For the third year in a row, BELECTRIC participated in the Energy Storage Summit in London which is the primary energy storage event in the UK. Over 350 participants from the UK and Europe attended to hear from industry leaders and share experiences. Amit Oza (MD and Head of Battery Sales at BELECTRIC UK) participated in the financing panel on Day 1 and Tim Muller (CTO Belectric GmbH) led the Western European Markets round table on Day 2 – both sessions stimulated a lot of discussion and interest. “We leave the event with tangible opportunities with new customers as well as progress on projects with existing customers”, commented Amit Oza.
In mid-February, the executives of the entire BELECTRIC Group met in Volkach (Germany) to review the past year and, above all, to set the strategic course for 2020 and coming years. “Our order books are full thanks to our efforts over the past year. We have the opportunity to build close to 1 GW of photovoltaic capacity for our customers this year,” explains Martin Zembsch, CCO of BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH at the annual BELECTRIC Leadership Team Meeting. “For sure also in 2020 our mother company is one of our biggest customers. However, our sales team did a good job and acquired as well third-party projects. In addition, our decision from 2018 to focus again more on project development now bears fruit,” Zembsch adds. In addition to strategic topics and sales targets, respective departments reported about ongoing research projects, upcoming global ERP implementation and lessons learned in current projects.
BELECTRIC expands O&M service contracts in Indiana, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and California
Around 1.7 GW globally under BELECTRIC Operations & Maintenance management
Kolitzheim (Germany), San Mateo (California, USA) – BELECTRIC expands its Operations & Maintenance (O&M) business in the US: The company has been awarded as the long-term service provider for a combination of preventive and corrective maintenance of solar plants with a total capacity of more than 20 MWp. As of October 2019, BELECTRIC has entered into a ten years O&M partnership with sPower for a 14.4 MW portfolio. The in total 15 projects are located in Indiana, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. In addition, BELECTRIC was awarded by Madison Energy to operate and maintain two of their PV plants (together 5.8 MW) in Maryland and California.
“We are pleased that these long-term contracts are enabling us to expand O&M services within our core markets”, explains Matthew Lusk, BELECTRIC’s Director of Business Development and Operations in the US. “Including these plants, we are operating and maintaining a solar portfolio with an installed capacity of approx. 160 MWp in the US.”
Globally BELECTRIC’s O&M teams are managing around 1.7 Gigawatt. This outstanding reputation in delivering quality service played a key role in their successful bid for this O&M contracts, which include semi-annual preventive and corrective maintenance.
BELECTRIC is one of the largest Operations & Maintenance providers worldwide BELECTRIC’s core business is the design and construction of solar powered energy facilities and large-scale battery storage systems for the international power utility market and independent power plant operators. In operating these facilities, the company targets lowest cost of energy at best possible ecological balance. As a natural extension of this business, BELECTRIC focusses on reducing operating costs to its full range of Solar Maintenance, Repair and Operation services.
About Madison Energy Investments: Madison Energy Investments is a platform that develops, owns and operates distributed generation projects within the commercial and industrial (C&I) and small utility-scale sectors. Madison Energy brings a variety of expertise in business development, finance, construction, and operations. The team’s combined industry experience of over 50 years has produced best practices in project development, construction, financing and a comfort level with a variety of technologies, engineering solutions, financing structures, state markets and incentives, utility programs, tariff structures, and asset management. Most importantly, the experience has allowed the team to develop first class relationships with experienced, local partners in dozens of markets throughout the United States.
About sPower: Headquartered in Salt Lake City, sPower is a leading independent power producer (IPP) that owns and operates more than 155 renewable generation systems across the U.S. sPower has a leading wind, solar and storage portfolio of more than 1.6 GW, with 15.0 GW of projects under development and is owned by a joint venture partnership between The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), a worldwide energy company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation, one of Canada’s largest and most diversified institutional investment fund managers. sPower provides renewable energy for a sustainable future. For more information, visit www.spower.com.
Additional service contract signed for operation and maintenance
Kolitzheim, Germany / Be`er Sheva (Israel) – BELECTRIC together with the EPC Division of Solel Boneh have completed Israel’s largest solar project. With an installed capacity of 120 MWp the solar plant will produce more than 220 gigawatt hours of green electricity per year. BELECTRIC, in cooperation with Solel Boneh Ltd. through an integrated EPC Joint Venture, has provided a turnkey system for the large-scale PV plant, which was built near the village of Zeélim. The plant reached commercial operation Mid October. The owner is Shikun & Binui Renewable Energy Ltd., which is the renewable arm of Israel’s biggest infrastructure and real estate group Shikun & Binui.
“As Israel’s largest solar plant, this project marks an important step to help reach the government target to generate ten percent of its electricity by renewable sources”, explains Ingo Alphéus, CEO of BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH. “We are particularly proud to have completed this large-scale project not only on time and quality but also in accordance with our high European health and safety standards.”
Except for Zeélim solar farm, BELECTRIC has already realized 24 solar projects in Israel with a total capacity of roughly 270 MW since 2013.
“After the successful execution of the construction and commissioning phase we are now looking forward to operating the Zeélim solar plant”, adds Anna Velikansky, Managing Director of BELECTRIC Israel Ltd. “I would like to thank the owner, Shikun & Binui, for their trust in our PV products and services.”
The Zeélim project was constructed by the Israeli subsidiary BELECTRIC Israel through an integrated EPC Joint Venture with the EPC Division of Solel Boneh, the oldest, and one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in Israel. In addition, BELECTRIC Israel in cooperation with Solel Boneh through an integrated EPC Joint Venture has been appointed as a service provider for the operation and maintenance of the utility scale PV plant. The long-term service contract includes remote power plant monitoring, regular inspections and on-site support in the event of a fault. During the first operation years, the O&M contract will be subcontracted to the owner, Shikun & Binui. BELECTRIC is one of the largest Operations & Maintenance providers worldwide, managing a portfolio of approx. 1.7 GWp of installed utility scale PV solar plants and Battery storage systems worldwide.
Solar projects with a total installed capacity of more than 38 MW completed
Operations and maintenance service agreements secured
Installation of up to 50 MW planned for 2019
Kolitzheim, Germany – Since the company successfully entered the market in 2018, BELECTRIC has constructed the “Zonnepark Lange Runde” (14.2 MWp) and “Zeeland Refinery” (12.4 MWp) projects, two turn-key photovoltaic power stations in the Netherlands. In addition, BELECTRIC has been selected as the operations and maintenance service provider for the solar parks. The service agreements comprise remote system monitoring, regular inspections and on-site support in the event of faults. Furthermore BELECTRIC supplied several PV systems (total capacity 12 MWp) with the innovative PEG substructure system in the Limburg region. BELECTRIC has already signed the contracts for a further 7.5-MW PEG system.
“The Dutch solar market will evolve into one of the key PV markets in Europe over the next few years. Therefore, I am delighted that we have secured a firm foothold in this market and that our customers were happy with how we implemented our first PV projects here”, explains David Johann, Vice President Sales Netherlands, BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH. “And that is only the beginning. In regions like Friesland, Flevoland and Zeeland, but also in North and South Holland there is plenty of potential for solar parks. We want to be one of the leading engineering companies in realising this potential.”
BELECTRIC is planning solar projects with a total capacity of up to 50 megawatts in the Netherlands this year, some of them with the PEG system.
Solar projects with a total installed capacity of more than 38 MW completed
The capacity of solar projects erected by BELECTRIC in the role of EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) service provider totals over 38 MW. The “Zonnepark Lange Runde” solar park with an installed capacity of 14.2 MWp was constructed in the Drenthe province, commissioned by Norwegian energy company Statkraft. This solar park is the first 1,500-volts system in the Benelux region. The system consists of over 118,000 solar collectors and generates enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of 4,000 households. The system has been operational since December 21st 2017 and the land is maintained by grazing sheep. The PV system “Zeeland Refinery” with an installed capacity of 12.4 MWp was constructed by BELECTRIC for the company Total in the Zeeland province and commissioned in July 2018. The PV system consists of over 28,000 solar collectors and generates enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of 3,500 households. The PV systems featuring the innovative PEG substructure have a total installed capacity of 12 MWp. Due to the lightweight construction of the PEG system, foundations are not required. Significantly reduced height and floor space, less material and a simple construction reduce labour costs and shorten the time period between planning and commissioning the system. A total of eleven systems were erected in the Limburg region in just a few weeks and construction was completed in March 2019. They produce enough climate-friendly electricity to supply the equivalent of 3,500 households.
Battery storage completes smart grid on EUREF Campus in Berlin
Another project demonstrating BELECTRIC’s expertise in integrating a huge variety of battery systems
Kolitzheim / Berlin, Germany – Today, a new battery storage facility was officially inaugurated at the EUREF Campus, a green innovation cluster in Berlin. BELECTRIC was contracted to build the storage system for Audi, with its 20 batteries sourced from test vehicles belonging to the car manufacturer. The system is part of the Mobility2Grid research project and its 1.9 MWh total capacity is intended to complete the campus’ micro smart grid.
“On the EUREF Campus, we’ve seen a present-day example of how the energy and transport sectors can work together effectively and compatibly in the future. I’m pleased that BELECTRIC has been able to be part of this groundbreaking project,” said Frank Amend, the BELECTRIC Management Board member responsible for batteries and hybrid systems. “This battery storage system will allow Audi to provide an important link between volatile generation from renewable energy sources, different consumers and state-of-the-art power grids. At BELECTRIC, we assisted with system integration for this storage facility by drawing on the wide experience we’ve been able to gain from our extensive track record of implementing other storage projects.”
The architecture and control system are designed so that the storage facility built by BELECTRIC can be used for a variety of applications in the power grid – stabilising the grid, temporarily storing renewable energy, flattening peaks, improving the energy supply along with a co-generation plant, and providing highly specialised grid services such as reactive power compensation.
BELECTRIC: one of the world’s leading developers of storage technologies Since the first PV-integrated battery storage system was switched on around six years ago, BELECTRIC has worked closely together with customers and battery manufacturers to develop and implement a host of storage solutions based on different technologies. This process involves using batteries specially developed for stationary applications, as well as battery modules from different vehicle manufacturers. BELECTRIC harnesses the experience it has accumulated in the solar power plant sector to build reliable, large-scale systems that are based on standard components and tailored to the practical needs of customers. Across Europe, BELECTRIC has completed storage projects with a combined output of around 100 MW.
EUREF Campus: template for sustainable energy solutions The EUREF Campus located in the heart of Berlin’s Schöneberg district is a bellwether location for the German capital’s smart city strategy, making the project a model for the future. The EUREF Campus’ smart city concept is geared to people’s needs and aims to achieve sustainable urban development. On the campus, the focus is clearly on infrastructure – specifically, its power supply plans are based on the idea of using urban technologies to generate the energy needed with the smallest possible carbon footprint, before consuming it efficiently. The site has managed to meet the German Federal Government’s climate targets for 2050 since January 2014.
BELECTRIC awarded as “Rooftop EPC Company of the year”
BELECTRIC targets 1 GW of project allocations in India by end 2019
Kolitzheim, Germany / Mumbai (India) – BELECTRIC, a German based company, is further increasing its footprint in India’s ever-growing solar industry by completing two large-scale PV rooftop projects. With a combined capacity of 26 Megawatt peak (MWp), these solar power plants are amongst Asia’s largest rooftop installations. The projects were developed by Cleantech Solar, the regional leader in solar energy solutions for corporate customers in Asia. On behalf of Cleantech Solar, BELECTRIC took control of the construction and commissioning of the large-scale projects. The 16 MWp system for Arvind Limited started full commercial operation in December 2018 while the other 10 MWp system, installed at Apollo Tyres’ facility in Chennai, commenced operation this month. Both large-scale projects were constructed within six months while maintaining the highest Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) standards. The trade magazine EQ INTERNATIONAL acknowledged BELECTRIC’s performance in India with the Gold Award “Rooftop EPC Company of the year.”
“We are particularly proud to have completed these large-scale projects not only on time and quality but also in accordance with our high European health and safety standards,” explains Ingo Alphéus, CEO of BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH. “This underpins our strong position in the Indian EPC market, which is not only one of the largest and fastest growing solar markets but also one of the most challenging.”
“We are delighted that these industry leaders have once again chosen Cleantech Solar as their trusted long-term partner. We are pleased to collaborate with BELECTRIC, which has a proven track record in rooftop solar deployment and shares our values of delivering high performing systems with high HSE & Quality standards. We look forward to working with BELECTRIC again for future projects,” said Raju Shukla, Chairman and Founder of Cleantech Solar.
Jitendra Singh, CEO & Managing Director of BELECTRIC Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd, adds: “Beside these two projects, we are building a ground-mounted solar farm with a total capacity of 250 MWAC. This solar plant in Karnataka is going to be the largest capacity installation we have ever done in India. Construction works are well underway and we anticipate full commercial operation in 2019. With this and further projects we are making great progress towards achieving our target of one gigawatt of project allocations in India by the end of this year.”
BELECTRIC Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. is one of the established EPCs in India. Since 2009 the company has been involved in solar projects in India with an installed capacity of more than 370 MWp. Together with the projects currently under construction and in development, BELECTRIC is likely to break through the one gigawatt level of installed capacity by the end of 2019. Some of the Indian projects were realised with the Wiring Harness System and the new PEG substructure solution provided by BELECTRIC’s subsidiary, Jurchen Technology, which has a manufacturing unit in India. BELECTRIC is steadily growing its team in India in preparation for new projects and has moved to a new office location in Mumbai. The new facility in Lotus Corporate Park can accommodate more than double the capacity of personnel compared to the former location.
New Office Address: BELECTRIC Photovoltaic India Private Limited Regd. Office: Unit No.601 & 602, F Wing, Sixth Floor, Lotus Corporate Park, Gram Path Compound, Off. Western Express Highway, Goregaon (East), Mumbai – 400063, Maharashtra, India
BELECTRIC, a German based company, is further increasing its footprint in India’s ever-growing solar industry by completing two large-scale PV rooftop projects for Cleantech Solar.
On the day of International Women’s Day [8th March], Belectric Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd. organized a get together for the office staff and a program for the Women Workers at Pavagada Solar Park (Thirumani Village). Jitendra Singh, CEO & Managing Director of BELECTRIC Photovoltaic India Pvt. Ltd paid tributes to all women out there by adding: “Women are the most important part of our lives and we at Belectric value their contribution above everything”
The program at the Pavagada Solar Park was inaugurated with inspirational speech by following Chief Guests, Smt. Nagamani (Panchayat Member, Vollur Village) & Shri. Rajendra Gupta (Project Head, Fortum Solar, esteemed client of Belectric) followed by Motivational Speech by Mr. Lav Gupta (HR Head, Belectric India), Mr. Anand KR, Mr. Danish Asrar & Mr. Sachin Roshan (Site Managers, Belectric). Belectric team in their speech encouraged the Women Workers to keep working with the Health & Safety Norms & also appreciated them for their special dedication & contribution made towards the project.
The program became all the more attractive when the Women Workers came forward & sang a very Inspirational Song in their local language which meant “Company & its Solar work should keep progressing” followed by a fantastic group folk dance performance by them. Belectric also gifted Saree & Flower to each of the Women Workers as a gesture of respect & acknowledgement to their contribution at work.
Not to miss the wonderful time the Ladies at the Office had!
Kolitzheim (Germany) – BELECTRIC is active worldwide in the development and construction of utility scale solar power plants, PV roof systems and energy storage systems. In 2019 the company will build 1 GW of solar power.
“This year, we want to reap the fruits we sowed last year,” explains Ingo Alphéus, CEO of BELECTRIC Solar & Battery GmbH at the annual BELECTRIC Leadership Team Meeting. “Our order books are full thanks to our efforts over the past year. We have the opportunity to build around 1 GW of photovoltaic capacity for our customers this year. This is about twice as much as it was in 2018. We will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of most of these plants and furthermore will expand our battery storage business. For the first time, our parent company innogy becomes our largest customer. But we also build for many third party customers. “
In mid-February, the executives of the entire BELECTRIC Group met in Würzburg to review the past year and, above all, to set the strategic course for the coming years.
The BELECTRIC group of companies has around 750 employees worldwide, working in 11 different countries.
