Municipal solar power plant in Braşov to lower power bills by 90%

Mayor Allen Coliban is determined to make Braşov the green capital of Romania. The local authority’s latest initiative is to build a municipal solar power plant that would serve educational and cultural institutions, the administration, sports venues and public services including lighting.

Braşov in central Romania has been developing and participating in numerous sustainability projects over the past several years and applying for public funding.

“In September 2021, Braşov was the first city to assume an ambitious target: to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 55% in less than 10 years and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. To achieve these goals, we continue implementing a series of solutions that bring us closer to them. At the end of last year, we submitted a request for financing through LIOP in order to set up our own photovoltaic park,” said Mayor Allen Coliban.

LIOP, or POIM in Romania, is the European Union’s Large Infrastructure Operational Programme. The city applied for grants of over EUR 8.1 million and said it would cover the remainder of the investment, valued at EUR 21.9 million. The project is part of the local authority’s initiative to make Braşov the green capital of Romania.

Photovoltaic unit to be installed on city land

The facility is envisaged with 20 MW in peak capacity, which is the maximum direct current that the panels can deliver. The planned grid connection is 18 MW. The photovoltaic unit should be made of fixed panels with a peak capacity of 650 W each and span a 20-hectare area owned by the city.

The city aims to slash emissions by 55% by the end of the decade

The future solar park is set to meet just under 90% of the electricity needs of 37 schools, 29 kindergartens, eight nurseries, cultural institutions, sports venues, the city hall, public services, markets and multilevel parking facilities, public lighting including traffic signalization, and the skiing resort.

It is increasingly important, in the context of the energy crisis, to boost the level of energy independence, Mayor Coliban pointed out.

As for the rest of the region tracked by Balkan Green Energy News, there are already several municipal solar power plants in Turkey, in addition to small rooftop installations, which are a conventional solution now everywhere. Local authorities in Greece have been developing an increasing number of projects, too.

Braşov lining up green projects backed by public funding

The city requested funds in November for equipping 27 educational units with photovoltaic panels, which will further boost the municipal authority’s share of own energy in consumption. Similar projects are underway in other Romanian municipalities including Bistriţa and Sibiu.

Braşov picked a contractor last month for the installation of 15 electric vehicle charging stations with two connection points each. The program, also backed by public funding, is for 242 stations.

In November, the city received EUR 8.1 million from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and through the EU’s Renovation Wave scheme, for the renovation of residential buildings including technical upgrades and charging points for electric cars.

The country’s largest solar power plant is near Braşov.