Conergy builds one of the largest rooftop plants in Italy

HAMBURG, GERMANY: Conergy is installing one of Italy’s largest rooftop plants on the roofs of the exhibition centre halls in Parma. The large-scale 5 megawatt plant is already the second project commissioned by the Italian trade fair company Fiere di Parma. At the end of 2009, the solar energy company had already installed a 1.7 megawatt rooftop plant.

During its first year of operation, this plant, which was also planned and built by Conergy, produced a yield that was far higher than had been forecast in spite of long periods of poor weather. The large-scale plant being built at the moment will spread over the roofs of three halls and at 5 megawatts is nearly three times the size of its little sister.

“Our first Conergy plant has already far exceeded our expectations,” says Franco Boni, president of the Parma Exhibition Centre. “It was therefore clear to us that we would also go for quality with our second plant and continue our successful partnership with Conergy. The new plant is part of our comprehensive modernisation program for the halls and at the same time an ecological showcase in exhibition construction, of which we are very proud.”

Across an area of some 44,000 square metres, around 22,000 Conergy PowerPlus modules will generate approximately 5,500 megawatt hours of clear power per year. This means that the plant will generate more energy that the exhibition centre itself will consume, underlining the role that the Parma Exhibition Centre plays as a green pioneer. To produce the same power from fossil fuels, nearly 1,300 tons of crude oil would need to be burnt; this would release around 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the air and contribute to further global warming. 16 Conergy IPG C central inverters will feed the excess solar energy into the local power grid.

“We are pleased that the Parma Exhibition Centre and the financing bank Cariparma Crédit Agricole continue to put their faith in us – both in our extensive Conergy expertise in the planning and realisation of solar plants as well as in the high quality of our premium components,” says Conergy Italy boss Giuseppe Sofia.“ This showcase is one of the largest industrial rooftop plants in the country – and that is also where we see a great deal of potential here in Italy for the future. Besides the topic of sustainability, companies are increasingly trying to tackle the rising energy prices in the country. And in that context, a rooftop plant kills two birds with one stone: it helps with the green image and also saves the company real money.”

The customer also benefits financially from using European solar systems. The new Italian solar energy law “Quarto Conto Energia” rewards plant operators who go for solar systems “made in Europe” in the future. They will be granted a 10 % higher feed-in tariff. Conergy’s modules, inverters and mounting systems fulfil all the requirements laid down in detail by the Italian energy agency in their guidelines; they have already received the required “Made in EU” certifications and are marked with the corresponding TÜV logos.