2,400 tons per year.
“The concept of using solar energy to provide a cleaner, more cost-efficient means to power major transportation systems is coming to a great success and pioneer application with the installation of our JinkoSolar panels onto the Solar Tunnel,” said Arturo Herrero, Chief Marketing Officer of JinkoSolar. “Together with all the partners in the Solar Tunnel project, JinkoSolar is committed to playing its part to significantly reduce the negative impact of transportation on our environment.”
Steven De Tollenaere, CEO Enfinity Group stated, “We consider Jinko as a key partner in this Solar Tunnel project, the more than 16.000 Jinko 245W high-efficient solar panels are ideal for this kind of solar rooftop installation here in Belgium. They deliver a perfect performance for this first Solar Train project ever.”
About JinkoSolar
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated solar power product manufacturer with low-cost operations based in Jiangxi Province and Zhejiang Province in China and sales and marketing offices in Shanghai, China, Munich, Germany, San Francisco, U.S. and Bologna, Italy. JinkoSolar has built a vertically-integrated solar product value chain with an integrated annual capacity of 900 MW each for silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules as of March 31, 2011. JinkoSolar distributes its photovoltaic products to a diversified customer base in the global PV market, including Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the United States, France and other countries and regions.
