Russia’s Hevel cuts ribbon on 5-MW PV plant in Siberia

Sep 8, 2014 - Russian photovoltaic (PV) module maker Hevel Solar LLC said Thursday it has commissioned a 5-MW solar farm, touted as the first in Russia’s Altai Republic.

The company has agreed with the government of the Altai Republic to install 45 MW of solar capacity there. The plan calls for an investment of between RUB 4.5 billion (USD 121m/EUR 94m) and RUB 5.1 billion.

The now-completed 5-MW plant, located in Kosh-Agach, is a piece of the bigger project. It will help reduce the energy deficit in the Altai Republic by producing electricity to power about 1,000 local households, Hevel said.

The village of Kosh-Agach is one of the places in Russia with the most favorable climate for such installations with more than 300 sunny days per year, the company noted. It plans to hook to the grid another 5-MW solar farm there in 2015.

Hevel operates as a joint venture between local asset management group Renova and nanotechnology firm Rusnano Corp. The company and the local government will also build autonomous hybrid diesel-solar power plants of up to 200 kW capacity each, with the first 100-kW one already commissioned.

(RUB 10 = USD 0.269/EUR 0.208)

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