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Oct 15

REC solar panels to power the largest solar photovoltaic plant on a closed landfill in the U.S.

REC Group, the leading European brand for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, announced today that the company’s panels are powering the Annapolis Solar Park in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. Designed and constructed by EDF Renewables Distributed Solutions, the 18.1 MW large system is expected to generate 24,000 MWh annually, enough to power 2,200 average US households and offset 13,200 tons of CO2. The installation with REC TwinPeak 2S 72-cell solar panels at 345Wp was energized in June 2018. A subsidiary of Building Energy, a multinational IPP in the renewable energy industry is the owner of the project.

According to the EPA, the Annapolis Renewable Energy Park is the largest closed landfill solar project in North America. It covers 80 acres of previously unusable landfill with REC’s award-winning TwinPeak panels with half-cut PERC cells. “The Annapolis solar installation is a remarkable example of how communities can convert a formerly unusable landfill property into a powerhouse supplier of clean energy that creates also hundreds of new jobs,” comments Cary Hayes, President of REC Americas LLC proudly.

“Likewise, old coal mine areas offer an opportunity to switch to clean solar energy. Considering the fact that the retirement of outdated coal power plants in the U.S. continues rapidly due to decreasing economics, connected coal mines have the chance for a ‘second life’ by being converted to solar parks,” Hayes adds. According to the Sierra Club, since 2010, 274 coal-fired power plants have been retired in the U.S. or are proposed to be retired by a specific date.

  • System size: 18.1 MW
  • Annual capacity: 24,000 MWh
  • Households to be powered: 2,200
  • CO2 saved annually: 13,200 t
  • Panel type: REC TwinPeak 2S 72 345Wp
  • Number of panels: 52,416
  • Installer / EPC company: EDF Renewables Distributed Solutions
  • Year installed: 2018
  • Location: Annapolis, Maryland, US

About REC Group:
Founded in Norway in 1996, REC Group is a leading vertically integrated solar energy company. Through integrated manufacturing from silicon to wafers, cells, high-quality panels and extending to solar solutions, REC Group provides the world with a reliable source of clean energy. REC’s renowned product quality is supported by the lowest warranty claims rate in the industry. REC Group is a Bluestar Elkem company with headquarters in Norway and operational headquarters in Singapore. REC Group employs around 2,000 people worldwide, producing 1.5 GW of solar panels annually. Find out more at www.recgroup.com

About EDF Renewables:
EDF Renewables North America is a market leading independent power producer and service provider with over 30 years of expertise in renewable energy. The Company delivers grid-scale power: wind (onshore and offshore), solar photovoltaic, and storage projects; distributed solutions: solar, solar+storage, EV charging and energy management; and asset optimization: technical, operational, and commercial skills to maximize performance of generating projects. EDF Renewables’ North American portfolio consists of 10 GW of developed projects and 10 GW under service contracts. EDF Renewables is a subsidiary of EDF Renouvelables, the dedicated renewable energy affiliate of the EDF Group. For more information visit: www.edf-re.com

For further information please contact:
Agnieszka Schulze
Head of Global PR, REC Group
Phone: +49 89 54 04 67 225
E-mail: agnieszka.schulze@recgroup.com 

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