Construction of one of the largest photovoltaic farms in Poland – PV Jeziórko – started in December in Podkarpackie Voivodeship. The installation will strengthen the energy security of the region and Poland, but will also bring a number of benefits to local communities. The main contractor, Solartech, reveals which local services it will use.
Already next year, the first emission-free energy from the huge solar installation will flow into the power grid in Podkarpackie. Nearly 200,000 monocrystalline modules with a unit power of 500 W will be installed in 2023 alone. As a result, solar generators with a total capacity of 100 MW will appear on an area of approximately 100 hectares in the following year. The target power of 153 MW will be achieved in 2024. The annual energy production of modules with a total capacity of 100 MW is estimated at 107,000 MWh.
“The implementation of such a groundbreaking investment is a challenge for Solartech, but also an opportunity to contribute to building a new energy system in Poland. When designing the installations, we opted for the latest technologies. The use of bifacial modules is in line with the global trend. Such solar generators produce energy based on the light reaching both sides of the cell. Their quality will allow for high energy production rates,” says Bartłomiej Zysiński, CEO of Solartech, the company that is the main contractor of the “turnkey” investment.
12,000 so-called “structural tables” will be used to build the photovoltaic installation, on which photovoltaic modules will be installed. Additionally, several transformer stations and almost 300 string inverters, which are the “heart” of every solar system, will be installed. The progress of the work will depend on weather conditions.
The PV Jeziórko installation is an investment carried out on behalf of PGE Energia Odnawialna, a subsidiary of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, the largest producer of electricity in Poland. As a leader in energy transformation in Poland, the investor aims to achieve a total of 3 GW in solar installations by the end of 2030.
Where will the new PV Jeziórko installation be located? Residents of Podkarpacie will be able to see it in the Grębów Commune, about 10 km from Tarnobrzeg. The photovoltaic farm is completely safe for residents and the environment, as it has undergone all environmental procedures. Furthermore, emissions-free energy translates into a reduction in pollutants emitted into the air and greening of the national energy mix. Currently, the total installed capacity in Polish solar energy is 11,461.4 MW (data from ARE as of October 2022). This means that PV Jeziórko will significantly increase Poland’s solar potential, but not only that.
PV Jeziórko engages the potential of local companies and specialist personnel.
Investments in renewable energy sources (RES) not only benefit the environment and the energy sector, but also strengthen local communities. For local governments, these are additional revenues from taxes (e.g. on land), and for local companies, additional orders for services. Moreover, such large investments become, in a way, a local tourist attraction – these projects generate interest among residents. The solar farm will be visible up close, but entry to its premises is prohibited for safety reasons.
“Unused farmland will be properly managed and utilized. Only the first phase of the Jeziórko PV construction, which will be completed in December next year, will power over 50,000 households, and the municipal budget will be richer by several million zlotys per year from tax revenue,” informs Zysiński.
General contractors such as Solartech, when designing and building RES installations, try to use the potential of local employees and companies. In this way, the invested capital remains in Poland. The contractor has already employed the first people for the investment, and this is just the beginning.
“We have hired a local electrical engineer for the construction of the Jeziórko PV, and we are currently looking for several construction engineers from these areas,” adds Zysiński.
Solartech will use the services of a local ornithologist, a demining company, a tree cutting company. The contractor will also use the services of entities associated with real estate rental and geodesy. The CEO announced that the contractor will be looking for, among others, suppliers of crushed stone for the construction of the road to the photovoltaic farm.
Solartech engages Polish specialists and services also for other investments. So far, the company has built several dozen farms with a capacity of up to 1 MW in Poland. In 2020, it built the first 4 PV farms in the PGE group. That’s not all – the Polish company also operates internationally. It is currently implementing 20 installations for the Chinese investor Chint and 31 for RPower.
