The global solar PV market is set for rapid expansion over the next two years, and Enel Green Power is in the right place to play an important role in its development.
According to a recent study by Deutsche Bank, the global PVsolar demand will grow in terms over the next two years: by 46 gigawatts in 2014 and 56GW in 2015. This will be a ‘second gold rush’ similar to the one in the period 2005-2007, which will involve markets in India, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, Middle East, South America and South-East Asia, aided by the fact that in most of these countries, PV solar is already in a condition of grid parity.
Moreover, starting from this year issues regarding networks and funding, which up to now have occasionally hindered growth, will be overcome.
Enel Green Power is set to play an important role in this growth through projects under construction in Latin America and South Africa, which will be added to the 269MW of PV solar capacity installed in Europe and North America.
EGP has started working on 36MW Diego de Almagro facility in Chile, its first PV plant in the country. Located in the region of Atacama, it will consist of some 225,000, mostly thin film modules produced by 3Sun, a joint venture between EGP, STMicroelectronics and Sharp.
In Brazil EGP recently won multi-year energy supply contracts as part of the ‘Pernambuco Solar Tender’, and it will build two PV solar power plants in the State of Pernambuco, each of which will have a total installed capacity of 11MW.
Meanwhile in South Africa EGP will construct four PV solar facilities – Aurora, Tom Burke, Paleisheweul and Pulida – in the areas of the Northern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and Limpopo provinces with the highest concentration of solar radiation, which will have a total installed capacity of 314MWp. Again, these plants will use thin film modules manufactured by 3Sun.