ArmInfo. In Armenian Talin, Aragatsotn district on November 7, the largest in Armenia solar power plant with a capacity of 1 MW. The project was implemented thanks to a group of investors (Eduard Marutyan, Araik Karapetyan, Zaven Sargsyan and Hayk Chobanyan) and co- financed under the "Renewable Energy Promotion" program by the German bank KfW jointly with the German-Armenian Fund (GAF) through "Conversbank" JSC.
"After 5-6 years, while maintaining the current tariffs, the total production of solar power plants in the country will approach 1 GW per year," said Hayk Chobanyan, general director of Arpi Solar Company, the plant construction contractor.
According to Chobanyan, even on a cloudy day the station generates about 25% of the energy from the installed capacity. The advantages of the natural and climatic conditions of Armenia are obvious, he noted. The solar power plant will increase the country's energy security, reducing its dependence on hydrocarbon raw materials. Each year of operation of the station will allow Armenia to refuse cutting 25 thousand trees.
The volume of investments invested in the project amounted to $ 1 million. The power plant covers an area of 1,800 square meters, and its nominal capacity reaches 1 MW, which is enough to provide electricity to 400 families. This, in turn, will meet the needs of almost half the population of the city of Talin. The park consists of 3,700 polycrystalline solar cells that convert solar radiation into direct current electricity. After that, it enters 14 inverters, which convert it into alternating current. With the help of a transformer substation, the voltage is brought to the level necessary for transmission of electricity to a single network. The project, as stressed by Hayk Chobanyan, was implemented in a very short time - up to one month: the start was given on October 18 and it took 20 days to conduct engineering work.
According to the head of the contractor company, the investment potential of Armenia's solar energy is quite large provided that the current tariff for electricity generated by solar power plants is maintained (at present, the tariff including VAT for high-voltage networks is 51 drams). Thanks to this, as he noted, soon will be announced the start of new power plants in 1 MW. In addition, in the near future it is planned to implement the largest project in the Gegharkunik area of Armenia, the solar power plant Masrik, with a capacity of 55 MW. The company "Arpi Solar" is already announcing its participation in the construction of a similar station in the Sevan swimming pool.
According to the investment program approved by the government of the country, it is planned to build solar stations in Armenia at 6 sites with a total installed capacity of up to 110 MW. At the first stage, a site near the "Masrik" community was chosen, where a solar station with a capacity of 55 MW would be built. The total cost of the program for the construction of solar power plants in Armenia is $ 129 million. Of the six surveyed regions, the Spanish consulting company Aries Engineering has already submitted feasibility studies. They relate to the localities of Masrik in Gegharkunik Marz and Dashtadem in Aragatsotn Marz, studies on the remaining four localities continue. One of the main conditions of the contest will be the tariff offered by investors. The advantage will be the company that offers the minimum tariff. The climate investment fund for the development of alternative energy provided Armenia $ 28 million, of which $ 2 million - a grant and $ 26 million - a loan. The loan terms are soft - 0.25% per annum with a maturity of 40 years and a grace period for payments in the first 20 years. Grant to study the localities, develop a feasibility study for the project, calculated at a station of 100-120 MW capacity.