Mongolian company Solar Power International LLC, and Japan’s Sharp Corporation and Shigemitsu Shoji Co., Ltd. have signed an agreement to cooperate on the first large-scale solar power plant business in Mongolia. The participants in the project held an agreement  signing ceremony in Ulaanbaatar yesterday.

Construction of the solar power plant will begin by the end of July in Darkhan Province, and the project is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.  Once operational, the Darkhan 10MW Solar PV plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 14,764 metric tons per year, and it is expected to be capable of generating enough electricity for more than 20,000 homes, Solar Power International LLC (SPI) estimates.

“The Darkhan 10MW PV plant is the first Mongolian mega-scale PV plant. Therefore, we are dedicated to integrating a range of highly efficient technologies and advanced components and materials well known worldwide into the design of the state-of-the-art Darkhan PV plant, with the intention of achieving the highest world standards for PV plant operation in Mongolia. High efficiency, the reliability of Sharp PV modules with advanced electronic systems from SMA and ABB, may offer SPI a significant advantage toward achieving that goal,” said Dr. N.Enebish, project manager at Solar Power International LLC.

The project has been approved by the Financing Program for Joint Credit Mechanism Model Projects under the Joint Crediting Mechanism operated by the Ministry of Environment of Japan. By introducing Sharp’s technology and experience in solar power generation, the company believes that clean energy can be supplied and a reduction of greenhouse gas emission can be contributed to Mongolia, where coal fire power plants are still heavily relied on for energy.

Sharp Corporation says the project will also contribute to Japan’s greenhouse gas emission reduction target through the Joint Crediting Mechanism. The installed capacity of PV modules for this solar power plant will be 10MW, and the annual expected power generation is 14,182MWh per year,

Sharp will supply PV modules, mounting structures, and other balance of systems such as inverters together with system designing and engineering services for the project. With designs to bear the harsh climate conditions, such as severe cold temperatures during the winter and snow, the long-term stable operation of the solar power plant will be secured. Shigemitsu Shoji Co., Ltd. will support the joint management and operation of the solar power plant for the next 25 years with the help of their expertise on solar power plant operation in Japan.

Source: http://theubpost.mn/