News
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all members of the press and media, and we are delighted that you are taking an interest in F&S solar and its projects. On this and on the following pages, you will find all information, in concise form, about the company and its current projects. You can access video files, catalogues, brochures and other files, which you are also welcome to download. If using photographs and quotations, we would kindly ask that you acknowledge the sources. We would also be delighted if you would include a link to our website when reporting on F&S solar (www.fs-sun.com).
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ABB wins substation order to connect solar plant with the national grid of the Dominican Republic
31. Oktober 2016
New AIS substation in Monte Cristi helps to integrate green energy into the Dominican grid. ABB has won an order from the German solar plant developer F&S Solar Concept GmbH to build a turnkey 138 kV substation connecting a new solar plant in Monte Cristi with the national grid of the Dominican Republic.…
Mehr anzeigenNew AIS substation in Monte Cristi helps to integrate green energy into the Dominican grid.
ABB has won an order from the German solar plant developer F&S Solar Concept GmbH to build a turnkey 138 kV substation connecting a new solar plant in Monte Cristi with the national grid of the Dominican Republic. F&S will bring the expertise to build a high performance solar plant whereas ABB supports with its know-how in integrating renewable energy to the grid. Besides the AIS substation, ABB will furthermore provide two new 25 MVA transformers.
ABB has already helped the provider to connect the first solar plant of the Dominican Republic with the national grid. Besides this 30 MW solar plant in Monte Plata, the amount of renewable energy in the Dominican Republic will be enhanced with the new solar plant in Monte Cristi, adding 100 MW of solar power to the grid.
As the country suffers from general power shortage, the development of renewable energy is critical to strengthen the grid and make it possible to extend the amount of connected households to the power grid. The Dominican government has already established important legal innovations and plans to open more solar plants in future, opening new opportunities for ABB.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leading global technology company in power and automation that enables utility, industry, and transport & infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.
For more information please contact:
Head of CommunicationsABB Power Grids
Harmeet Bawa
Tel: +41 43 317 6480
harmeet.bawa@ch.abb.com
ABB LtdAffolternstrasse 44
8050 Zurich
Switzerland
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“F&S solar is going to invest USD 250 Million in the province Montecristi”
04. September 2016
In the presence of various local medias the German company F&S Solar announced this Saturday (03.09) in a press conference that they are going to invest $ 250 million in the construction of the largest solar farm in Latin America and the Caribbean Region. Among others, John Pape and Heinz Vieluf Cabrera…
Mehr anzeigenIn the presence of various local medias the German company F&S Solar announced this Saturday (03.09) in a press conference that they are going to invest $ 250 million in the construction of the largest solar farm in Latin America and the Caribbean Region.
Among others, John Pape and Heinz Vieluf Cabrera (Senator province) gave important information.
The German company, which was established more than 30 years ago, provides the same service in different European countries (Italy, Spain, Germany)
Since 2013 F&S Solar acts in the Dominican Republic and will sell clean energy for 20 years (contract / PPA) to the state.
First phase: USD 120 million
Second phase: USD 130 million
This investment will provide more than 400 direct jobs and more than 100 indirect. The economy of the province will benefit.
Heinz Vieluf indicates that this is an important step for the development of the province.
The first investment will start at the end of October.
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Chorus Clean Energy AG acquieres new Solarpark
07. Juli 2016
The consisting Solarpark in Brandenburg with an overall performance of 3.3 Megawatt completes the Portfolio for two pension funds. CHORUS takes over longstanding operation of assets CHORUS Clean Energy AG (" CHORUS "), from Neubiberg near Munich, which specializes in the operation of solar parks…
Mehr anzeigenThe consisting Solarpark in Brandenburg with an overall performance of 3.3 Megawatt completes the Portfolio for two pension funds.
CHORUS takes over longstanding operation of assets
CHORUS Clean Energy AG (" CHORUS "), from Neubiberg near Munich, which specializes in the operation of solar parks and wind turbines, has acquired two German pension funds a solar park with a capacity of 3.3 megawatts (MW) in Brandenburg Rüdersdorf. Seller is F & S solar concept GmbH in Euskirchen. About all other terms of agreement the parties have agreed by implication.
Since end of August 2011 the photovoltaic systems of "Solarpark Rüdersdorf II" are connected to the network and will receive a state-guaranteed feed in tariff of 22.07 cents per kilowatt-hour generated until the end of 2031. The amount of yearly produced electricity is sufficient to meet the annual needs of approximately 1,200 average two-person households and to save approximately 2,000 tons of harmful CO2 per year.
By means of the recent acquisition, CHORUS proves again its expertise as asset management service provider: in the middle of October 2015 CHORUS had been commissioned by two well-known fund panels to build a portfolio of solar and wind plants and to fully represent the long-term operation of the plant. For this both institutional clients have provided own funds amounting around 25 million euros, which are now completely invested. The portfolio includes the solar park in Brandenburg, a solar park in Thuringia with a total capacity of barely less than 3 MW, solar systems in the Italian regions of Umbria and Lazio with a rated output of 2 MW as well as a wind park in Lower Saxony with a total capacity of more than 18 MW. All systems are already connected to the network.
"We are pleased that we were able to put together such a high quality and balanced assets portfolio within the very limited time. Another sign of confidence of our customers is the fact that we have been entrusted with all other asset management services, including the operation of the plants," says Holger Götze, CEO of CHORUS Clean Energy AG.
About CHORUS
The CHORUS Group was founded in 1998 and operates 81 solar and wind parks with a capacity of over 400 megawatts in five European countries. With its wide diversified portfolio, the company generates stable, predictable and long-term income. For professional investors CHORUS offers investment opportunities in funds to produce renewable energy. The CHORUS Clean Energy AG covers the entire investment cycle of a plant - beginning with asset sourcing, to the economic and legal due diligence, as well as the monitoring ending with the final sale.
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Dominican Republik - 58 MW “ready to build”
04. Juli 2016
The German solar project developer F&S Solar has identifi ed the Dominican Republic as a particularly attractive PV market. Planning is complete for an initial 116 MW utility-scale project. Construction is set to begin on the fi rst half of the power plant. The electricity will be marketed in a PPA.…
Mehr anzeigenThe German solar project developer F&S Solar has identifi ed the Dominican Republic as a particularly attractive PV market. Planning is complete for an initial 116 MW utility-scale project. Construction is set to begin on the fi rst half of the power plant. The electricity will be marketed in a PPA. In an interview with S&WE, the company’s Managing Director Georg Schmiedel confirmed that F&S Solar has further plans for the Caribbean market.
S&WE: Mr. Schmiedel, the Dominican Republic is the only market outside of Europe, with the exception of Turkey, where your company is active. How did this come about?
Georg Schmiedel: We made the decision to internationalise in 2010 and chose to start with a focus on Europe and Turkey. We entered the UK market, with all the associated ups and downs, three years ago. It became clear as a second step that we would have to go beyond Europe into international markets. There are important criteria in addition to
solar potential: we want to avoid political risks, risk of war and any health risks for our employees. The Caribbean is thus generally of interest and the Dominican Republic in particular.
S&WE: In your opinion, what distinguishes the country?
Schmiedel: The system there has a very sustainable fundamental structure. We found structures comparable with those in Germany: clear, structured processes with typical permits, including environmental assessments and construction permits. Our 116 MW project has been o_ ered a power purchase agreement with a public electricity utility once complete and we consider this to be a solid foundation for future business.
S&WE: But you also founded a subsidiary ...
Schmiedel: Yes, we fi rst looked for local strategic partners, as we do in every country, and we found them. We can’t do anything without a local network. That led to the establishment of a joint venture company, F&S Solar Caribe Holding. F&S solar and AAC Global are equal partners in this company. Our partner, AAC Global, handles project development and permit planning, but is also supported locally by employees from Germany. Our project manager is currently preparing to move to the Dominican Republic.
S&WE What does the electricity market in this Caribbean country look like?
Schmiedel: First of all, it’s important to remember that it is an island. Almost half of the electricity is produced in an oil-fi red power plant, which is not very efficient, ecologically unsound and expensive. Solar, wind and biomass are poised for serious expansion – the Dominican Republic doesn’t want to rely on deliveries of raw materials. But the island’s network also shows that there is a decent power grid, which will also be expanded because of tourism. This sector requires a continuous, adequate power supply; some hotels still use their own auxiliary diesel generators to ensure their power supply.
S&WE: That means that a large solar farm with 116 MW of capacity would be a good fi t for this market.
Schmiedel: Yes, without a doubt. We will feed in at the highest voltage so that the energy can be well distributed across the entire island. The locations were chosen so that a substation can be built directly on site. The fi rst half of our 116 MW project currently has “ready to build” status. We are in the process of wrapping up the fi nal fi nancing matters with the investors and banks. Under the applicable laws, the permit for the second half of the project will be issued when construction begins. In addition to this first power plant, we have another 120 MW project that is currently in development.
S&WE: The installation of hybrid power plants would certainly be another potential field. Is that something you would get involved in?
Schmiedel: We’ve found that the construction of this large solar farm is the fi rst step in a new market. But there are also regions with a very poor power supply, or without any power supply, and hybrid power plants would be suitable there – the potential is truly enormous! However, the fi rst step together with the electric utility is to support the network with solar farms, also in respect to reactive power. We are also thinking about storage solutions to smooth the peaks. The climate on the island is also quite varied. There are areas that are steppe-like, while others are very green because of regular rainfall. This is why it is important to choose regions with constant solar radiation for solar farms.
S&WE: Are there any particular challenges in this country for solar projects in terms of logistics, installation or the availability of well-trained installers?
Schmiedel: There really aren’t many problems. Our partner SMA is already on the island
and can o_ er the necessary support. The substructure will be completed with one of the global players, but we have not yet reached a fi nal decision. The modules must be suitable for high temperatures, of course. We are responsible for the construction management, and partner companies from Germany are leading the installation. Between 250 and 300 local workers, who can apply on site, will be employed in the project.
S&WE: Will you continue as the operations manager?
Schmiedel: Yes, we are prepared to stay on site and manage the farm over the long term. A service building with a spare parts warehouse which the security service can use as its base and where camera monitoring can be done will be built on site. The monitoring of the plant itself will continue to be done in Germany. We can monitor the farm in real time from our headquarters. However, with six hours’ time difference, monitoring of the facility will begin at midnight in Germany – so we will have to organise a shift system.
S&WE: Wouldn’t it make more sense to do the monitoring locally?
Schmiedel: We want to use the headquarters here in Germany for all our international projects. We have developed our own software for our monitoring system and can use this software to manage all fi rst level support from here. We would like to keep the responsibility for this task here in Germany.
S&WE: The Dominican Republic appears to be a very attractive market. Do you have expansion plans for other countries in the Caribbean?
Schmiedel: We see very promising opportunities in other countries, although the general conditions will always have to be a good fi t. At the moment, the conditions in the Dominican Republic are ideal for us. It is important for our investors that the feedin tari_ be paid in US dollars, not in the national currency. Currency fl uctuation presents too great a risk. We are currently planning to remain active throughout the Caribbean and expand our business from our headquarters in the Dominican Republic. But the growth should be healthy and sustainable. Our first solar farm, Montecristi, which has a capacity of 58 MW, will be an important reference for interested parties from other countries who would like to get a sense of the scale: 116MW on over 200 hectares of land – that’s quite a lot. We will be happy to show it and provide information on the transmission network operator’s experiences.
The interview was conducted by Ralf Ossenbrink.
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