Centrosolar has successfully completed yet another megawatt project. The Hamburg based solar company installed a solar system with a capacity of over 1 MWp in Trier, Germany at the end of June. The system is a shared project of the City of Trier, Bürgerservice GmbH and the Trierer Energiegenossenschaft (Trier Energy Cooperative). All components used to build the system were sourced from Germany. This system consists of over 4,000 Centrosolar panels and represents an important step for the region in its transition to renewable energies. A total of €1.7 million was invested in this project.
The system faces south from atop the Petrisberg mountain in Trier. As the former site of a gravel quarry, this area was deemed unsuitable for residential use due to ground contamination. The 1 MWp system will generate around one million kilowatt hours of power each year. This is enough to cover the annual power needs of over 250 sample households with a projected average consumption of 3,500 kWh. The 3.4 hectare area belongs to the city of Trier. “The provision of the transition area on the Petrisberg mountain demonstrates the city’s sincere interest in climate protection and the transition to renewable energies. I am particularly excited about the public participation that is happening thanks to the Trierer Energiegenossenschaft,” says Simone Kaes-Torchiani, Deputy and Chief Planning Officer. SchoEnergie, based in Föhren, near Trier, managed to install and finish the electrotechnical wiring of the panels in three weeks.
The PV system on the Petrisberg mountain is the first project of the Trierer Energiegenossenschaft (TRENEG). The goal of this cooperative is to utilise renewable energies in the local economy in order to make an active contribution to climate protection. “The Trierer Energiegenossenschaft is the engine behind this region’s transition to renewable energies. That’s why it’s important for us to ensure that our systems use powerful, high quality photovoltaic panels produced by well-known German manufacturers. Centrosolar is the right partner for us,” says Marc Steinert, a board member of TRENEG. People and organisations across Germany can participate in the cooperative project.
The megawatt project in Trier shows that photovoltaics are becoming increasingly important in the transition to decentralised renewable energies and increased value creation in the region. Thanks to the PV system on the Petrisberg mountain, the city of Trier has come far closer to realising the city council’s target of covering half of the city’s energy needs using renewable energies by 2020.
