Martifer Solar connects PV plant in Belgium for Orka NV

Martifer Solar, a subsidiary of Martifer SGPS, has completed the construction and connection of a 738.45 kWp PV system on the rooftop of the Decathlon building in Evere, Belgium for the company Orka NV.

Martifer Solar was responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the rooftop PV plant, integrated into the new facilities of Decathlon in the Brussels region. The building itself was developed and built by CBRE Global Investors, and leased to Decathlon on a long-term basis.

With this realization, Martifer Solar has achieved a track record of approximately 35 MW of total PV capacity installed in Belgium.

The building hosts the largest Decathlon store in Europe and currently stands as one of their largest stores in the world. With an area of 10,600 m2, the 738.45 kWp PV plant installed on the building’s rooftop, was built using 2,735 monocrystalline solar panels installed on fixed structures. The rooftop PV plant will produce an estimated 632.3 MWh/year, which will offset the emission of more than 140 tons of carbon dioxide annually and will provide sufficient energy to power the average consumption of 210 households.

This new PV plant represents a continued cooperation between Martifer Solar and Orka, which have had a partnership since 2011.

“This PV plant installed by Martifer Solar in the Benelux region represents the reliability, safety and bankability of the projects and work that we have been doing in this region. The achievement of more than 150 projects built on over 300 rooftops in Belgium, together with our global expertise allows us to consolidate and expand our strategy for the EPC and O&M business in the Benelux region,” says Luis Pinho, Operations Manager in Belgium for Martifer Solar.

“This project was more complex and had a longer development lead time due to the close integration with the construction of the building itself. We have enjoyed working with Martifer Solar to realize this project to the satisfaction of all stakeholders. With this realization Orka’s capacity in rooftop PV in the Brussels region totals 7Mwp, divided over 6 rooftops,” says Jan Heyse, Managing Director of Orka, investor and asset manager for the project.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/martifer-solar-pv-plant-belgium-epc/]