As of 2012, the Montalto di Castro solar park was the largest photovoltaic power station in Italy, producing more than 40,000 MWh of electricity per year... Let's explore!
The solar park was developed and is operated by SunRay Renewable Energy, and its modules produced by SunPower.
The solar park was completed in the winter of 2010, then sold to a consortium of investors.
Montalto di Castro uses sun-tracking technology - changing the angle of the solar panels with the sun for optimal radiation exposure.
The park contains 80,000 modules, with a peak installed capacity of 24 megawatts.
It's located located around 100km from Rome, in the Lazio Region of Italy.
The construction of the Montalto di Castro solar park took place in 4 stages. It took eight months and approximately 250 workers.
According to the SunPower website, the solar park avoids 22,000 tons of CO2 annually and produces enough solar generated electricity to power 13,000 homes.
Article References
SunPower. Largest Solar Power Plant in Italy Completed. Retrieved from http://us.sunpowercorp.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/?relID=23297
Wikipedia. Solar Power in Italy. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Italy
SMA. Solar Park Montalto di Castro. Retrieved from http://www.sma.de/en/products/references/solar-inverters/isolator/solar-park-montalto-di-castro.html