Statia’s solar park supplies entire island with electricity

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Battery storage at the solar park on St. Eustatius.

ST. EUSTATIUS–St. Eustatius’ new solar park, which can supply the whole island with electricity during the day until after sunset, will be officially put into use today, Wednesday.

  Thanks to the park, the use of diesel generators which until recently produced all electricity for Statia, can now be reduced by almost 50 per cent.

  The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate funded the solar park with a subsidy of over US $14.1 million. This corresponds to almost $7,900 for each of the 1,800 households and companies which will benefit from the Dutch Government’s investment.

  In addition to the solar panels, the park has an innovative battery storage of 2.6/ 5.9 megawatts that can keep the grid stable without use of the diesel generators.

  On sunny days between 8:00am and 8:00pm, the solar park will be responsible for the entire electricity production. Around midday the park produces more than 200 per cent of the electricity demand. The produced surplus is stored and utilized later in the day. At night diesel generators take over the production of power.

  This way, on an annual basis the solar park provides 46 per cent of Statia’s electricity demand. The park has a nominal output of 4.15 megawatts.

  Thanks to the sunny climate the plant can produce almost twice as much power as would be possible in the European Netherlands. With an expected annual production of 6.4 gigawatts Statia will be home to the second largest solar park in the Netherlands. The largest park is Sunport Delfzijl in the northeast of the European Netherlands.

  The plant will be put into use officially on November 15, by the Kingdom Representative Gilbert Isabella.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/70987-statia-s-solar-park-supplies-entire-island-with-electricity